INFLUENTIAL 16-year-old Jake Rawkins emerged from the bench to play a pivotal role in grabbing Sarum Youth Seniors a priceless point at home to Corsham Town Reserves.
Chasing a two-nil deficit, the Castle Meadows outfit were in need of a game changer, which came twenty minutes from time when precocious teenager Rawkins came off the bench.
An instant impact, Rawkins, who nearly had a goal himself within minutes of coming on, tucked in Dan Paddington to reduce the deficit. This gave Sarum a lifeline.
And with five minutes left, Rawkins’s electric pace left two men floundering as he cut in from a wide area, skipped past two more defenders to the edge of the box and smashed in an unstoppable shot into the far corner to draw Sarum level.
The home side almost won it as a Rawkins free kick was met by the head of Pete Fletcher which arrowed into the side netting.
“I think a point was a fair result,” reflected boss Dave Rawkins after the 2-2 draw in the Wiltshire Premier League.
“Corsham edged the first half with some nice play but never really tested our standn keeper Sam Revel. We stepped up a gear in the second half and fully deserved the point but it was the introduction of young Jake that made a difference for us today as it gave us real pace and we were more direct.”
