Travelling Tanners

NEW GROUND KLAXON!

Tomorrow we travel to Cheshunt FC, a side that came up via the play-offs; beating Bracknell 3-0 in the final.  Our new friends are nestled in the lower half of the table, but have ambitions for bigger things with an application for a new 2,000 stadium (plus housing) just being submitted.

Leatherhead have stuttered a little in January.  Let's see what happens in February...

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

Tanners 3 - 0 Sutton

Sutton United sent fringe players and a group of young boys to do a man's work at Fetcham Grove in the Surrey Senior Cup. It wasn't enough and we comfortably ran out 3-0 winners.

 

You have to admire the commitment of our club hero and talisman Jerry who is now commuting all the way from Manchester in order to carry on playing for us. Chloe expected nothing less but is preparing herself for the worst. Meanwhile, our new striker who was commuting from McDonalds three times a day appears to have left.

 

The club must have been expecting trouble from the crowd of 188 as four security personnel guarded the entry to the ground. Car boots were opened and under vehicle inspection mirrors deployed in scenes reminiscent of Belfast in the 1980s. The DEFCON must have been stepped down in the 2nd half as they stood around chatting in the bar. Surely the money spent on employing them would be better spent on players. If you exclude Jamie O'Hara, there hasn't been any trouble at Fetcham Grove for 30 years.

 

It was a horrible night for Sutton Academy 'Keeper Mbeta as he watched a gentle free kick from Mischa drift slowly into the net. He could have caught it, punched it, or tipped it over the bar, but decided instead to just admire it into the net. Charlie Hester-Cook, who has rapidly become our MVP, added two more in the second half to secure a comfortable win.

 

We will be expecting another animated performance when we host South Park in the quarter final in our last realistic hope of glory in a strange uneven season. Hopefully Woking will do us a favour and field a strong enough side to knock out our smug neighbours in one of the other quarter finals.

Tanners 0 - 0 Merstham

I had the song of "...and we've still got Nikki on the bench" should we have raced to a comfortable lead against Merstham, but they are a very different side since adding 2-3 players to their squad recently.

We opened well, but faded towards the end of the first half.  This was our best chance of scoring as a looping header was cleared off the line, we had a goal disallowed for offside (must have been close) and struck the post.

Second half, we finished strongly but didn't really create the chances as we had in the opening 45 minutes.

Tonight, we welcome Sutton to the Grove for the second round of the Surrey Senior Cup.  Expect a big crowd; I would say easily five... no six hundred stewards could be at the Grove tonight.  Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas.

Merstham are coming

The Mick Sullivan Derby tomorrow, with the visit of Merstham.

Barry Hayles left the pitch after the away fixture in a rather marked manner; seemingly furious with the ref for allowing them to be completely out-played.  They will no doubt be out for revenge tomorrow...

On the one hand they may be up against it.  They sit just above the relegation places with the worst goal difference in the league.  On the other hand, they just beat Horsham and we seem to have a growing injury list.

Lick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Worthing 2 - 0 Tanners

Even by Leatherhead's past standards of League Cup squads, this was a weak line up to face high flying Worthing.  Not brought about through a complete failure to take the competition seriously (as we have seen under past regimes) but through an accumulation of injuries, being cup tied and bad luck.

That said when Nikki Bull appeared on the team sheet, playing upfront, eyebrows were raised.  For those travelling there was further concern when the bench of subs, turned out to be just Macca; presumably wearing a host of disguises to get away with the ruse.

Where past exploits from senior players, who recently being played while others were given the night off, resulted in capitulation the team were galvanised by the challenge at hand and held their own in the first half.

Things did start falling to pieces when Macca came on to replace the injured Pringles (a nasty injury it seems) and Will Salmon hobbled off without anyone to replace him.

We did have a glorious chance to score though, with Nikki through on goal but fell over at the vital moment.  A wonderful throw back to the Joe Sheerin years.

Pressure told in the end and Worthing scored in the second half and then doubled their lead through a penalty.

Hopefully the cup-tied and the unavailable will return on Saturday when we play the Mick Sullivan Derby... Merstham are coming!

Travelling Tanners

I misread this fixture as being a league fixture, but it is the league cup... a fixture that Worthing once walked off after the lino's contact lens got stuck behind his eye and we went through on appeal.  I suspect our night won't be quite as easy to progress as that night.

One thing is for certain, it is official a "double-socker".

Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas.

