KHALSA produced possibly their best performance of the season to claim a 2-2 draw at home to Leek and end the visitors’ 100 per cent winning record in the Midland League Premier Division.
The Staffordshire side had secured maximum points from their last five matches but Khalsa fought hard to deservedly earn a share of the spoils.
The hosts started the better of the two sides with Jas Singh and Gurminder Ghattaura linking from the start to create an early opportunity only for a last ditch tackle to divert the ball wide.
Leek attempted the aerial ball on several occasions and with some success after getting behind the Khalsa defence, however Ben Stephenson and Aaron Nagra did well to recover.
Elliot Rider was called into action to deny a Leek forward from a set piece before Nagra replied with his own penalty corner but he was also denied by the goalkeeper.
The deadlock was broken by the visitors after Leek’s initial shot was stopped however the rebound fell kindly to a visiting striker who poked the ball into an open net.
Khalsa continued to probe for an equaliser with David Harris coming close but he was denied by another smart save as the hosts went in one-goal down at half-time.
After coming out unchanged for the second period, Khalsa pushed for an equaliser with Ben Scott, Jo Colantonio and Jack Wells pushing the Leek defence deeper into their own half.
Leek caught Khalsa on the break but a great challenge from Chris Darling allowed the visitors to reply with a counter with a great run from Ghattaura winning a short corner and Ben Scott stepped up to put the ball high into the net.
Khalsa continued their pressure on the visitors with Mandeep Sandhar working hard alongside Amritpal Atwal to put the Leek defence under pressure.
A deliberate foul on David Harris in the circle was rewarded with a penalty stroke which Harris cooly put away into the top corner.
With Khalsa now on top they went in search of a third goal but it did not come and instead the visitors were able to score a second to earn a point.
Up next for Khalsa is a home match this Saturday against North Stafford.
