Eastern Suburbs hauled back a 2-0 half-time deficit at Madills Farm on Queen's Birthday Sunday to draw 2-2 with Northern Premier Women's League leaders Three Kings United, in a keenly contested but at times scrappy and disjointed clash which saw referee Jan-Hendrik Hintz award a couple of crazy penalties, one for each side. United set out their stall from the kick-off, going close inside the first thirty seconds. Maia Jackman - far from her most consistent display - scooted past Lily Somerfield and played the ball on to Zoe Thompson, whose deep cross dropped invitingly for the incoming Merissa Smith, only for the youngster to execute the perfect air-shot. Within five minutes, Suburbs should have gone in front. Eleanor Glenton pinged the ball over the top for Melanie Gooch to pursue. She rounded the advancing Aroon Clansey, but got no further with the goal gaping in front of her - a splendid goal-saving tackle from Emma Harrison kept the scoreline blank. Back came the visitors, with Maggie Lankshear playing a splendid ball through for Thompson. Ginny Tan did well to parry her effort, but Emma Kete pounced on the rebound, only to fall foul of the offside trap in doing so. Unperturbed, Three Kings pressed again. Jackman gathered in a Thompson pass, rounded Somerfield and whipped in a low cross to her goal-hungry team-mate, who just failed to connect cleanly with a cheeky back-heeled flick, much to the relief of the grateful Tan. Thompson wasn't to be denied, though, and in the twelfth minute, executed a class strike to break the deadlock. Smith's ball forward was flicked on by Kete, allowing Thompson to power past Groves and round Tan, only to find herself running out of room and with the goal at the most oblique of angles. One caressed, side-footed stroke of the ball later resulted in an accomplished finish, and a beaming smile on the face of the scorer. Suburbs came storming back swiftly, with Natalie Davies and Rebecca Tegg both letting fly from twenty-five yards inside the next five minutes. The latter's effort followed an angled run from half-way, and missed the target by a coat of paint at most! Five minutes later, the home team must have been wondering what game referee Hintz was watching, the official having already raised eyebrows on a couple of occasions with some of his rulings. This incident was no different, a neat interchange on the left flank seeing Davies feed the in-full-flight figure of Marlies Oostdam, who was in fine form throughout. Her cross ricocheted off the covering figure of Petria Rennie, landing perfectly for Tegg to swoop. With Clansey plunging at her feet, the striker let loose a first-time drive which crashed into the side-netting off the custodian … and a goal-kick was awarded, to the disbelief of the masses! After Hannah Rishworth had thwarted Gooch, United reignited the attacking aspect of their game-plan. Kristy Hill and Harrison linked in midfield, the latter picking out Jackman, whose sliced drive flew across the face of goal, Thompson unable to turn it home on the far post. Seconds later, Jackman turned provider, evading Tan before gifting Kete a gilt-edged chance. But the striker lacked the confidence to finish with a first-time left-footed snap-shot, preferring instead to turn the ball onto her right foot. That was all the time Janet Groves needed to swoop on the striker and strip her of possession. Five minutes later, United doubled their advantage with a penalty which shouldn't have been awarded. A buccaneering run by Hill saw the midfielder knock the ball too far ahead of her as she charged into the penalty area. At that moment, she was impeded, and referee Hintz hesitated not - penalty. Rishworth gleefully steered home the 34th minute gift, Tan getting her hands to the effort in vain. Suburbs promptly fell to pieces mentally, and coach Sue Taylor couldn't wait for the half-time whistle to give her charges a Sunday roast of the verbal variety! Three Kings should have wrapped the game up during this period, but squandered a plethora of chances. A super five-man move down the right featuring Rennie, Jackman, Rishworth and Smith saw Jackman race past Lankshear to latch onto Smith's through ball and whip in a cross for Kete, only for Groves to produce a timely clearance for a corner. Abby Erceg

