Striker Gary Austin's perfect way to mark 350th Fareham Town appearance in dramatic Alton draw
Substitute Austin ensured his club landmark milestone was extra special by helping Pete Stiles' side salvage a point.
The 36-year-old, who first featured for the Reds in August 2007, has been an incredible club servant and marked his appearance milestone in perfect fashion.
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Hide AdAnd Fareham boss Stiles was delighted to see the experienced forward enjoy a fairy-tale ending to his 350th club outing.
‘Gary Austin, bless him, he’s 36 now he came on for his 350th appearance for Fareham and got the equaliser,’ Stiles beamed.
‘I think he was a bit disappointed I put him on the bench but he’s no spring chicken now.
‘We manage him well because he’s scoring whether he starts or whether he comes on.
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Hide Ad‘You’ve got to manage players as they get older, he’s a great person to have around, and I was delighted that he got that equaliser.
‘He’s a great one to have around and someone I’m hoping, when he stops playing, stays around at the club.
‘When he gets his opportunity, he gives it everything, you can’t ask for more than that.’
Yet again Wessex Premier entertainers Fareham were involved in another thriller.
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Hide AdEthan Jones had fired the visitors ahead inside 12 minutes before Oli Graham's penalty four minutes later and efforts from Karol Skoczen and Rob Carr fired Alton into a 3-1 half-time advantage.
But Fareham, who've now been involved in an incredible 132 goals in their 24 league matches, can never be discounted.
Ross Kidson pulled the scored back to 3-2 on the hour with Austin coming off the bench and writing his own perfect script by grabbing a stoppage-time equaliser on Fareham appearance number 350.
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