Late Scrimshaw show earns Cherries a point

The result keeps the Cherries’ hopes of qualification for the last-16 alive by moving them level on points with Arsenal, who play West Bromwich Albion on Monday.  

Goals either side of half time from Kazeem Olaigbe and Thierry Small looked to have been enough to seal the win for a Southampton side who controlled large periods of the game, but an inspired last ten minutes saw Cooper’s side brilliantly draw level in front of a boisterous crowd at Vitality Stadium.

Brennan Camp captained a side which included Scrimshaw, Jack Seddon and Nathan Moriah-Welsh, five days on from his appearance for the first team in the FA Cup defeat to Boreham Wood.

Both teams started slowly, but it was the hosts who had the first sight of goal as Brooklyn Genesini broke free on the right hand edge of the box and drove a low ball across goal, which forced Saints ‘keeper Ollie Wright to stretch to gather with Scrimshaw poised to tap home just behind him.

Saints gained control of proceedings as the half wore on and broke the deadlock on 36 minutes as Jack Turner caught Aaron Roberts in possession on the right flank and played in Olaigbe, who drove into the box and fired low into the corner past Plain to give Saints the lead.

And the Cherries had Cameron Plain to thank for keeping the score at 1-0, as the ‘keeper made two smart saves at the end of the half – firstly to deny Ethan Burnett from close range, before sprawling low to his right to gather a 20-yard effort from Thierry Paul shortly before the half time whistle.

Saints nearly doubled their led within ten second half minutes, as Plain saved brilliantly from Small before Camp reacted sharply to clear Luke Pearce’s follow up off the line.

Small went one better moments later, picking up the ball on the left hand edge of the box, before cutting inside Genesini and drilling into the top corner to make it 2-0.

The goal looked to have knocked the stuffing out of the hosts, but that was before Scrimshaw’s late heroics.

He scored his first after 81 minutes, putting the finishing touch to an excellent team move which culminated in a superb cross from substitute Marcus Daws for Scrimshaw to tap home from close range.

Two minutes later, Scrimshaw latched onto a superb through ball from Ben Greenwood and was brought down when about to pull the trigger. He dusted himself off to take the spot kick, which Wright parried but could only watch as it rebounded in off the opposite post.

Both sides went close to stealing the points in a frantic final few minutes, as first Olaigbe saw a close range effort brilliantly cleared off the line by Greenwood, before Moriah-Welsh dragged a shot from ten yards just wide.

The result means Shaun Cooper’s side will need West Brom to defeat Arsenal by at least three goals on Monday in order to progress.