Rebecca Tegg (ESubs) eyed by Maia Jackman (TKU) Sandee Hui (ESubs) and Merissa Smith (TKU) Maggie Lankshear (TKU) wins out against the obscured Grace Vincent (ESubs) 21-year-old-to-be Stacey Fraser (ESubs) Sarah Gibbs (TKU)

whipped this in, and Thompson directed her header over the bar. Smith and Jackman combined again moments later to set up Kete, but hers was a decidedly profligate performance, as emphasised by this three-pointer. The striker was involved in the next move, which also featured Smith, Thompson and Jackman, whose shot was splendidly parried to safety by Tan. Within seconds, Smith sent Thompson scampering through, Glenton once again in her wake. But with the three-strong cavalry charge through the middle arriving at pace, the striker went for glory, but succeeded only in warming Tan's gloves. Next it was Rishworth and Jackman teaming up to release Thompson past Glenton at pace once more. A low cross for Kete … Groves prevailed once more - the defender produced a stoic performance throughout the contest. Both teams made changes at half-time, United introducing Sarah Gibbs to the fray following her transfer from Claudelands Rovers. Suburbs, meanwhile, summoned the wise head of Vicki Chong to join the fray, and with Taylor's stinging words ringing in their ears, came out all guns blazing. Within three minutes, Tegg cleared the crossbar by a yard at most with a sizzling drive, after muscling her way between Rennie and Erceg. Three minutes later, Oostdam was rattling the top corner of the net with a fiercely struck penalty, awarded after Gibbs was deemed to have felled Tegg after whipping the ball off the striker's toes in the penalty area. It was a strike from which Suburbs took much heart and self-belief, and the scorer nearly notched a second seconds later. Sandee Hui and Tegg combined to slip Oostdam in behind Rennie, and her stinging angled drive rattled the crossbar. Back came United, Thompson racing clear on the right and beating Tan all ends up with a shot which cannoned off the inside of the near post and careered across the goalmouth to safety. Soon after, Harrison let fly at Tan from distance, after Kete and Thompson had linked neatly around the edge of the penalty area. Davies and Tegg then chanced their arm from distance before one of the more bizarre penalties you'll see awarded saw Suburbs draw level in the 71st minute. Oostdam launched an exocet of a free-kick from fully thirty yards which Clansey tipped onto the crossbar. Stacey Fraser - the substitute was making her last appearance as a twenty-year-old before the big day on Tuesday - homed in on the rebound and thrashed it into the stanchion behind the goal, off which it rebounded back into the field of play. Gibbs automatically put a hand out to stop the ball, an action which prompted referee Hintz to award Suburbs a second penalty, again to the disbelief of many. The reaction saw the official check with his assistant, Tiana Kairua, who hadn't seen what happened, leaving the referee to confirm his decision - penalty. Up stepped Oostdam once more, and Clansey got a hand to it, but was unable to keep the ball out - 2-2. Cue a grandstand finish, with both teams enjoying opportunities to score what would have proved a decisive goal. A quick Harrison free-kick released Thompson on the right in the 76th minute, but her cross arced over Kete arriving on the far post. Seconds later, Tan saved at Thompson's feet after Smith and Annalie Longo had linked neatly on the left. Substitute Longo was involved again in the 82nd minute. Picking up the ball from Rennie, she played a slick one-two with Jackman before surging forward and releasing United's captain down the right. Jackman's low cross targeted Kete, but Tan pounced first. Clansey then thwarted Tegg seconds later as Gooch homed in for the kill, before a cross from the latter zoomed across the face of goal as Fraser looked to clinch the points for Suburbs. But 2-2 it finished, a result which best served the purposes of neither team, but left the watching members of reigning champions Lynn-Avon United well pleased with their weekend off. Suburbs:     Tan; Hui, Groves, Glenton (Chong, 46), Somerfield; McLeod (Fraser, 64), Vincent, Davies, Oostdam; Tegg, Gooch Three Kings:     Clansey; Rennie, Erceg, Rishworth, Harrison (booked, 70); Jackman, Lankshear (Longo, 64), Hill (Gibbs, 46), Smith; Thompson, Kete Referee:     Jan-Hendrik Hintz