Clapton FC .....2 LONDON APSA.....2 (ESL)

For an hour today Isaac Aubynn’s second goal, in back to back matches against Clapton FC looked enough to see APSA get three more points in this local derby, but things were not to turn out that way.

After Aubynn had headed us in front (see picture) from a Jamie Langton corner from the Tons right, in the 15th minute, we wasted chance after chance to put the game to bed.

Mo Dakri’s pace and power up front was proving to be a handful for the home side’s defenders to handle at the Old Spotted Dog Ground, and he was linking up beautifully with his strike partners Isaac and Gregory Akpele.

With Jamie Langton, Simpson Mpalampa and Junior Sanda threading passes from mid-field, we should have taken all three points before the halftime break.

It was from one of these through balls that Isaac bust through into the opposition box and slid the ball just wide in the 30^th minute. Five minutes before, Akpele had got his toe to another ball, and with the keeper beaten, saw the ball cleared away from the 6^th yard box by the full back.

That is not to say that the home side did not produce chances of their own, in fact Steve Brown had made an excellent save 10 minutes after Isaac’s goal to keep us in the lead and another ball had been cleared off the line when the home side all but scored.

Right from the kick off in the second half, the boys were caught napping as Clapton come charging down the right and a cross- come shot, bubbled dangerous in front of the diving Brown who managed to parry it wide.

Apsa composed themselves from this near miss, and come straight back. A superb free kick from Dakri, who had switched to the left after the break, saw the home keeper parry the ball on to the feet of left back Patrick Mpalampa, but he blasted the ball over the bar from an acute angle.

Patrick had another chance 8 minutes later when the ball come off the wall from another Darki free kick, he found himself in the same position, but this time his sided footed shot went behind for a goal kick. In between these two efforts, Akpele had headed over the bar.

All these missed opportunities proved to be costly, when in the 60^th minute, another refereeing decision, not for the first time this season, went against Apsa.

From a long throw-in in to the Apsa box,  Fahim Shah was clearly pushed in the back by the home centre forward, when he was favourite to win the header, the referee waved play on and Gerie the Clapton captain levelled the scores.

Five minutes later Brown was judged to have fouled a Clapton forward in a one-to-one challenge, and the match official pointed to the spot and showed our young keeper the yellow card. Gerie stepped up to put Clapton into the lead.

Apsa did not let their heads drop and with assistant manager Steve Brown Snr.; standing in for manager John Higley; throwing in all three of his subs, Apsa salvage a point when Akpele latched on to a high through ball from mid-field, left the Clapton defender on his seat and slotted the ball past the advancing keeper to level the match in the 90th minute.

Both side went for the win in injure time but both keepers made sure the spoils were shared. The home side feeling better about their point then the visitors. (SEE ALL THE MATCH ACTION PHOTOS in the GALLERY section under Clapton FC v APSA)