Westport led through Kane and Ruddock inside the first half hour, and for an hour on the coast Meridian looked like a side still on holiday. Two goals in the last twenty minutes changed the afternoon.
Marchetti pulled one back from Whitfield’s corner on 71 minutes, and Bekele — playing his 142nd match and scoring his first goal since February of last year — headed the equaliser in the 88th.
The turning point
Duarte switched to a back three at the drinks break and pushed Ndiaye onto the right. Westport did not have a shot in the last half hour.
“We were poor for an hour and honest about it at the break. The last twenty minutes were the real us.”
Rafael Duarte, head coach
What it means
- Meridian remain unbeaten away from home this season.
- Bekele’s goal was his first for eighteen months.
- The point keeps Meridian second, two behind Northvale.
Halbrook visit Kingsway Park in the League Cup on Tuesday, before Stanground in the league the following Saturday.
