Tanners 1 - 0 Ascot United

Another big crowd came Leatherhead notch up their second 1-0 win over the festive season.  Again we were forced to be patient as the visitors played a cagey game.

Leatherhead showed attacking intent from the start, with mainly Dan Hector on long range shooting duty.  Ascot sat deep and invited these pot shots and it looked to be one of those long afternoons.

The first half could have finished with Leatherhead having at least a one man advantage,as Stagg was put through for a one on one and the 'keeper opted to save using his left hand when outside the box.  Had a few Leatherhead players appealed it may have been given but all we got was a corner from the incident.

Second half and the pressure told.  The ball was "stood up" to the far left-hand post and Splatts was there, eagerly waiting for the ball to drop.  He wound up a side volley and in truth sliced it a little but what it then lacked in power it gained in accuracy as the ball span into the far side netting.

We suffered a few scares in the last 5 minutes, but we held on to set up a crucial game against Westfield who will prove to be a very different type of opposition as they sit outside of the play-off places on goal difference only.

Ascot United are coming!

Leatherhead see out the year with a visit from Ascot United.

This damp and windy Saturday will see the highest placed side (13th) to have a negative goal difference come to the Grove.

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Tanners 1 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals

I didn't wear my Palmeiras shirt to this game, as it seems only to bring bad luck against our bogey team.

Watching the first half was much like watching a game of cricket.  You didn't need to focus on the game, but you could turn and talk to your neighbour about festivities and only turn your attention when you heard a ripple of applause or a cry from the middle of the pitch.

We looked a lot more purposeful in the second half, and full attention was needed.  Our opening goal came when Travan was slipped through a clever ball that he ran onto and fired it across goal.  Tyler Cox was on hand at the far post to bury it from close range.

Corinthians' fans were now in full voice and their team responded so a second goal was crucial.  The chance came when the ref awarded a penalty for a foul on Stagg...  

Stagg ran onto a ball but hovered over it to allow a defender to clumsily crash into him from behind.  Gus Sow hit his penalty at the perfect height for such a tall 'keeper and it was saved.

Our visitor's day got worse when their defender received his second yellow card, reducing them to 10 men.

We held on and now set up a home tie against Ascot, to keep pressure on the top 3...

Corinthian-Casuals are coming!

If the players feel anything like I did, when I woke up this morning, we're doomed. That kind of preparation, that only Dave Stevens thrived on, I am sure was expressly banned by Hayden.

Our guests will be looking for some festive cheer, as they sit in the relegation places.

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Happy Christmas!

From everyone here at The Lip!, Happy Christmas!

Hanworth Villa are coming

Seventh place Hanworth Villa come to the Grove tomorrow for this league fixture.

I'm still in the US and have absolutely no idea what time it is.

Kick off at 5am.  Good luck fellas.

Travelling Tanners

For some, the New Ground Klaxon will sound tomorrow as we travel to 8th place Hartley Witney.

If you are going, there are road closures (see tweets) and heavy rain and wind to contend with...

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

Raynes Park Vale

Pre-season friendlies; mid-season friendlies; mid-week cups... we haven't been able to beat our guests... annoying.

Tonight, Raynes Park Vale arrive at the Grove for this league fixture and the winner will go top; albeit with us having played two more games than Chertsey should we break into unchartered ground.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Tanners 1 - 0 Guernsey

Leatherhead faced a Guernsey side that were determined to leave with at least a point, as they frustrated us for 80 minutes.  While sides around us were scoring five goals, we will take the 1-0 win to keep us in the chase.

This wasn't one for the neutral.  It was bloody freezing and with our guests showing little ambition, we had to be patient and pass the ball around in front of them until an opening could be found.

We could have scored in the opening 5 minutes, but once Guernsey had found their main-land legs, they proved hard to break down.

The second half was much the same until about 70 minutes when suddenly Guernsey looked to get more than just a point, and tried to score on the break.  In turn, our chances started to look more promising.

Stagg rattled the bar.  Hector skimmed the far post.  Headers were being blocked on the line.  Most of these were replicated in our goal.

A Dan Hector cross was headed on goal, only for it to be cleared off of the line and the ball landed on the penalty spot where Ollie Cook was at hand to take control and fire it into the bottom corner.  After working so hard, I almost felt sorry for Guernsey.  Almost.

On to Tuesday then and the big one.  Raynes Park Vale are coming...

Guernsey are coming!