Hornchurch 1 - 1 Tanners

Another There Or There-abouts derby and a well earned, hard fought point.  When we lost Ibz et al, we needed players to step up and I was kind of looking at Travis to do this.  He has been in the right places and hit the post a few times, so it was good he found the net.

Hornchurch are a tough nut to crack though and they eventually got their equaliser to share the points and leave us seven points from the play-offs.

As way trips go, they don't come much tougher than the mid-week trip to Worthing tomorrow...

Tanners 1 - 2 Bognor Regis

Now.  How do I write this up?

Leatherhead went into this game after two game against lower opposition where we struggled without our target men of Ibz and Wood.  In fact, we only looked likely to score against Wingate & Finchley when we got the ball to the feet of Embery.  So what we needed was either a new approach or getting a new presence up front... and we got the latter... in abundance.

The new striker, Melford Simpson, is going to divide opinion.  I certainly haven't seen a Leatherhead player the size of Melford before and I am guessing, neither has the person who ordered the players' kits this season.  For me the warning signs are that he has come from Haywards Heath - mid-table from the division below - and does not appear in the top 20 goal scorers.

As debuts go, it was tough.  Bognor Regis are not only a good side they have a defender who is even taller and more mobile so was able to stick to the task of keeping Melford under control.  As with any striker that size, the smallest of leans or use of the arm is quickly seen by the ref so he didn't get much joy there either.  He did get one powerful shot on target and followed it up with a thunderous run on goal but the (terrified) 'keeper was able to smother the ball.

Meanwhile at the other end, the visitors scored through a wonderful piece of free flowing, ball-to-feet football that would have been a joy to watch if I felt we had a way of getting back into the game.

Luckily we have a player in fine form.  Hester-Cook continues to dominate midfield both defensively and then turning possession into attack.  It was through his interception, darting run and well placed shot we got the equaliser.  In the second half, it was only with him on the pitch did we look likely to get the winner.

Our new striker was withdrawn on about 60 minutes and inevitably the tempo increased.  Whether that meant we were actually more likely to score, we will never know but it was certainly more entertaining to watch.

Football, however, is a fickle mistress and despite the pressure we had exerted it amounted to nothing as in the final minute a well placed cross was met by a firm header that gave Zak no chance.  All three points headed south and we lose ground on those coveted play-off places.

A chance to close the gap with Potters Bar on Tuesday before a trip to Hornchurch on Saturday...

Bognor Regis are coming!

A wind-swept Grove welcomes our visitors today, when we take on Bognor Regis.

After one of the best comebacks we've seen over the past twenty years, let's hope we continue with another three points in this vital playoff chasing game.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Wingate & Finchley 1 - 2 Tanners

Nikki Bull must have been pleased with the second half response to what looked like another defeat to a team sitting in last place.

Wingate & Finchley opened the scoring in the first half and things started to look familiar.  Into the second half and the new player from Maidstone, Embery, stepped up with two goals to grab all three points.

This keeps Spencer's team in last place and while it only moves up one place it puts us just two points off of those play-off places.  Bognor Regis come to the Grove on Saturday in a "there-or-there-abouts" six pointer...

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead make their second trip to a bottom placed club in a week as we face Wingate & Finchley tonight.

The lack of goal threat at Corinthian-Casuals was a huge disappointment and if the new signings aren't hitting the ground running, it will need experienced players to step up and help out.

Kick off at 7.45.  Directions can be found here.  Good luck fellas.

Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 0 Tanners

It was the Eleventh Day of Christmas and no True Love to hand over any gifts to the travelling fans - Woods and Ibz now sitting on the benches of their host clubs - and judging by what we saw, Nikki Bull will have to take a Katie Price approach to the next objects of our desire...


It started badly even before the first ball was kicked.  The sun was low and bright and with our hosts winning the toss they opted to put Zak facing the blinding light.  The tactic paid off almost immediately, as a low shot seemed to go under him on just two minutes.


Corinthian-Casuals controlled much of the first half but Leatherhead were not without their chances.  New loan signing Embery was through on goal but it was well saved and Travis launched a close range effort out of the ground.


The ref started making a name for himself in the first half.  There were three nasty looking challenges in the opening 45 minutes but he only booked the middle one.  Most notably he let off the first, their number 4 caught out on the wing so made a desperate challenge to bring down his man... this would be significant in the second half.


On to the second half, warmed by a lively atmosphere in their bar and the soft glow of a setting sun we hoped for better… and we started to get it.  Another new signing Oyenuga was looking fast and troubling their defence.


