Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead enter the FA Trophy tomorrow with an away trip to Canvey Island.  This week has given Leatherhead plenty to think about, notably their appalling inability to defend corners…

Leatherhead were also given a robust work out on the pitch by Farnborough in the week.  The Conference South visitors running out 5-2 winners in the midweek friendly.  Good to see Vas on the score sheet.  The full report can be found here by the way.

Kick off at 3pm.  Directions can be found here.  Good luck fellas.

 

 

Friendly night

The club have arranged a mid-season friendly against Farnborough Town tomorrow night.  I am not entirely sure how this will help us prepare for the trip to Canvey Island in the FA Trophy but still a good way to spend a Wednesday night.

It is free for season ticket holders and just £5 for everyone else.  Kick off at 7.45.

I have also realised I have forgotten to write a match report for the Margate game.  I completely forgot there was a game.  750 people watched in stony silence while 15 Leatherhead fans wondered when the game was going to start.  Margate pretty much controlled the game from start to finish, showed little ambition and got their goal from a thunderous strike in the first half.  The usual result when it comes to celebrating my birthday at a game.

 

Travelling Tanners

Tomorrow is a game I have been looking forward to for a long time.  A trip to Margate always seem to typify the ultimate English away trip.  A lengthy drive to the coast, a big name, a chance to meet Buster Bloodvessel and a stay in Fatty Towers… some 16 years on from this dream I am now staying in a Hilton somewhere to celebrate my 40^th birthday with a wife and two kids alongside…

The birthday is a worry.  Leatherhead have only won once on my birthday weekend.  That win took us into the 1^st rounds proper of the FA Cup so perhaps we save it for the big games.

Kick-off is at 3pm.  Location is found here.  That’ll do nicely!

Tanners 2 - 0 Wingate & Finchley

Karl Rook had one of his best games for us today.  The two goals a rather obvious contribution but the defenders simply couldn’t come to terms with his style of play that so often has seen the yellow card being shown his way.

Considering our opponent’s league position the steady approach to the game was pleasing.  We limited them to a few chances and we perhaps edged on possession.   Our opening goal came when a high bouncing ball down the middle put Rook through one on one with the ‘keeper.  Both players seemed to hesitate but it was Rook who managed to compose himself first to chip the ball over the ‘keeper.  1-0 and “not much to write about”.

Second half and it was very much the same but the visitor’s frustration in Rook grew.  Two or three cards were issued for telling the ref he was being gullible to the tactics alone.  Then the goal that made us look very safe with the three points.  Dolby found Stacy on the edge of the box whose powerful shot was pushed into the path of Rook.  Three yards out and no mistake.

The new left back Adam didn’t make the best impression on his debut.  A soft yellow in the first half was complimented with a nailed on one and so a red was added to the collection.

Margate Saturday then.  My birthday weekend, so don’t expect a win…

 

Wingate & Finchley are coming

Leatherhead are back in league action after the International break and I am very much looking forward to getting to see some football again.

Wingate & Finchley sit six points above us having lost to Hendon in a seven goal thriller in the week.  Meanwhile at the Grove, talk of a new signing at left back and the best position for the player of the month should make for an interesting afternoon.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

South Park 0 - 2 Tanners

Leatherhead progress onto the next round of the league cup thanks to two Stacy Long goals.  Life has started without Vas, whose departure must have come as a bit of a shock as his name appeared on the team sheet but had to be scribbled out.

Stacy Long was the differences who inflicted the first blow on 15 minutes and then doubled the lead with a 35 minute penalty.

A mid-Autumn break can now be enjoyed as we have no action until 18 October (subject to a friendly being arranged as was the talk on Saturday) when we host Wingate & Finchley…

Travelling Tanners

League cup action and a trip to South Park.  Funnily enough I seem to remember we went to South Park in the Surrey Senior Cup (or something) when we were last in the Premier League.  We hoped it would spark players like Greg Andrews back into life as South Park were a league lower.  It didn’t and we were soundly beaten on a forgettable night if you were a Leatherhead fan.

