With
the league out of their hands and all but over the cup was Haringey's last
chance to bag some silverware in their first season, and they were favourites
to at least make it out of the group stage and into the finals weekend as they
headed into their final group game at Chelmsford at the weekend.
Having
been shocked by the Warriors twice already this season, with an unpredicted
loss and draw, so it proved again on Saturday when the Warriors jumped out to
an early lead in the fourth minute thanks to Sebastian Downing. Nathan Long
then doubled the hosts' lead five minutes later and the Racers went into the
first break trailing 2-0.
Haringey
rallied and pulled one back in the second period when Matt Brown was set up by
former Warrior Ricky Mills at the halfway point of the game and Sam Roberts
then pulled them level two minutes into the final period when he was teed up by
another former Warrior, Perry Whitlock, and top scorer Drew Campbell.
The
Racers had the momentum and took the lead in the 53rd minute when Campbell
again set up Roberts, but Haringey's joy was short lived as Lewis Jone pulled
Chelmsford level less than a minute later.
Tempers
and nerves frayed on both sides in the desperate final minutes but a familiar
theme emerged as the Racers found themselves short a man for the last two
minutes and were made to pay for it yet again when Bailey Chittock scored on
the powerplay and shattered Haringey's dreams of silverware for the season.
Coach
Dan Sampson says: "To be honest i am gutted, we all are. To be the better team all night and not win
is hard to take. I feel we were hard done by with the calls made (by the
referee). If we look at the bigger picture we have achieved so much this year
with the big crowds ands some good hockey. we are going to finish the season strong and I
believe we can finish second in the league, which in our first season would
still be brilliant."
The
Racers will dust themselves off and return to league action on the sixth of
April for their penultimate game of the year and their final home game at
Alexandra Palace for the season against the struggling Peterborough
Islanders."
Sam Park
Photo - Haringey's Sam Roberts by Sam Park
