Wingate & Finchley took the short trip north to Potters Bar on Boxing Day, marking the halfway point in the season; our 21st league game, with the Blues sitting in 4th place and Bar in the bottom half but in much improved form in recent weeks.
After a quiet opening few minutes, it was the Blues who had the best moments in the first half, including Elliot Long's close range finish which was his 13th goal of the season in the 22nd minute to give Wingate the lead which they held onto going into the break.
The Scholars made a change at the break which ultimately proved pivotal, bringing on ex-Wingate man Darnell Goather-Braithwaite, however it was another Bar forward, Brandon Adams, who levelled the game just two minutes into the second half. Potters Bar were in the ascendancy and Goather-Braithwaite scored from distance in the 64th minute to give the Scholars the lead.
The Blues have impressed many with their resilience this season and this was shown just two minutes later as Zack Newton bagged an equaliser, which saw that the final quarter of the game was an end-to-end affair, both teams missing huge chances to take the lead, this pattern continuing into stoppage time as the Blues missed at one end before Goather-Braithwaite went up the other end to bag a winner in the 97th minute.
It was a sickening late blow for the Blues in a game that could've gone either way. Next up for the Blues is Kingstonian on 30th, returning to the Maurice Rebak Stadium on New Year’s Day against Cheshunt.
Wingate & Finchley: Goode; Webb (Hernandez 70’); Cracknell; Frimpong; Frempah; Achuba (Bani 84'); Garrett-Douglas; Newton (Carvalho 73'); Chukwu; Long; Biler
Unused subs: Solomon; Yeboah