Guernsey arrive to the The Grove  today, with the DOUBLE SOCKER KLAXON sounding loudly.   It is the kind of weather that would see Dave Blaz, our ex-groundsman, reaching for his winter shorts.

Last week we bounced back from defeat and beat last place Binfield.  Now we face a side one place higher, as Guernsey find themselves in the relegation places.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you th-th-th-there!

Binfield 0 - 2 Tanners

Perhaps more hard-fought than we would have hoped, given our hosts are bottom of the table, but work us they did as we came out with a 1-0.

Omarr Lawson got us off to an early start.  We had just survived a scare in front of our own goal before Omarr finished off a low cross.

A pretty even game unfolded and Stagg left it until the last few minutes of stoppage time to make it safe and 2-0.

No game midweek so we wait until Saturday to host Guernsey, who sit just one place higher than Binfield... 

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead travel to Binfield tomorrow, to face them in the league.  

Last year, our hosts were just outside the play-off places.  This year they are rooted to the bottom and have yet to win a game.  A perfect chance to bounce back from our midweek defeat... or a massive banana skin..?

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

Tanners 1 - 2 Badshot Lea

Leatherhead came out in the first half like world beaters and really should have added to Stagg's early goal.

Our guests came out in the second half galvonised from surviving the opening 45 minutes just one goal down, and took the game to Leatherhead.  We failed to respond and got completely outplayed, lucky not to lose by one or two more.

On to Binfield on Saturday then...

Badshot Lea are coming

The recent rains appears not to have scuppered this fixture again, so tonight we play Badshot Lea.

I miss this game as I am away in Paris.  Sacre bleu!

Kick off at 7.45.  Bonne chance, garsons!

Tanners 1 - 0 Ashford Town

A frustrating day for the 505 crowd, who hoped to see more goals but a stubborn Ashford side kept them at bay.

Luke Tuffs arrived back at the Grove, knowing his side were going to be worked hard for 90 minutes and set his side out to make life as difficult as possible for us.

Little happened in the first half until the 40th minute when their 'keeper landed badly, resulting in a dislocated shoulder.  With no recognised 'keeper on the bench, this left out guests playing the rest of the game with effective 10.5 men.

On the stroke of half-time we won a penalty, which Beanie smashed to the stand-in keeper's left and had no chance.

In the second half, Ashford were far more adventurous and hit the roof of the net with a looping header.  Game on.  Meanwhile Leatherhead shot more on sight but Ashford did an fantastic job of closing the threat down, so only one found it's way on goal and the 'keeper dealt with it.  Just.

Up to third we go but we face a very different challenge on Tuesday...

Ashford Town (Middlesex) are coming!

Game on!  Barring a heaving downpour (which last night was forecast) we can expect to see football at the Grove, after having had three games rained off in quick succession.

This fixture will see our old manager Luke Tuffs return, with his side sitting in 14th place.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Badshot Lea are coming!

I made a mistake and the NEW GROUND KLAXON is on hold as Badshot Lea come to us tomorrow.  However, for the third home game in a row, a storm precedes the fixture and The Grove could be in for another soaking.  Fingers crossed.

Our guests are knocking on the door of the play-offs and sit in sixth place having scored the same amount of goals as us but we've conceded almost 50% less.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Met Police 0 - 4 Tanners

Another dominant performance, as Leatherhead repeat the score line of Tuesday night with four goals (with another own goal).

Met Police failed to consistently deal with Leatherhead from the start.  Our attackers were allowed to roam freely down the left wing but they seemed to stamp out anything down our right...

It was also clear we were going to be shooting more.  These shots were troubling the horses, in the facility behind, more than the 'keeper but it was nice to see the intent.

The our opening goal.  An attack down our left and a cut-back ball into the box, found Hector how slotted it passed the 'keeper who was well out of position.

The second goal was a calamity from their number six.  Just seconds early he had volleyed it just over his own goal, mistiming everything.  He made no mistake from the following corner which found him unmarked at the far post; keeping his head over the ball he calmly stroked it into his own net.

A Braverman-style halftime team talk saw our hosts come out a lot more organised and for 20 minutes looked the most likely to get one back and make it interesting.  Leatherhead got through this spell and started applying pressure for more goals.

The Met's 'keeper had opted to kick it long all game but for some reason started playing out from the back when we were at our most adventurous.  This resulted in him getting the ball back with Stagg bearing down on him and in the resulting panic, played it into his shins and it rebounded towards goal and needed no further encouragement to cross the line.

