ConnectOS Men’s Match Report: Royals Dig Deep in Rollwecoaster Draw with Werribee
In a night that had it all – early heartbreak, late drama, and a goalkeeper turned emergency shot-stopper – the Essendon Royals staged a remarkable second-half comeback to secure a 2-2 draw with Werribee City at Cross Keys Reserve.
The Royals were caught cold from the start under the lights and backed by a healthy home crowd. Just three minutes in, a turnover near halfway saw Werribee’s Thomas Biss unleash a moment of brilliance, lofting the ball over Andre Russo, who had strayed off his line.
The early setback stunned the Royals, and while Julian Guzzardi and Dean Clarke came close to levelling things up, the visitors struck again. From a free kick on the right flank, Kojo Brown produced an inch-perfect curler into the top corner, doubling Werribee’s lead before the half-hour mark.
Essendon, to their credit, didn’t panic. They restructured at the break and came out with renewed purpose. Vince Lia tried his luck from a distance early in the second half, and while it didn’t trouble the scoreboard, it signalled the shift in momentum.
The breakthrough finally came in the 66th minute, with Graham Kelly, as ever, at the heart of it. The Royals’ midfield engine played a neat pass into Guzzardi, who took one touch before firing low across the keeper and into the corner.
Game on.
What followed was a wave of Royals pressure, met only by a stunning display from Werribee’s substitute goalkeeper Joshua McCall. He denied Jordan Adeyemi with a full-stretch dive, smothered a Kelly free kick, and somehow watched a wicked deflection from Adeyemi’s cross loop just past his post.
Then came stoppage time. And chaos.
In the 92nd minute, the ball pinballed around the Werribee box like a pin in a Pachinko machine. Diarmaid Harrington saw a shot saved. Takumi Niwa had his follow-up blocked. But when the ball squirmed loose, Graham Kelly was there to smash it home for a deserved equaliser.
Kelly collapsed in celebration, overwhelmed by the moment – or maybe just the cramp. Either way, the Royals weren’t done.
There was still time for Maze Ali to go clean through, only to be clattered outside the box by McCall, who was shown a straight red. With no keeper left on the bench, Werribee handed the gloves to Jordan Pisak, who barely had time to breathe before facing a Royals free kick.
Kelly’s shot went through the wall, destined for the net – but Pisak, somehow, kept it out with a diving save on the line. The final whistle blew seconds later.
It was one of those nights. A point gained? Maybe. Two dropped? Arguably. But what’s not in doubt is the spirit and fight shown by the Royals.
FULL-TIME: Essendon Royals 2–2 Werribee City