Gloucester City manager Daf Williams expressed pride in his team’s resilience following their impressive 2-1 comeback victory against Hanwell Town. This crucial away win keeps City firmly in the hunt for second place in the league.
Coming off two strong performances against Plymouth Parkway and Tiverton, Gloucester faced a tough challenge against Hanwell Town, who had been unbeaten at home in their last eight matches.
The game got off to a difficult start when Hanwell struck early. Just three minutes in, Henry Snee finished after Elijah Oladunjoye’s clever run and assist from the left flank put the forward through on goal.
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Gloucester stayed composed and finally found their equaliser in the 65th minute. A well-delivered cross from Morgan Lewis met Elis Watts, whose deflected shot beat the Hanwell goalkeeper to level the score.
The Tigers continued to press and secured the win with 12 minutes remaining. Substitute Kieran Phillips connected first to an Elis Watts cross, tapping the ball past the keeper to complete the comeback.
Williams was full of praise for his side’s character, especially given Hanwell’s impressive home record. “I’m really proud of them today,” he said. “Hanwell haven’t lost at home in eight games and have beaten some good teams here. It was a tough place to come to, and going a goal down so early made it even harder.”
He added that the team’s experience and determination were key. “We’ve spoken a lot about character and representing this football club and our supporters. The players stepped up brilliantly.”
The team also had to adapt to an injury setback just before kickoff. West Brom loanee Jamal Mohammed picked up an injury during the warm-up and was replaced by King Baidoo. Williams was impressed with how the squad handled this adversity.
“We face challenges all season with injuries and suspensions. Just when you think things will settle, something else happens, like losing Jamal before the game. But the players don’t let that affect their performance. Today showed their commitment and resilience.”
Gloucester City’s win keeps them closely chasing second-placed Farnham Town, who have two games in hand but are just two points ahead.
Hanwell Town: Beasant, Sankoh, Oladunjoye, N’diti (Odell 75), Matton, Hoath, Sanogo (Waight 87), Cooper, Bradbury, Krasniqi (Crichlow 83), Snee.
Gloucester City: Thompson, Lewis, O’Regan, Williams, Spence (Phillips 68), Watts, Thomas, Hanks, Waite, Baidoo (Cross 87), Siddall (Leadbitter 45).
Referee: Craig Wood
Attendance: 437