In injury time Stagg made it four... but I missed this goal.

Onto Tuesday and a NEW GROUND KLAXON of Badshot Lea...

Travelling Tanners

After scoring four goals in the week Leatherhead hope they have at least one more in the locker when we face our old friends, Met Police.

The Met Police make a return to our league, missing us so much they took voluntary relegation to play us again.

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

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead need to dry themselves off and get back to league duties, after we lose our second Saturday home fixture in quick succession.  We are off to Chipstead.

Our old friends sit just three points behind us, having played one more game, and score 8 more goals (while conceding 12 more).  Hopefully we will see more of our strikers than we did away to Marlow... 

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

Marlow 4 - 0 Tanners

You would cry too, if it happened to you.  Another birthday and another defeat, but more crushing than I had anticipated.

I arrived at the ground in good spirits, but this didn't last long as Marlow slotted away their first goal on 7 minutes.  A Marlow player was allowed too much time on the ball and made space to put it calmly away.

1-0 soon became 2-0 when we all played musical statues and allowed Marlow a free shot on goal.  We held out for a bit longer before we conceded a third in a manner I have blanked from memory.

As we changed ends I saw the famous chef, Tom Kerridge, enjoying the game.  I had naively thought he was slaving away in the kitchen where I had enjoyed my birthday lunch, but realised my curse had not only made him a little bit richer but also provided him with an eventful afternoon of football.

Early into the second half I popped into the bar when a muted cheer went up.  "If it's a Marlow goal you all get a discount, if it's Leatherhead you pay more!" announced the bar manager to the weary travelling supporters.  With business sense like that, Marlow will soon go out of business.  Of course it was a Marlow goal and it was now four ruddy nil.

Dave Tarpey started the half, coming on with the thankless task of rescuing us at 3-0 and his job was now harder.  The damage was done and we caused enough problems to limit the damage.

On to Saturday where we hope to avoid storm damage on Thursday as well as to our league position.  A loss will see us 10 points off of the lead...

Travelling Tanners

I have bad news for Hayden.  Tomorrow is my birthday and, from memory, we have only won once in the 25 years we have played when I celebrate this milestone.  The first being Rushden & Diamonds, where a cruel last-minute equaliser meant a mid-week 4-0 thrashing away in the replay. Sudbury is a nice win to have under the belt though.

We live in hope though and the trip to Marlow looks daunting, even without my hex.  They sit one point about us having scored 8 more goals and have won four games in a row.  They do have a pretty wooden stand, so there is that to look forward to...

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

Tanners 3 - 1 Abbey Rangers

A second half goalfest sees Leatherhead through to the next round of the Surrey Senior Cup; a competition we should finally get our teeth stuck into.

The first half had its moments but after buying a cup of tea on 42 minutes, I felt confident that if I went into the bar to secure a table I wouldn't miss any action.  Table secured; no action missed.

The second half was a different kettle of fish.  Less sideways passing and more intent was the modus operandi and it paid off.

Firstly Splatt was given far too much respect and the defender backed off too much as he strode into the box.  A confident shot was placed into the bottom right hand corner.  Where would we be without our scoring defenders?

Then a moment of wonder from Abbey Rangers.  Our 'keeper came out to clear a ball but found an Abbey Rangers player who went for the lob.  I couldn't call it a deft lob, it was more of an orbital-intergalactic one.  High it went beyond the main beam of the flood lights so the ball dimmed in the highest point of its arc.  The down it came, landing perfectly beyond the line and into the roof of the net.

The long-cold-boney hand of penalties seemed to be resting on our shoulders until Omar Lawson struck.  Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, he danced around three players before finding the bottom corner with a powerful strike.

Hector sealed the deal with a low strike from range, bending the ball around a defender to beat the unsighted 'keeper.

On we go to Marlow then, who suddenly look like world beaters...

Abbey Rangers are coming!

Abbey Rangers, who sit in 9th place in the Combined Counties, come to the Grove tonight for this Surrey Senior Cup fixture.

It is "Pay want you want" deal on the gate and the pitch looks like it has recovered from Storm Babet.  Like us, our guests have score 14 goals but have conceded nearly three times as many.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Game off

The morning's rain was a drop too far and the game is off.

Hopefully it dries out in time for Tuesday…

Tanners 0 - 0 Northwood

There was once a time when watching Leatherhead, under the lights, on a Tuesday night was a thing of wonder.  In recent weeks it has become a trip to the hygienist who is running 30 minutes late for your appointment.

