Dulwich Hamlet have hit the dizzy height of second in the National League South table after Chike Kandi scored three minutes from time to seal a dramatic 4-3 win over St Albans City at Clarence Park on Tuesday night.
The Hamlet went 2-0 and then 3-1 up in the first half but the Saints brought it back to 3-3 after two goals in seven second-half minutes.
But Kandi – who had scored Dulwich’s third in the seventh minute of first-half added-time – struck again late on to give Gavin Rose’s side the three points.
There was a double blow for the hosts in the nineteenth minute when Darren McQueen rounded Michael Johnson before finishing into an empty net. Johnson injured himself in attempting to prevent the goal and was replaced between the sticks by Tom Bender, a centre-back.
Bender produced a near-post save from McQueen in the 30th minute but Dulwich doubled their advantage seven minutes later through Danny Mills.
St Albans pulled a goal back three minutes before the break as Mitchell Weiss found John Goddard for a one-on-one with Charlie Grainger and the winger slid the ball underneath the goalkeeper.
Goddard then fired a free-kick over before Kandi had the last word of a pulsating first half when he finished past Bender.
Goddard was involved again twelve minutes after the break as he set up top-scorer Shaun Jeffers for his nineteenth goal of the season.
In the 63rd minute Jeffers was bearing down on goal aiming for his 20th only to shoot over when he should have scored.
But the momentum was with the hosts and a minute later Jeffers found Zane Banton for the equaliser.
Banton had the opportunity to give his side the lead for the first time in the game but Grainger denied him with a brilliant save.
Grainger was then booked for time-wasting as it appeared a rip-roaring contest was going to end all square.
That was until the 87th minute when Kandi finally settled the outcome.
It was the Hamlet’s second 4-3 win in their last three games in which they have scored eleven goals. They are the second top-scorers in the division, with 28 goals in twelve games.
Dulwich are a point behind Dartford with a game in hand and travel to Oxford City this Saturday for a 3pm kick-off.