Ronnie Henry’s testimonial finished with his son scoring the winner as the Conference winning 2009/10 side beat an All Star team 6-5, with the Stevenage skipper even getting himself on the scoresheet at the Lamex on Monday afternoon.
On his day, Henry opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty, awarded in bizarre circumstances as Chris Beardsley sat on the shoulders of a team mate trying to head in a corner.
The game was level just after the half-hour mark as current Boro boss Dino Maamria – who had promised he would score – smashed home a superb leveller.
He then doubled his tally to put the All Stars in front, chipping over Chris Day inside the area as he rolled back the years.
Tom Conlon added a third minutes later, but Jon Ashton got the Conference winners back into the game with a header on 43 minutes.
They drew level on 53 minutes when Lawrie Wilson finished from inside the area, before Charlie Griffin and a second for Wilson put them 5-3 ahead with ten minutes left to play.
Steve Seddon made it 5-4 with 82 minutes gone and Tom Pett made the score level just four minutes later, finishing off a flowing team move.
But Henry’s son replaced his father in the last minute, scoring to make it 6-5 and win the game for the 09/10 side.
Henry captained the Conference winning side and he was joined in defence by current first-team coach Jon Ashton, former skipper Mark Roberts and Scott Laird.
They had some serious attacking talent to contend with though as 2016/17 top scorer Matt Godden led the line alongside current Boro boss Maamria.
It was the Stevenage 09/10 that had the first chance though, as Yemi Odubade’s curling effort forced a smart save out of Alan Julian.
The nostalgic afternoon had its first flashback moment inside 10 minutes, as Odubade went down with an ‘injury’ and 09/10 boss Graham Westley called his side to the touchline for a drinks break, a classic time-wasting tactic used by the former gaffer during his time at the Lamex.
There were a number of current first-team players involved, including Michael Timlin and Scott Cuthbert on the All Stars side, and it was the latter who stopped the opening goal, blocking Chris Beardsley’s goal bound volley.
Then, with 18 minutes gone, the moment the crowd were waiting for came, but in bizarre circumstances.
A corner for the 09/10 side was played in towards Beardsley, who was sat on the shoulders on a team mate trying to win the header. He very nearly did, but more to give Henry the chance to score than for an actual foul, the referee awarded a penalty.
Henry stepped up and slotted it away, much to the delight of everyone inside the Lamex.
With 31 minutes gone, Maamria – who had promised he would score – drilled home a brilliant equaliser, and then he gave the All Stars the lead just a few minutes later, chipping Day from close range to double his tally.
Conlon made it 3-1 on 40 minutes as he fired home from range, with manager Westley walking off down the tunnel after chants of ‘we want Westley out’ rang out from the East Terrace.
But, Ashton got the Conference winners back in the game when he headed home a corner minutes before the break.
They were level not long after the interval as the goals kept on coming, when Wilson drove a shot past substitute ‘keeper Alan Burch.
Both sides had chances to go ahead, but it was Griffin who took his on 75 minutes slotting home for the 09/10 side to make it 4-3 and complete their comeback from 3-1 down.
The goal prompted Westley to sprint across the pitch and join the East Terrace crowd, and he celebrated with the fans as he saw his side go 5-3 ahead when Wilson smashed home his second.
The scoring wasn’t over though as Seddon volleyed home for the All Stars to make it 5-4, before Pett drove in the equaliser on 86 minutes, but the afternoon was capped off with a beautiful moment as Henry was replaced by his son, who slotted home the winner for the Conference winning side.
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