Northwood came with a game plan to frustrate, but still had enough in the locker to give us a scare.  Missing a free tap in at the far post on about 10 minutes was the first and most notably warning sign. 

Leatherhead could have scored from range in the early exchange, with a gaping open goal, but the first time shot bent wide.

Other than that, Northwood had the measure of us.   Our crosses were picked off one by one. Some were tantalisingly close to completion to set up a good attempt at goal but somehow a boot or head got in the way.

Frustrating but we come back here to make amends on Saturday.  Saturday!

Northwood are coming

Northwood make the difficult midweek journey to the Grove for the first of the trilogy of home games.  

We will go top with a win and our hosts sit near the relegation zone.   That said we got battered at their place last season when their tall striker proved too much to handle.

Kick off at 7.45pm.  See you there!

Uxbridge 1 - 3 Tanners

A match report as late as Leatherhead left it to grab the victory on Saturday.  Two goals in the dying minutes were enough to beat a side playing in front of a large home crowd, welcoming them home.

On arrival, we were impressed how friendly the hosts were.  Excited to be back at their stadium (new pitch, not a new ground for me) they greeted us with smiles and a pay as much or as little as you like policy.

They were as welcoming on the pitch, as after just a few minutes we were 1-0 up.  A free kick (that I did not think the ref was going to give) was swung in and Ollie Cook rose to head back across goal.  It seemed to take an age to find the far post and sneak in but the 'keeper could not get to it.

Watching the game also told us just how good Chertsey were.  Uxbridge are a good side, but they were nothing compared to how Chertsey controlled us in the week.

After controlling the game for about 30 minutes we dropped off and suddenly everything seemed like hard work.

This continued into half time and sensing a delay on the M25 I popped to the facilities on 82 minutes.  I re-emerged by the bar on 85 minutes, as Rod was no doubt sharpening his pencil for another tirade, as Ollie Cook pivoted in the area to strike a ball in the top right hand corner. 2-1.

By the time I had reached the corner flag it was 3-1.  Leatherhead won the ball back from a last ditch Uxbridge attack, then feeding in Trevan who made no mistake on the break.  3-1. 

A great win, in the end, and onto tonight...

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead hit the A3-less road to Uxbridge today in this league fixture.

Uxbridge are doing a "pay what you think it's worth" promotion today. Question is, can you pay after the game…

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Tanners 0 - 1 Chertsey

I had a nightmare with the preview for this.  I got the opposition wrong about who knocked us out of the league cup.  I mixed up the weeks and thought it was only this and one other fixture being played.  I wish I had got the date wrong, as then I would have been spared this disappointing defeat.

Chertsey came and did a real number on us last night.  They forced our usual penetrating attack to mild flirting and at no real point did we even ask our guests out for a coffee.

After a very nervous start we did have some good spells; notably around the 20 minute mark for about 20 minutes and the opening 15.  In that time we had a good chance, with Dan Hector running on to a loose ball on the penalty spot, but another player got in his way and they both left it to bounce harmlessly away.

In the last 15 minutes, we had the moments of controversy that could have swung the game our way.  A powerful shot was blocked and saw the ball bounce high in the box.  One of our players attacked the ball but no real attempt to win it as a defender was rushing in with a high boot.  

Contact was made with our player but the defender let out the loudest shout and went down holding his foot.  The ref and seen and heard enough and out came the yellow card for our player for daring to be kicked in the head.

We hoped that might rally us into action but the ball went down the other end and they scored.  A long ball was met by both their attacker and a defender.  We got there first, the ball struck their player (perhaps even off an arm) and bounced kindly for him to run on and score into the bottom corner.

Chertsey then managed the game well.  Using their bodies to shield the ball and then falling down to win free kick after free kick.  Frustration grew and a scuffle broke out after we fouled badly.  Despite multiple players being involved, the officials only saw fault with one of our defenders with an additional yellow card being shown.

Not the night I had hoped for and on we go to Uxbridge on Saturday...

Chertsey are coming!

So, the cold wet fish that is the FA Codding Trophy slapped us around the face with defeat at Westfield.  Sadly, a chance to host Hungerford slips by.

But tonight we have bigger fish to fry as we host Chertsey in the league, in what could be the biggest game of the season so far.  Our guests didn't knock us out of the League Cup, that was Chipstead,  but with RPV slipping it up it could be a chance to build a buffer.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there and tight lines, everyone!

