Birmingham Hammers score late goals to clinch season opener

Like the ominous gray clouds lurking over Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex, Sandy Springs FC threatened to crash the Birmingham Hammers 2016 season opener on Saturday, April 30.

But on the field and in the sky, the storm remained at bay.

Lifted by a trio of late goals from UAB alumni Anthony King and Norris Howze, the Hammers maintained composure after surrendering a lead and surged to a momentous 5-2 victory in front of their home crowd.  

“It wasn’t the greatest performance, but I was really proud because they figured out a way to get it done,” Hammers head coach Joel Person said. “We made some mistakes and were tied at 2-2 and figured out a way to rise above that, so it was a really good start. We can build off that.”

After holding a 2-1 advantage for much of the match, the Hammers allowed a game-tying goal in the 75th minute when a ball deflected into their own net following a Sandy Springs free kick.

Refusing to wilt, the home team quickly fired back.

A substitute off the bench, King sailed a booming shot over the Sandy Springs goalkeeper from more than 25 yards out. The soaring 78th-minute strike shifted the scoreboard 3-2 in the Hammers' favor.

“We had the opportunity to kind of fold and hang our heads, but we continued to push through instead,” Person said.

King struck again two minutes later.

Charging deep into the opposing box, King attempted to center the ball before it rolled out of bounds. His short cross from the left side of the 6-yard box deflected off a defender and bounced across the goal line.

“One of the things I told the guys before the game is we have good athletes this year that are even coming off the bench,” Person said,” so we have the luxury of putting a guy in like that—who’s athletic, who works really hard, who’s a really good player—when the other team’s already tired, and I think that worked out tonight.”

Howze scored the Hammers' final goal of the game on a direct free kick in the 90thminute.

Julio Noel and current UAB midfielder James Ngoe netted the team’s first points in the 34th and 35th minutes. The back-to-back goals came after an initial Sandy Springs tally in the 28th minute.

“I think it shows them, if you set the tone, if you get the work rate right and your team chemistry’s right, it may not be perfect on the field, but we’ll figure out a way to rise above,” Person said. “I’m hoping they’ve learned that and we can set the tone for the whole rest of the season and build off that.

Sandy Springs  is a community soccer club based in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The team plays in the U.S. Association Football Leagues.

The Hammers will compete in their first official National Premier Soccer League match next Saturday, when they travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to take on the Georgia Revolution in the first installment of the I-20 Cup.