Ten-man Albion stun Shots in the National League Cup

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Our men's under-21s came from behind to win their second group stage game of the National League Cup.

Charlie Hanson

2024-11-05T21:00+00:00

Marcus Ifill and Josh Duffus scored to put Albion 2-1 in front after 81 minutes. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Caylan Vickers's late stunner secured an unlikely win in the National League Cup for Albion after playing 96 minutes of football with ten men.

Despite it being Bonfire Night, the early fireworks for Albion weren’t all that entertaining as Joe Knight was shown a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Hady Ghandour.

Aldershot would then go on to break the deadlock midway through the second half, before goals from Marcus Ifill and Josh Duffus put Albion in front. The Shots then equalised from the penalty spot, but Vickers was the hero with a last-gasp goal.

Joe Knight was sent off after five minutes. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

With Knight sent to the dressing room after just five minutes, Albion were nearly immediately punished when Ghandour picked the pocket of Charlie Penman in the area, but the defender made amends to block the forward's strike from 12-yards.

Cahill then did well to tip Dejan Tetek’s strike from the edge of the box over the crossbar, before Cam Peupion’s curler was tipped wide by Aldershot keeper Jordi van Stappershoef. That would be the last action for the Dutchman as he went off with a hamstring injury, with Ghandour also replaced after clashing heads with Freddie Simmonds.

Cam Peupion's first half free-kick was inches away from finding the top left corner. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Peupion came close to repeating his free-kick heroics from Wimbledon last week when his 30-yard free-kick looked destined for the top left hand corner, but instead clipped the top of the crossbar.

The Australian was then denied by sub keeper Marcus Dewhurst and Duffus’s follow up was blocked.

Josh Duffus takes aim against Aldershot. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

The striker's fierce drive from 20-yards seven minutes after the restart stung the palms of Dewhurst, but the 19-year-old saved his heroics for the other end of the pitch. Having hit the post with a header, Lachlan Byrd was first to the follow up and looked certain to thump home from five yards, but Duffus threw himself in front of the strike to send it behind for a corner.

The Shots would find the breakthrough with 25 minutes to play when James Henry fired into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.

Albion responded in the 80th minute though when Harry Howell's lovely ball over the top was flicked past Dewhurst by Duffus and Ifill tapped in from two yards to make it 1-1 on the night.

The turnaround appeared to have been completed two minutes later when Jamie Mullins's through ball was latched onto by Duffus and the in-form striker made no mistake as he took it around Dewhurst and fired in.

But the hosts were thrown a lifeline when substitute Yussif Owusu brought down Maxwell Mullins inside the box and Henry's confident penalty into the bottom left corner from 12-yards brought things level again.

Caylan Vickers struck late to secure all three points for Albion. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

The late drama wasn't done there though. Vickers managed to chop past two defenders before crashing an effort in off the underside of the bar with three minutes of second half stoppage time played to secure a first win in the competition.