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead rush Headlong into the third qualifying round and chance to get into the first round proper of the FA Sodding Trophy, where better non-league teams enter.

Hopefully our Hitman, Travis continues his scoring form in this competition.

I'm not going. Not due my petty boycott, but because I'm partying near Skegness. It's a hard life.

Kick off at 3pm. Find your own sodding way there. Good luck fellas!

SCM 0 - 1 Tanners

Leatherhead win on the road after playing some pretty football, scoring an ugly goal and after surviving some late scares you could say the game was pretty ugly.

Overall, we outplayed our hosts being confident on the ball and being a tad unlucky not to score more.  With the ball at our feet, we looked unplayable as a drop of a shoulder sent their defenders for a hotdog, then back for mustard and then back again for a napkin... or maybe even toilet roll.

Our goal was as brilliant as it was fortunate.  A sublime pass picked out Travis who had made a well timed run, to see him completely clear on goal.  The ball got slightly stuck at his feet and that bought enough time for their defender to come sliding in and make a clean tackle... but the ball shot straight into the back of the net.

The second half didn't have quite the same intensity but still continued to play confident passing football.  As the game entered the final 10 minutes (which was remarkably late due to the tardy ref) it became both the most comfortable and precarious 1-0 lead I have seen for a while.  

We would have a spell of attacking possession and then in a flash we would desperately defend a goal mouth scramble only to launch another attack by confidently passing it out from the back.

So Leatherhead go top but this may not be the case at the weekend as we are in FA Crappy Trophy duty while RVP play in the league...

Travelling Tanners

Off we travel to see Sutton Common Rovers, knowing a win will send us top over Raynes Park Vale.  

Our hosts sit just three points behind us, albeit having played one more game, in fifth place.  Chuck in a plastic pitch and it isn't going to be easy.  They now play at Whyteleafe... I wonder if SCR's supporters will sit in the stand, refuse to change ends and moan constantly...

Kick off at 7.45.  Directions can be found here.  See you there?

Tanners 5 - 0 Thatcham

Leatherhead put in the kind of performance that not even Rod could pour cold water on it in one of his official match reports, as we score four second half goals to take all three points.

Not for the first time this season, we started the strongest side butt his time we made it count.  We should have perhaps had a penalty on 7 minutes when a defender slid through Robinson but the ref gave a corner.

Since I announced we never score from corners, we have scored two in three games; you're welcome.  Beanie's powerful-swinging cross beat (the first man!) the 'keeper and found Cook's head and gave their defence no chance.

Only 1-0 at half time and you could be worried that one slip could see us drawing again,but those  nerves were eased after just 66 seconds.  A hopeful ball into the box looked like a routine catch until a defender got involved, ignoring the shout, and headed it over their 'keeper.  The bouncing ball was gratefully headed home by Robinson.

Four minutes later, we score a third after a Hector run down the left allowed him to cut it back to Lawson who dispatched it into the top corner.

Soon we were playing 1970's Brazil-style passing football and after about 40 passes an Hector hit the post.  

The ref, having helped out Thatcham by not giving a penalty in the first half, tried to help them again by only taking back their wall about 6 yards.  It mattered not, as Lawson bent the ball around the wall to sneak it in via the near post.  Unlucky ref.

Just as the game is about to end, we scored a fifth.  This came from  a new policy of trying to score a goal from further out than 2 yards.  We were shooting more and, while the River Mole has a couple of extra balls in it, it made us feel a lot more of a constant threat.  Kanali Barton led the breakaway down the middle, with options on either side, but the defenders backed off  too much and his shot found the side netting.

Comprehensive then and on we go to Wednesday, where a win against SCM could see us go top...

Thatcham are coming

A long awaited return to league action after a few weeks away due to FA competitions. Hurray.

Thatcham sit in the bottom half of the table having won half their league games.

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Tanners 0 - 1 Chipstead

The league cup won't be sitting on Hayden's mantlepiece this summer, as we fell short against Chispstead on Tuesday night.

It could have been different had we taken our chances in the opening 20 to 30 minutes where the ball rarely left the Chisptead half.  As the half came to a close the game became more even and we hoped for a revival in the second half.

That revival didn't come and on about 60 minutes I tweeted that penalties looked on and moments later Chipstead scored.  The goal came from a corner after we had just pulled off an amazing save.  We failed to deal with the cross and our keeper was well beaten.

