Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead travel the 79.1 miles to face The Waders in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.  A new ground for me?  You betcha.

When it comes to FA Cup drama they love it.  Not happy with easing past Haringey & Waltham Development in the Preliminary round they opted to draw that game 5-5 before winning the replay 2-1.  The league on the other hand is proving to be a little more mundane.  They keep winning at home and they are five from five while they have drawn and lost once away from home.  Lets make sure they know it is an FA Cup game they are playing then!

As for pre-match sustenance their website suggests they have a more than adequate bar but for those who are looking for something more substantial why not try The White Horse... there is a Green Man pub but it is 3 miles out of town.

Directions can be found here.  Kick off is at 3pm.  See you there.

Hastings 0 - 0 Tanners

A bore draw?  Perhaps but could we have taken all three?

Hastings would probably feel they were on top in terms of possession but the chance were few and far between in the first half.  

Second half and despite the poor level of entertainment it was Leatherhead with the chances.  First it was Macleod who missed after being but in by Tommy on the break.  Then Simmo's volley from the edge of the box went narrowly wide.  Then at the death the 'keeper spills a Greg Andrews long range shot but there was no one to follow up.

Hastings tried some new blood to try and break the deadlock.  A prolific scorer from their U18 side made little difference and so Leatherhead double their tally for the season,.

FA Cup.  New boss.  What a Saturday we have in store...

Travelling Tanners

So, Richard Brady of Sittingbourne takes charge as he puts pen to paper on a two year deal although the forum posts on their website suggest he will be in charge for their away trip and not travel to Hastings tonight.  That seems a little strange so perhaps he will be in the stands while Simmo acts as caretaker again.

Hastings meanwhile sit in the bottom half of the table with 9 points, the lucky blighters.

Directions can be found here and the kick off is at 7.45pm.  Good luck fellas.

Tanners 0 - 1 Canvey

Never have the words of Billy Bragg rang truer.  I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them but they were only satellites
Is it wrong to wish on space hardware, I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care...

It was not the blood and guts performance of a team unleashed but slightly more reserved.  A team happy to go through the motions but at least there were motions being put through.

That said Leatherhead could have grabbed themselves a couple of goals in the first half but for a 'keeper far from being rusty.  Saving from Greg and Hutchings in quick succession then tipping over a header from a corner that seemed destined for the back of the net.

Second half and both teams played at arms length, not really getting stuck in until a striker managed to find himself alone at the end of the cross and his header back across goal beat Chico.

The response was a little disappointing.  Heads fell and while there were some signs of a rally there was no cry to back it up.

Hastings away anyone?

=

Canvey Island Are Coming

Well.  What a few days its been.  First of all we were playing Epsom & Ewell then we are not.  I wish some people at the club could make their minds up.  What else have I missed?

Canvey Island have not played here for a mighty long time.  From memory we were soundly beaten.  Some chap ,while on a boggy pitch, decided this ball along the floor business was too tricky so played a long ball keep-me-uppy move from the half way line and volleyed it in from just outside the box.  Steve Parmenter I believe and despite me writing to Southampton to sign him my letter must have got redirected by mistake as it was Southend who snapped him up.

Meanwhile, back at The Grove, Mark "Simmo" Simmonds takes his new charges out for the first time.  Eyes down.  Look at your cards.

Kick off at 3pm.  See.  You.  There.

The King Is Dead...

...  long live the UEFA Coach.  The Official Site has announced that Mick Sullivan has been dismissed with immediate effect... and then go on to thank him for the unprecidented success he has brough the club.  He is to be replaced by Mark Simmons.  As in Simmo?

I am sure more details we come soon...

Chocks Away!

Leatherhead have been drawn away to Biggleswade Town in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.  The game to be played on 1 October.  This lot look like they mean business though.  They play in the Southern League Midland Division and top the table having only lost once.

On a positive note it will be a new ground for me meaning I chalk my 200th new venue... so... something for you all to celebrate.

Tanners 5 - 1 North Leigh

A win: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the goodship Levred.

Leatherhead made short work of our Oxfordshire visitors thanks to a blistering first twenty minutes and a ref who was strong enough to apply the law after a tackle from behind.

Macleod was on fire down the right hand side today.  Turning the defenders inside out and firing in crosses that were finding their target.  On about 15 minutes a chest high ball found the head of Drewett who bravely headed the ball passed the 'keeper to get his first goal for the club.

Five minutes later Macleod again crossed into the feet of Hutchings who was completely unmarked.  That left foot does not miss from there.  With the visitors clearly rocked by the sudden change in fortunes they could not have thought it was going to get much worse until their player rashly tackled Drewett from behind and the ref applied the law to the letter.  Red card.  He then went on to apply the laws of the game to the letter a further five times as the freekick needed to be retaken for one reason or another.

To be honest, I am not 100% sold on the idea of Gainsford as a defender.  I find him out of position a little too often for my liking but what he does have more than any other player we have had in the back four is goals.  His ability to get a header on target is becoming a real asset and on 30 minutes he put the game completely out of sight.

Right on the stroke of half time North Leigh had their only shot on target and goal.  Gainsford (cough) fouled about 25 yards outside the box and their low freekick must have gone under the wall and into the bottom corner.

Second half and I really must ask the club to get some hammocks set up behind the goal.  The first half and hour was completely flat with little in the way of entertainment.  North Leigh doing their best to stoke things up as they began to show their frustration and became undisciplined.  Leatherhead seemed to get sucked into this downward spiral until Kev Terry lookalike Josh Gallagher struck a ball outside the box which looped up off a defenders back to make it 4-1.

North Leigh should have been down to nine men after a totally unacceptable attempt at a two foot by their number 6 but Greg let his football do the talking by volleying HARD passed the keeper.

The cup dream goes on with a win.  Canvey Island come to the Grove Saturday against a winning side.  For once.

Leigh All Your Love On Me

I wasn't jealous before we met, now every game we play is a potential threat... blimey... its FA Cup time at The Grove and North Leigh leave their Roman Villa to visit us for the first time that I can certainly think of.

North Leigh, played eight, won four and drawn one in the Southern League Division 1 and sit just in the top half of the table.  They are obviously taking the game seriously by ensuring complete radio silence on their message board for the last two years so they can prepare.

Kick off is at 3pm.  See you there!