Albury City come from behind three times to win 6-5 against Albury United

Albury City came from behind three times, 16-year-old Obiora Eze scored a hat-trick and the game was decided by an own goal in stoppage-time on one of those days when you walk away and say "I was there."

There could be no greater advert for the Albury-Wodonga Football Association and no better feeling for the City faithful, who erupted when the final whistle finally blew on their 6-5 victory.

"That was something special," City coach Ricky Piltz exclaimed.

"It's great that derby day can do something like that.

"There were a lot of ups and downs in that game. I found myself happy as anything and angry as anything.

"In the first half, we played really well and to come out under the scoreboard gave us a lot of inspiration to go forward and a lot of belief that we could go out there and do it in the second half.

"But nobody would ever have expected it to be 6-5 at the end of the game."

United took a second-minute lead when Gauthier Robin nipped in to punish a defensive mix-up and it was Robin who made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, midway through the first half, after his free-kick from wide on the left was handled.

But a moment of brilliance from Eze turned the game just after the half-hour. A cross from the right was only half-cleared and when the ball looped up, the teenager's half-volley was pure class as it fizzed into the bottom corner.

A terrific team move brought the equaliser six minutes later, Eze following in after Patrick Brown's cross ran his way.

But the home side led at half-time, Caleb Martin obliging with a cool finish after Aidan Rees had played him through.

Back came City, though, Sebastian Berkhout's fine cross slammed home by Brown for his 11^th league goal of the season.

Paris Maw thought he'd put the visitors in front but the goal was belatedly disallowed for offside after a discussion between the officials. United went straight up the other end and made it 4-3 thanks to another smart finish from Martin.

But when Brown ran in behind, he squared for Noah Sredojevic to make it 4-4 with 30 minutes still to play.

United keeper Josh Fluss had been struggling with an injury since the first half and was finally forced out of the game 10 minutes from time.

His replacement, Mason Jones, palmed a cross straight to Eze and he accepted the gift to complete his treble from close-range.

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Melkie Woldemichael's free-kick, which flew in off the far post, looked to have salvaged a point for United but the game was decided in the cruellest fashion with the 90 minutes already up.

Brown's searching cross from the left was crying out from a touch and Greens defender Sam Mason was left inconsolable after diverting the ball into his own net as he tried to clear the danger.

Players from both sides were flat out on the turf at the end - and no wonder.

What a game.

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