"I'm a bloody genius!", I thought as this was pretty much exactly what happened on Saturday and we went on to win 3-1... but I turned out to be a frustrated genius as we failed to score, largely down to some heroics of a double save to keep us out.

Seven minutes of extra time did not bring the equalising goal, so the league and the Surrey Senior Cup remain the focus for the year...

Chipstead are coming!

Velocity 2nd Round action tonight, as we play Chipstead tonight.  I am sure Hayden would love to get stuck back into the league, but this cup gives us an opportunity to have another run.

It won't be easy though.  Chipstead lie in 7th place and joint second in terms of scoring.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Southall 1 - 3 Tanners

Tanners secured their place in the draw for the Third Qualifying round in the FA Sodding trophy after a second half performance that proved too much for the 10 men of Southall.

Leatherhead looked the brighter side in the opening ten minutes with two clear chances squandered in quick succession.  Soon after our hosts missed an fre header and the game swung in their favour.

Penalties looked a certainty when, on 40 minutes, a Southall player went in hard with studs shown and was shown a red.

I was expecting a repeat of the attritional first half in the second but Southall slotted home  a fine  strike to make it 0-1.

This gave Leatherhead a greater sense of urgency as we pressed for the equaliser.  It looked like we had it when the ball fell to one of our players with only two players on the line to beat but somehow one of them managed to block the powerful shot.

Our equaliser came from a penalty.  A Southall player pulled back one of our players as he was about to shoot and the ref pointed to the spot.  The pressure didn't show as Gus Sow chipped the spot kick in off the bar.

Then Leatherhead went on to win comfortably with a short corner routine providing Splatt with a clear strike on goal on about the penalty spot.  Then Robinson turned provider to Hector who finished clinically from a tight angle.

The frustration showed for the hosts as their manager was sent off when he threw his pen onto the pitch.  Perhaps a harsh decision from the ref,as the manager was probably just showing his players how to lose their marker...

Onto to the third qualifying round and the inevitable disappointment of playing Wingate & Finchley (or similar) away...

Travelling Tanners

I should really appreciate this competition more, especially when there is £2,250 up for grabs, but for some reason I can't get excited about it.  However, the New Ground Klaxon is sounding and it provides a chance to get to Southall ahead of the April league fixture.  So I'm in.

Today we travel to Southall (well, Burnham) for the second qualifying round fixture in the FA Sodding Trophy.  Our hosts sit 15th in the league while we have enjoyed a better start to the season and are 2nd.

Kick off at 3pm.  Directions can be found here.  See you - still can't believe I am saying this - there!

Ascot United 0 - 1 Tanners

Leatherhead go top thanks to an early goal scored by the in-form Trevan Robinson.

As early as two minutes we opened the scoring; Trevan took the ball while clear on goal, nicely dribbled past the keeper and slotted the ball into the open net.  No further goals came, despite a free flowing performance, but it was enough to take home all three points.

Due to the FA Cup exit,a glaring hole now appears in our fixture list... which will now be filled by taking my son to Uni... how did that happen so fast!?

Travelling Tanners

After the resounding Trophy win - a scoreline so big I couldn't make up a report given I wasn't there - tonight we travel to Ascot United for this league fixture.

For many the New Ground Klaxon will sound, although not for me as I went there for the hell of it in 2019.  If a new ground wasn't incentive enough, a win sends us top!

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

Travelling Tanners

A glorious day to travel to the Kent countryside, for today's FA Trophy game.  A full coach is making the trip, but I am not on account it is the FA Sodding Trophy.

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

Horsham 2 - 1 Tanners

No FA Cup upset for Leatherhead, despite going toe for toe with our Isthmian Premier hosts over two games.

Leatherhead, again, started brightly and had the first chance to score.  Trevan was put through for a one on one with the 'keeper but put his effort wide.  

Horsham hadn't got a troubling shot on target for 100 minutes of football but when they did, of course, in it went.  It came from a run that appeared to be going nowhere until the player placed a seemingly underhit shot perfectly into the bottom corner.

Watching games at Horsham in the first half, like other grounds where the bar is behind one goal, means sharing it with some local fans.  One supporter bellowed out instructions with the belief he was player manager, captain and; judging by the speed he ran to the bar when we equalised; fitness coach.

Our equaliser was spectacular.  On 30 minutes Dan Hector, who was well marshalled all game, felt he was clipped in the box and went down but the ref refused to see a penalty.  Trevan picked up the loose ball, beat a couple of players and unleashed a curling shot that gave their 'keeper no chance.  1-1.