South Park have risen up a league since then and while we are not quite in the pointless position we were then we may go there hoping for a break from the rigours of the league.

It is hard to find… so get your satnav locked into here.  Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas.

Tanners 1 - 2 Witham

It was perhaps naive of me to think we had hot upon a magic formula that was simply going to roll over all sides that cross our path.  Whether it was Rod’s mix tape that created a low key atmosphere during the warm up or tiredness from scoring 5 goals midweek, there was something wrong today as we put in a lacklustre performance.

At the heart of Witham was their defence.  A player of note was their number 5.  Limping in the first half and then going down injured in the second half, he played the full 90 minutes.  He, the number 4 and the ‘keeper constantly urging themselves and their team mates on.  Something we appear to be lacking as we were caught out at the back twice, with Wells pulling off some fine saves, before Witham eventually scored two goals.  The second had more than a hint of offside about it though.

It was a shame as in the first half we were playing OK.  Probably having more of the possession but lacking ideas of how to get past their defensive partnership.  Eventually Dolby found a cross that was met at the near post by Hughes-Mason and he prodded it into the back of the net.

Dreams of a second half hurrah were soon put to bed as we put in a thoroughly abject display and we never really looked like scoring.  The other low point that sticks to my mind was their number 5 who went down in my estimations.  Heroic defending but opted to feign being elbowed in the face only to jump to his feet when play was waved on and even laugh at the home supporters who picked up on this cheating.

Disappointing all round.  League cup action midweek then…

Witham are coming!

Tomorrow we face Witham in the league after quite an eventful game for us in the week.  Five goals was quite the change in fortune from our previous run but just reward when you consider we played 135 minutes of our best football over the last two games.

Witham come to us in similar fashion to Hampton & Richmond.  On the back of three straight wins then losing midweek.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

 

Hampton & Richmond Borough 1 - 5 Tanners

Leatherhead played this game in exactly the same manner they went about the second half against Hendon to devastating effect as the hosts we humbled and at times humiliated thanks to their hapless ‘keeper.  While he played his part in the majority of the goals, you make your own luck when you apply the pressure we sustained for much of the game.

The fun and games started as early as the tenth minute.  A bouncing ball down the centre of the pitch was challenged by Hughes-Mason and the ‘keeper outside the box.  Rather than head the ball, the ‘keeper opted to try for a high kick but only managed to slice the ball towards the empty net.  Hughes-Mason did the decent thing to tap it in to avoid an own goal for the ‘keeper.

Leatherhead’s lead did not last long, just 7 minutes in fact.  There was something familiar about the goal.  A striker drops deep, gets the ball, turns, picks out a pass to set up a free run on goal.  Shouts of “tighter” are not having the desired effect.

We could have felt hard done by but seven minutes later we were back in good spirits.  A shot from Stacy could only be parried onto the penalty spot.  The ‘keeper failed to react and sat on the floor helpless as Semakula powered his shot into the back of the net.

These goals were pretty funny but nothing could prepare us for what happened 10 minutes later.  Again the ‘keeper failed to deal with a shot and he parried it into the air.  He dived but rather than catch it, opted instead to palm it into the air again as if he was a volleyball player desperate to keep the rally alive.  The ball fell to Karagiannis who spiked the ball back with interest and the ball flew in off the post.  The post coming to our assistance for once!

Second half and we continued to apply the pressure but our goals came from set pieces.  The fourth was a ridiculous free kick from Stacy.  25 yards out and the ‘keeper was beaten near post.  A brilliant piece of awareness and skill to get it so perfectly past the defender and the right side of the post.  You shouldn’t be beaten from there near post though.

We did have two goals ruled out for offside before we won a penalty which Rook calmly placed for 5-1.

Awesome stuff and hopefully we can keep this attacking shape for another crucial game at the weekend…