Whites 3 - 3 Riverside Rangers (League)

The Whites last week.

The windy after-effects of Hurricane Katia could still be felt across the football fields of Beaumont Way on Tuesday night - but the hurricane-like nature of Hampton Whites emphatic 8-0 victory to Thorpe Rangers had long since left the radar as the fledgling Whites, in only their second ever league game, faced a Riverside Rangers Team who had weathered many a storm in their two year history as a footballing unit.

And weather the storm is what Rangers had to do for long periods of the game as the Whites applied most of the pressure and controlled most of the possession. Given their dominance, the Whites may feel as though they should have taken all three points form the encounter. The awarding of a dubious Rangers penalty in the second-half only added to the sense of injustice.

Right from the start, the tornado like speed of Dami frequently put the visitors in a spin. He showed his skill early on, forcing a corner in the opening minutes and he continued to look a threat throughout the game.

It was the Whites impressive front three of Dami, Cameron and Bradley that looked the most likely to make the breakthough which eventually came after 17 minutes. Bradley found himself one-on-one with the Rangers keeper and calmly slotted the ball low to separate the sides.

It looked as though the floodgates could open but Rangers responded well and continued to handle the pressure while the Whites couldn't capitalise on good build-up play. On 20 minutes, Rangers piled into the box and Theo Lewington tapped home after a scramble.

In the second-half  Hampton continued to control the possession and create chances. Nine minutes after the break, the Whites retook the lead after Bradley hit the post and Cameron was well placed to strike home.

The Whites defence coped well against the Rangers attack but a crazy three-minute spell in the second half saw Rangers take the lead. Alex Row made no mistake after finding himself with just the keeper to beat on 35 minutes and then the youthful-looking referee pointed to the spot after seeing a handball. Kai Woods looked confident as he put the ball away.

With the scores level at 2-2, the Whites exterted more pressure on the Rangers defence and in the 41st minute a Cameron shot from distance proved too powerful for the keeper to hold. The ball parried over his head and into the net, sparking the Whites third rendition of their new whole-team-centre-circle 'Macarena' goal celebration.

Despite further chances, neither side had it in them to make the killer blow. Whites will be pleased to remain without defeat so far this season but may feel that things could have easily been different.

Even though a harsh winter approaches, there will be sunnier footballing days ahead for the Whites.