The second half saw Leatherhead fade away as the game went on.  For the first 15 minutes, the travelling fans could enjoy their 'keeper kicking the ball out for a throw-in for nearly every attempt.  Soon, the boot was on the other foot as tired Leatherhead legs made a string of mistakes as the pressure grew.

The winner came from a run down the middle on 82 minutes.  The shot was again well placed but at a speed that led many supporters to question why a save could not be made.

With 7 minutes of extra time we thought we had conjured up an equaliser, when a freekick was headed back across goal but the attempt to chest it down was too strong and it bounced harmlessly towards goal.

Not to be but on to the Trophy where we play Herne Bay...

Travelling Tanners

A big task lies ahead tonight in this FA Cup replay.  After a close game we go to Horsham, where their artificial pitch only adds to their home advantage.  

That said, one of my favourite performances of our last Isthmian Premiership season was at their place where we held  on with 10 men to win, 1-0.

Kick off at 7.45.  Directions can be found here.  See you there!

Tanners 0 - 0 Horsham

Leatherhead played out a credible 0-0 draw against their Isthmian Premier opponents and probably had the better chances, albeit the resulting shots were largely scuffed or snatched.

For the first five minute, Horsham looked by far the better team but that all changed and for the next five it was Leatherhead who were very much on top.  It was as if the visitors had not done their homework and rocked up thinking it would be easy.  They clearly looked rattled as they tried to survive the onslaught.

Survive it they did and apart from another period of pressure from Leatherhead towards the end, the game was fairly even.

The ref, perhaps over familiar with the players from the higher division, appeared to favour our guests.  Their 'keeper could get a freekick by taking a small tumble and we were booked twice while their players merely got a talking to.

Two penalty shouts being waved away in quick succession were the icing on a frustrating cake.

Off to the replay then where I expect our hosts to have swotted up a bit better...

Horsham are coming!

Today we welcome our old friends, Horsham, to The Grove for this FA Cup fixture.  Our guests will swagger in with all of the confidence of an Isthmian Premier League side but we have our own spring in our step after being unbeaten so far.

Leatherhead have added two players to their ranks, ready for today.  Let's hope they are ready to slot into the side today.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Tanners 0 - 0 Westfield

Of the three teams with perfect starts, only Leatherhead came out with a point as the others both lost.  It is not as if we are pulling away by a point and we are promptly joined by two others.

My closest involvement with football was having a drink in the pub that they filmed Ted Lasso.  A show that sounded considerably more entertaining than the game at The Grove.

Both teams struggled to get a grip on the game, and it was played out for a scoreless draw.

Time to prepare for the FA Cup game on Saturday then...

Westfield are coming!

It is my wife's birthday, so I won't be at today's game.  Ironically, I am likely to end up in a Westfield shopping centre near Kensington while their namesakes play out today's league game.

Leatherhead are only one of three teams that have made a perfect start in the league, with two wins.  Westfield have a draw to their name.

Kick off at 3pm.  Good luck fellas.

South Park 1 - 2 Tanners

All in all, a very satisfactory three games for Leatherhead.  It wasn't the kind of trilogy that has the impact of discovering Darth Vader is your father, but an FA Cup win and three points will do nicely.

Again Leatherhead started the game looking brighter and again South Park sat back and tried to soak up the pressure.  Their hard work was undone when a defender pulled a Leatherhead player's shirt, right under the nose of the referee, and a penalty was given.

Sow stepped up and didn't make a pig's ear of it, 1-0.

Just before half time, Saraiva curled in an exquisite freekick to make it 2-0 and a repeat of the halftime scoreline on Tuesday night.

South Park did pull one back in the second half to put us on edge, but we held on to make it six points from six.

Westfield on Monday then...

Travelling Tanners

The last part of the South Park trilogy is played out today, as we face them again in the league. 

So far, we are up 3-2 on aggregate after our win in the replay.  Hopefully we can show the same clinical edge that saw us go into the first half 2-0 up on Tuesday.

Kick off at 3pm.  Directions can be found on the link I posted just a week ago.  Good luck fellas!

Tanners 2 - 1 South Park

Leatherhead's FA Cup dream lives on as we beat South Park last night.  Two first half goals were enough to set up a seemingly comfortable win, until the last three minutes of stoppage time.

Much like the first game, Leatherhead came out brightly but this time were more clinical.  On just 8 minutes, Man of the Match, Dan Hector broke down the left and cut his pass back into the path of Omarr Lawson who fired it in off the 'keeper.

