Potters Bar Town produced a remarkable fightback from two goals down to win 4-2 over Bishop’s Stortford at a delighted Pakex Stadium.
Two stunning first-half goals, the first from Nicholas Brown and the second from Ryan Charles, had seemingly set the visitors on their way to a comfortable win.
And such was Potters Bar’s malaise that you couldn’t see what was to follow.
Which was three goals in 12 minutes either side of the interval, Steve Brown, Keegan Cole via the penalty spot and Bradley Sach the men on target.
And Sach clinched the three points five minutes from time after a dominating second half from the Scholars.
It was a far cry from the start of the contest mind.
Brown opened the scoring with a sumptuous volley from the edge of the area, which flew across Berkley Laurencin and into the far corner.
Ryan Charles made it two from roughly the same spot with a finish that was almost as good.
But the problem was the Scholars were missing a spark and aside from the two goals, the Blues were looking lively and comfortable.
The movement of Brown and Cureton up front was enough to give the Bar defence plenty of headaches while at the other end the Stortford back four mopped up everything that came their way.
Which to be fair wasn’t a great deal.
The Scholars struggled to put many passes together and seemed to go long more often than not, all of which meant Stortford were able to intercept and get on the front foot very quickly.
New signing Andre Da Costa didn’t enjoy a memorable debut while Keegan Cole on the other flank was equally quiet.
In fact the only way you could see a home goal coming was via a corner and a Brown header and if you could have had a bet on that, you would have pocketed a decent little windfall.
He had already had a sniff twice earlier but hadn’t been able to get a clean connection. There was no doubting he got it spot on this time as he thundered in the cross from the left.
And remarkably just 12 minutes after the restart Bar were ahead.
They had started brightly and won a free-kick on the left in a tackle that earned Jack Thomas a yellow card.
And the Stortford four was involved again as he pulled the shirt of Brown, the referee having no doubt about the award of the spot kick even if the offender was vocally displeased at the man in the middle.
Cole slotted home the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way but that was just the beginning.
Six minutes later Sach broke the offside trap after a fine through ball and with composure he slid it under Calum Kitscha.
The turnaround was incredible. Gone was the spluttering side of the first-half, replaced by a team content with their ability on the ball and happy to knock it around with confidence.
And they could have had more.
A Cole cross flashed across the face of goal with Sach inches away from supplying the finishing touch and Chris Doyle then blasted one over on the volley.
And there was more with Kitscha making two big saves to deny Sach and Billy Adcock firing over.
Even substitute George Nicholas forced the keeper into a save.
All the while this was happening there was that nagging doubt, present in all football followers, that the Blues would throw everything at the Bar defence in search for the equaliser.
But with five minutes to go a scramble from a corner saw the ball run loose and Sach fire home to the delight of the Pakex crowd.
Kitscha still had to make two more sprawling saves, one form Sach and the other from Dernell Wynter, but it didn’t matter.
Potters Bar: Laurencin, Doyle, Lomas, O’Leary, Brown, Grace, Wynter, Adcock, Cole (Forde 86), Sach, Da Costa (Nicholas 79)
Subs (not used): Sandro Costa, Casey, Vas.
Goals: Brown 45, Cole (pen) 51, Sach 57, 85
Booked: O’Leary 56
Bishop’s Stortford: Kitscha, Humphreys (Westcott 68), Gregan, Thomas, Robbins, Nkosi, Charles, Renee (Miles 87), Cureton, Brown (Kyprianou 75), Mason.
Sub (not used): Crowther.
Goals: Brown 16, Charles 22
Booked: Thomas 49, Nkosi 90+1
HT: Potters Bar Town 1 Bishop’s Stortford 2
Attendance: 256
Referee: Paul Johnson
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