Dianella White Eagles mounted one of the comebacks of the season as they recovered from four goals down to earn a 5-5 draw with Gwelup Croatia in Round 17 of the State League Division One competition.
Gwelup needed victory to keep their outside hopes of a top four finish alive and they seemed on course for back-to-back wins when Pierre Barilly netted early in the second half to make it 5-1.
However, Dianella rallied with three goals in two minutes as they brought the game level.
Yet despite their incredible fightback, Dianella ultimately lost further ground on leaders Sorrento FC.
Ian Ferguson’s side made a good start as Miklos Imre’s clearance fell to Andy Keogh who ran in and slotted low beyond the goalkeeper.
But the visitors put themselves in a commanding position following four goals in the space of 23 minutes. They levelled when Robert Ferrante hooked James Harmer’s pass around the corner with Jeremie Mba running into apply the finish.
Barilly then crossed for Mba to bundle in, before providing the free-kick which Ferrante headed home to make it three for Gwelup.
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It was 4-1 on 33 minutes when Mba slotted under Peter Pilkadaris to complete a treble, and by minute 47 it was five when Barilly burst through two defenders, rounded the goalkeeper and rolled home.
Dianella pulled one back quickly when Shane Barnes beat the goalkeeper to Kian McGuigan’s pass before keeping a cool head to score.
The home side were then awarded a penalty which Keogh dispatched for 5-3 to kickstart a three-minute blitz which brought the home side level.
Roberto Soares reduced the deficit to one soon after when latching on to a long ball and lifting over Josiah Godfrey, before the forward beat the offside trap a minute later and slotted past the keeper to complete the thrilling contest.
Despite their second half heroics, Dianella are now 11 points behind leaders Sorrento, who continued their unbeaten campaign with a 3-0 win away at bottom side Rockingham City.
The Gulls hit the lead a minute after the break as Neil Kilkenny tip-toed down the left to the byline, before standing up a cross for Dean Cummings to loop in a header.
Kilkenny provided the assist again when lifting forward for Hamza Hina to double the lead with a trademark cool finish.
Steve McGarry’s side added a third late on when Cummings bundled in Clay Gibbs’ cross for the midfielder’s 19th goal this season, which keeps him two in front of Dianella forward Keogh in the race for the Golden Boot.
Sorrento are now two wins away from wrapping up the title and confirming a return to the NPL.
Elsewhere in the play-off race, Subiaco and Murdoch University Melville drew 0-0 at Rosalie Park which kept both teams in the mix to go up.
Subi could have won it late on with David Micevski denied by Paul Leask, as Marc Wingell’s side sit sixth and four points from the top four.
Declan Tanna had Murdoch’s best chance of a winner when blazing over the bar. They remain third but are now under pressure as fourth-placed Mandurah City and fifth-placed UWA Nedlands both won to move within touching distance of Marc Anthony’s side.
Mandurah twice came from behind to beat mid-table Joondalup United 3-2 and make it four wins in five matches.
The home side made a perfect start inside three minutes when Sam McKearnan’s cross from the right led to a mix-up between Alfie Brincat and Dylan Coll, with an own goal credited to the defender.
Mandurah had levelled by the midway mark of the first half as Ben Gallagher latched onto Shaun Mukwevho’s long pass and burst clear to finish in accomplished fashion.
Joondalup led for a second time on 66 minutes when Ben Campbell’s corner was helped on by James Oldroyd, and Danny O’Shea was on hand to volley home the loose ball.
But they were pegged back again by the Dolphins less than a minute later when Gallagher’s cross ran through for Robbie Galvin at the back post with the winger screwing across the six-yard box for Jordan Callaghan to force home.
The winner came almost immediately after the equaliser, which capped a frantic few minutes. The hosts were unable to clear a set-piece with the ball breaking for Steve Hesketh to smash home a valley and claim all three points for John Baird’s team.
City sit one point behind MUM FC while UWA Nedlands sit two points outside of the playoffs following a 3-0 win at Kingsley Westside.
The deadlock was broken on 65 minutes thanks to a stunning left-footed drive from Sam Ince which was followed by an acrobatic celebration.
Ince added his second of the match in the final 10 minutes when crashing in a low shot at the near post having been found by Toby Robertson.
Substitute Robertson then got himself on the scoresheet when firing low into the corner after determined play down the right flank by Alfred Moore.
Finally, Darren Francis’ double helped Gosnells City take a giant step towards safety as they won 2-0 against strugglers Cockburn City.
Gosnells opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with Aaron Coslani’s long diagonal ball headed in by the unmarked Francis.
The striker doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart with a simple finish after excellent work from Luqman Sayyed who made inroads down the right and crossed from the byline.
A fourth win in five games means 10th-placed Gosnells are now nine points clear of the relegation play-off spot with five games remaining, as Cockburn and Rockingham look set to fight it out to avoid the automatic drop to the third tier.
In Division Two, Joondalup City missed a chance to go top of the league after losing 2-1 to northern rivals Quinns FC.
The fixture celebrated the State League side’s first match under the new floodlights at the Iluka Sports Complex with Liam Peacock’s eighth-minute opener giving them an ideal start.
But Magai Deng struck either side of half-time to spoil the party and ensure Quinns remain mid-table and clear of the relegation battle.
City stay second and trail leaders Kalamunda City by two points after they were held to a 1-1 draw by promotion-chasing Balga.
Christian Vest’s goal just past the hour mark looked to be the winner, but Nicolas Roca’s stoppage-time equaliser for Kalamunda ensured his side would ultimately extend their cushion at the top by the end of the round.
The big winners though were East Perth who are now only two points off the pace following a 2-0 victory at Swan United.
First-half goals from Daniel Whelan-Dempsey and Ryan Murray did the job as East Perth boosted their title credentials, while Swan remain second bottom in the relegation play-off position.
Curtin University remain fourth courtesy of a 4-0 win at Canning City. Rowan Steed and Kieran Witt recorded doubles to make it a third win in four games for Curtin.
They sit two points clear of fifth-placed Forrestfield who had a 1-0 victory against Carramar Shamrock Rovers thanks to a goal in the 86th minute from Noah Appleby.
Despite the loss, Rovers remain three points clear of danger after bottom side Wanneroo City fell 2-1 at home to Ashfield.
Jordan Rowe had given the hosts a third-minute lead but Dean Kezurer and Ravi Raj Singh enhanced Ashfield’s mid-table security.