Llandaff Athletic 3–2 Jesmond AFC: a late correction

Jesmond arrived at this little corner of Wales with the league's most complete collection of recent draws, and for 58 minutes their Sunday afternoon proceeded along admirably familiar lines. Then the script, which had been photocopied and distributed to all parties, went missing.

Eshale Jiwa gave the visitors a 29th-minute lead from Alfie Sinclair's pass, a goal that looked straightforward on the screen and rather less so from the terraces. Jesmond, eighth on 42 points against Llandaff's 12th place and 36 points, sat deep, inviting the hosts to make the mistake they have made so often this season.

The invitation expired in the 59th minute. Damiano Modugno, whose recent injury record reads like a physio's invoice, rose for Owain Penllyn's cross and nodded Llandaff level. The home side, dreadful lately and with the sample size to prove it, found something approaching belief. Pietro Tagliaferro scored the second in the 78th minute and the afternoon looked settled.

Jordy Janzen-Westra thought otherwise. He collected Tom Threlkeld's pass two minutes later and drove the equaliser home, restoring the natural order that had prevailed since kick-off. It held for roughly nine minutes, which is about the shelf life of any certain outcome in this division. Niklas Wernicke, set up by Barry-Mali Kabongo-Mukendi, won it in the 90th, the kind of goal that gets replayed for the neutral and discussed only briefly, through gritted teeth, by the side that lost it.

The result leaves Jesmond exactly where they were, a side that consistently fails to win the matches they are expected to. Llandaff have three points and one afternoon they can mention at parties.

The next matchday comes tomorrow. There is no time for either side to dwell, only to repeat the process and hope the 90th minute treats them more kindly.

The comeback was real, the momentum was real, and the underlying numbers still say Jesmond were the better side. But the table, as always, records only the one score.