East Thurrock are coming

An emotional day today as we say farewell to the legend Billy Miller. A minutes applause will observed before the game.
Meanwhile Leatherhead host East Thurrock in this league clash. Our fellow play-off chasing hopefuls comes to Grove in good form…
Kick off at 3 PM. See you there…

Tanners 4 - 0 Bury Town

All in all a miserable evening for the visitors.  While the started looking the hungrier of the two sides the lack of quality that has lead them to the bottom of the table started to show.

The opening goal was a telling example.  From a corner Jerry was closely marked, but he managed to use his strength and guile to get enough space to guide his header into the back of the net.

In the dying minutes of the first half the game was all but over when we were awarded a penalty and Vas achieved what Messi could not and scored from the spot in off the post.

Second half and there was little doubt that Leatherhead would cruise to victory.  Bury did rally for a brief spell but in truth Vas was looking too hot to handle as he danced through their defence on a number of occasions.

In the last 10 minutes Hughes-Mason added further misery with two goals.  The second being a cheeky flick from the outside of the boot into the top corner.

With this win Leatherhead can now surely consider themselves safe… but in some quarters people are talking of play-offs…

Bury Town are coming... again...

Spare a thought for Bury Town.  It is one thing to have a Saturday game cancelled and have to make the trip mid-week but another to have actually have made the trip only for a jobs worth to call it off.

This can only add to what has been, so far, a long hard season for Bury Town.  They sit bottom of the table and unless they pick up some points soon they will look certain to for the drop.  Yet again I recall the VCD game which means we will need to take this seriously.

Kick off at 7:45.  See you there!

Wingate & Finchley 0-0 Tanners

The oldest cantilevered grandstand in Britain provided Rod shelter on a bitterly cold afternoon in Summers Lane. The building was given grade II listed status in 2013 for its use of advanced concrete engineering and being one of the very few double sided stands in existence serving two different clubs.

Fascinating stuff off the pitch but on the pitch it was a different story. There were no Lippizaner horses prancing around here and no Viennese Waltz. The first half ended goalless which will be no real surprise to you considering the match ended goalless as well.

The 2nd half was a more lively affair. We had a few half chances but it was the hosts who looked like they were going to snatch a winner during a late onslaught. Our midfield tired but our defence somehow kept the ball out when it seemed certain that either Wingate or Finchley would score. The team have grown in belief as the season has progressed, and this performance showed that we are tough to beat and have earned the right to be in this league.

Elsewhere, there is still plenty to look forward to this season. Dulwich losing in the play offs for example, or the possibility of a bruising encounter between Merstham and Whyteleafe in the play offs.

Travelling Tanners

Lovers of football and gardening are in for a real treat this weekend, Wingate & Finchley are placed just by the Glebelands Allotments.  Our recent form has perhaps given us belief we have bedded in the league for the season but tomorrow will be a tough test.  Our hosts are 9 points better off yet somehow have scored two less goals having conceded the same amount.

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

Tanners 3 - 1 Hampton & Richmond

No calamities in the visitors goal this time but a welcome three points all the same.  The fact  this game went ahead is testament to Dave Blaz’s (and volunteers’) hard work and common sense applied by the ref.

Leatherhead started well with our forwards proving they was too hot to handle down our left.  Leatherhead fans cheered eagerly as we won a string of well-placed yet fruitless corners but it was from a free-kick we got our opener.  Whipped in from the edge of the box it was flicked on by a defender onto the head of Rook who was well within his favourite territory.

As with the away game our lead did not last long.  The Hampton forward ran through our defence much like a kitten with a ball of string.  It was ungainly as the failed tackles came in but did the trick and he found room to shoot and score.

Unlike the away we did not find ourselves 3-1 up at half time so we had to contemplate how the game would swing over a cup of tea.

Second half and I don’t think our visitors had much more than a sniff at goal.  Our second was spectacular as it is run of the mill for Vas.  One of those looping shots from deep that leave a keeper a mere spectator.

The third goal was well worked.  The robust Josh was fed a ball in the box who, while sliding, slid it into the path of Vas who poked it under the ‘keeper.

3-1 and perhaps we can look forward to a rather boring end to the season…

Hampton & Richmond are coming

Leatherhead are at home tomorrow as we host Hampton & Richmond.  Those who went to the away game will remember it was ruddy hilarious as their ‘keeper had nothing short of a nightmare.  As ever we must be on our guard… those who laugh last…

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Witham Town 2 - 3 Tanners

Leatherhead snatch all three points in away at Witham where calamity seemed to rule the day.  We seemed to press well but failed at times to deal with a physical presence of their striker for most of the first half.

The pitch, while quite playable, was heavy and perfect for Witham’s style of play and they used their home advantage to full affect.  Piling on the pressure and creating chances.  Quite against the run of play we got our opener though.  Vas, who had a mixed game after being accused of diving on more than one occasion by the home team, was allowed space to shoot with his deadly left foot.  Rook was at hand to distract the ‘keeper but did enough not to interfere in his offside position to allow the ball to roll in off the far post.

Witham responded quickly scoring from a free-kick brought about from their first half pressure.

Second half and Leatherhead began to cope with life in Witham a lot better.  Mainly down to the withdrawal of their rather large unit upfront.  The goal came from an incident where Vas was “brought down” on the edge of the box.  The defender claimed he was the one kicked and Vas had bought the free kick.  He may have had a point.  Typical that such a free-kick would result in a goal.  Green’s strike took a nick off of a defender and the ‘keeper dropped the catch.  A second career as a wicketkeeper not on the cards there.

With the second goal the few that travelled could hope for an easy last 30 minutes.  It was not to be when Hughes-Mason found himself defending in the penalty area and the wrong side of the player with the ball at that.  He stuck out a clumsy leg and down went the player to earn a penalty that was coolly put away to make it 2-2.

A point would not have been the end of the world but Hughes-Mason went on to make amends by making room in the box to shoot and buried the ball past the ‘keeper.  The celebration that followed was somewhat over the top but perhaps relief that we have now matched our point tally of our last outing in this league…

Travelling Tanners

Hopefully the ref won’t have an evening engagement tomorrow and make more effort to get the game on after the frustration of last weekend.  Not only because it is us making the trip this time but we’d never finish the season with that kind of attitude.

As trips go this is a big one.  Witham sit in the relegation zone so a win would go a long way to keep us in the division.  Lest we forget VCD though…

Directions can be found here.  Kick off (subject to namby-pamby inspections) at 3pm.  See you there.