There was late drama at E & D Litis Stadium on Saturday night as injury time goals by Floreat and Sorrento ensured a dramatic conclusion to the Third Round Group A McInerney Ford Night Series match which ended in a 2-2 draw.

A 91st minute blunder by Sorrento keeper Neil Young looked to have gifted Garin Collins and Floreat all three points however within 60 seconds Sorrento snatched an equalizer thanks to a looping Steve McDonald header.

It was Sorrento who raced out of the blocks quickest, Todd Harnwell looking in particularly dangerous form and he benefited from a misjudged back header by Athena defender Ante Kovacevic to latch onto a loose ball before being brought down by keeper Alex Dunn as the Harnwell shot rolled well wide.

Referee Troy Miller was well back from the action but pointed to the spot to gift Sorrento the opener, with youngster Scott Neville sending Dunn the wrong way.Harnwell was again in the action minutes later, sending a first time effort straight at the keeper from the right edge of the area before Glen Thomas smashed an 18-yarder just wide of the upright.

Sorrento were piling on the pressure and a deep corner found Shaun Kilkelly whose header across goals was met by McDonald but Dunn was up to the task and blocked on the line.

Athena began to work their way back into the game and some neat work by Miki Vujacic down the left side presented Collins with a chance 10 yards out, however after a sensational first touch saw his left footed curler bounce down off the cross bar and away to safety.

The Gulls were now on the back foot and Athena were guilty of wasting some good chances with Adam Bachiller unable to beat the keeper after a jinking run and Branimir Mikulic was the next to give Sorrento a reprieve, his effort with only the keeper to beat was blocked with Collins hitting the loose ball wide from 15 yards after some neat interchange between the two presented the initial opportunity.

The Gulls came out after the break with renewed enthusiasm and could have extended their lead with Neville seeing a rising drive strike the outside of the post before fluffing his first touch with just the keeper to beat after Harnwell sprung the offside trap and squared to the youngster 12 yards out.

Floreat found the goal their supporters craved on 61 minutes after Collins was fouled six yards from the penalty area. Miki Vujacic, who had been booed by a handful of Athena supporters throughout the second half, stepped up to hit a swerving free kick into the net via a helping hand from the flapping Young.

On 70 minutes a mix up at the back almost allowed Sorrento a chance to stroke into an empty net after Dunn had come to the area and misjudged the ball but recovered sufficiently to deflect the follow up shot wide.

Athena were beginning to dominate the possession as Sorrento defended deeper and after a 20 pass move, Bachiller’s deep cross from the left found Mikulic who could only head over the bar from six yards under pressure from the Sorrento defence.

With the clock running into injury time, Collins chased a hopeful ball back to Young on the edge of his area, stole the ball and rolled it into the empty net to the surprise of everyone in the stands as Floreat thought they had snatched all three points.

They didn’t bank on McDonald going forward for one last foray as a speculative cross ball from deep on the left found the big man on the edge of the area with his looping header floating over Dunn and into the net to spark pandemonium amongst the Sorrento players and supporters as the game finished all square at two a piece.

Sorrento coach Steve Neville had mixed emotions at the end of the 90 minutes as he saw his side take the lead but require a late goal to snatch a point.

“Coming here on their own pitch was going to be a difficult game, and before the match you probably would have been happy with a point, but overall I think probably a little bit disappointed to drop two (points). Even though we got out of jail at the end there with an injury time goal, I thought we had enough chances in the second half to win the game and we defended well” he said.

Sorrento custodian Neil Young had a night to forget with two mistakes in the second half that almost cost his side a share of the spoils.

“Very uncharacteristic for him but unfortunately keepers make mistakes and they get punished, an outfield player makes a mistake and doesn’t have the same consequences. But that’s all done and dusted now and he gets himself ready for next week’s game against Cockburn” said Neville.

Floreat Athena coach Michael Roki saw his side battle back from a goal down to almost snatch three points before being denied at the death by a Scott McDonald header.“I thought second half was good, and we controlled the game a bit better and we almost pinched it. We had a bit of fortune with the second goal but a bit unlucky to concede a goal in the final stages like that” said Athena coach Michael Roki.

“I wont say claiming titles is on the agenda, we want to have a good solid season. That might sound a bit conservative but we want to back up a good year and if we are in and about the title that is fantastic, that’s where we want to be” said Roki.