It was when he was completely clear on goal that the controversy happened.  The number 4 knew he was beaten so cynically dragged him down.  Quite clearly the last man as despite being dragged down he regained his feet to go on and shoot, albeit from a tighter angle had he not been impeded. 

The ref blew up for the foul but could not make the decision alone and decided  to consult with his yes-man, who managed to continue the conversation long enough that the responsibility for failing to send a player off could be adequately shared across two people. 


The ref then issued only a yellow and had a stern word with the number 4, telling him if he fouled again then he would have to show another yellow... unless that foul happens within the next few minutes in which case I will warn you again for that is what happened.  Again number four was out of his depth on the wing so brought down his more fleet of foot opponent... just a talking to again.


The second half sub of Oyenuga was then subbed off and Corinthians found their feet and started to pile the pressure back on.  Another powerful shot beating Zak.  Zak then tried to get the ball from a Corinthian player to get the game underway and a small scuffle broke out with the holder of the ball now on the floor now holding his face.  The ref needed to call both yes-men over to share the responsibility of not taking action and showed Zak a yellow.


Leatherhead by now were a complete ruddy shambles.  Feeling hard done by and lacking the confidence that comes with having such potent threats up front there was very little hope of a come back.  Less so when the third goal was scored.  Another powerful low shot, across the face of the goal and into the bottom corner.


It is ironic though that after the worst Leatherhead performance I have seen in 20 years, we travel to Wingate & Finchley midweek to face Spencer Knight.  A manager with such skill he has guided his team into last place.  Hopefully, getting beaten by teams at the foot of the table isn't catching...

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead head up the A3 to face our old friends, Corinthian-Casuals.  While they sit in last place, if ever there was a bogey team it would be our hosts today... this started at approximately the same time i thought it would be funny to wear a Palmeiras shirt to a game...

Meanwhile we have to start life without Ibz.  I hope someone steps up with the goals he provided so readily.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Tanners 2 -1 Carshalton Athletic

Leatherhead put in a composed performance to take all three points from a side that came to flop about.

This was a big game and it was disappointing to see so many people having to queue to get in with only one turnstile open.  Perhaps if we had used a couple of the security staff to take money, we would still have had about 15 of them to do very little.

On the pitch and we were treated to the finest display of touch'n'flop ever seen.  With the remotest hint of contact, down Carshalton would fall and appeal.  Sadly this fell right into the comfort zone of the referee and he gave them all willingly. 

Big decisions, like blocking a goal bound shot in the box with an outstretched arm weren't to be entertained and waved away.  The "lino" waved his flag and I thought, perhaps, we would see him assist in some way but all he had to offer was Nikki said something nasty and a warning was issued to the bench.

While for the majority of the game we looked in control, Carshalton's goal came from slapstick defending.  Leatherhead simply could not clear the ball; it looked like we survived the scare as the lengthy goal mouth scrambled resulted in a Leatherhead player finally getting a decent boot behind the ball but it fell to a Carshalton player, who lofted it into the goal.

Their 'keeper then embarked on a strange piece of folk dancing but was left to courtesy turn and pick it out of the back of the net when Travis' freekick clipped the wall; leaving him stranded as it waltzed in.  That was scored on the first free kick awarded to Leatherhead... on 29 minutes... and had the wall been pulled back properly I doubt the deflection would have happened.  Unlucky ref.

Into the second half where the ref was desperate for a Carshalton winner and awarded yet another soft free kick on the edge of our box.  Unfortunately the ref would not have known that the visitors would have made such a hash of it, as they would lose possession and allow Ibz to be set free down the middle.  No mistake and 2-1.

We would have a similar effort ruled out for offside and Ibz struck the post, with the ball spinning on the line only to be cleared before the ref upped his game even further.

Carshalton were desperate for the equaliser so the 'keeper rushed out to try and pump a loose ball into our half but he made a mess of it and was tackled by a Leatherhead player.  The ball squirmed out to the slight advantage to our player and used his body to shield the ball from the increasingly desperate 'keeper who promptly fell over and was awarded a free kick. 

A further free kick was given for nothing and was allowed to be advanced about 15 yards forward so to give them a chance but it was headed clear and the whistle finally came.

A professional display fully justified the win but it sounds as if Ibz is leaving us (again) which must be a concern for the remainder of the campaign... 

Carshalton are coming

At last, a festive fixture to get excited about.  Only 188 people felt the same way about Cray Wanderers, but today a more local, higher profile team arrives to The Grove... a team occupying a play-off spot no less.

Leatherhead have seen off the floods and will hopefully do the same to our visitors and close the gap even further...

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!