Leatherhead continued to dominate when they repeated the trick again, albeit from a closer angle and via the head of a defender for an own goal.

The second half, with Leatherhead 2-0 to the good, it was understandable that we did not overcommit.  We made few attempts at goal, but while South Park appeared to lack the edge to do anything about it we were happy to dictate the game at arms length.  This all changed in stoppage time, when they scored.  A break down the left and the ball was shifted to the centre, where it was slotted into the bottom right corner.

Then, with three of the five minutes to go, they had a throw-in deep in our territory and up went their 'keeper.  The long throw was followed by two corners where I could taste extra-time and penalties, but we held on and set up a match with our old friends, Horsham.

South Park are coming!

FA Cup replay action tonight and South Park come to the Grove looking to move on in the competition to face Horsham at home.

The last time this happened and we had a replay against South Park, it didn't end well and we were on the wrong end of a 3-1 beating.  Hopefully that can be avoided tonight.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

South Park 1 - 1 Tanners

Plenty of pressure did not prevent an early FA Cup scare with South Park scoring first and holding on to the last few minutes.

The first half was largely all Leatherhead and seemed that way into the second half until the hosts scored with a free header.

A triple change created the desired effect and we pounced with just about enough time to equalise and nearly win it.

We take them back to ours on Tuesday, but who will be singing "can we play you thrice a week?" come next Saturday...?

Travelling Tanners

A Tarpeyless Leatherhead travel to South Park for the FA Cup today.  It isn't a happy hunting ground for us and the last time we played them in the cup, we were soundly beaten 3-1.  A lot to do then.

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

Tanners 2 - 1 Southall

Leatherhead notch up an opening-day win with a late push after it looked like we were going to pass sideways to a draw.

The first 45 minutes lacked any kind of incident of note.  I think we missed a chance to open the scoring in the last minute, but by then I was already sat down in the bar with a cup of tea.

The second half saw us come out with purpose but the intensity and pressure only really troubled our hosts for the last 30 minutes.

Our goal came from a freekick.  A ball to the far post was headed back across goal for it to be volleyed in off the bar.  For a worrying second it looked like it might bounce on the line and spin out but when the roof of the net bulged we could celebrate.

Southall had rarely troubled us until we troubled ourselves.  Overpassing at the back saw a stray pass fall to one of their players and they passed it into the net.

Leatherhead pressed on.  Tarpey missed a golden chance by hitting a shot too close to the 'keeper that forced a fine save. 

The draw looked increasingly likely until we won a penalty.  I've seen them not given, but a clumsy shoulder barge was deemed to be a foul and up stepped Beany.  2-1.

We got there in the end and so off we go to the FA Cup next week...

Southall are coming

After an altogether successful pre-season, the season kicks off today with the visit of Southall today.

Like last season we open with a home game.  Hopefully we can avoid the same disappointment.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Beckenham 2 - 2 Tanners

Leatherhead weathered an early storm, in every sense of the word, to come away with a hard fought draw.

Maybe it was down to a combination of the heavy rain and longer grass, that Hayden adopted a more direct approach.  While we have the pace to chase and pressure, the physical defenders soon became accustomed to this and our early chances made way for home advantage.

Beckenham got their opener from a low cross from the right for a tap in on the left.  We thought we had repeated the trick moments later but our player scuffed his chance.  In the resulting melee, a home defender cleared for a corner for safety and set up to defend.  The ref ignored this and gave a goal kick.

Our equaliser was turned in by a defender for an own goal.  Our shot was potentially sneaking in but a defender made sure of it by mucking up his clearance.

Second half and I could bask in the splendour of a new ground that offers a train track in the background.  Wonderful.

Leatherhead reverted back to a slicker style of football and applied pressure only to be caught on the counter and concede pretty much a carbon copy of the first.

We continued to press and got our reward from a freekick earned from the pressure we were applying.  Beany took it from just outside the penalty area on the left and bent it in off of the far post.  An added dynamic was that the 'keeper works for the goal scorer and they will be sharing a van on Monday morning.

Tarpey nearly won it when he volleyed a cross off of the bar with such power the post is probably still shaking.

That's it though.  The friendlies are over and now we turn to the season ahead with an opener against Southall at the Grove on Saturday...

Travelling Tanners

Providing the Beckenham pitch survives Storm Antoni, today is our last friendly before the season starts.

Our guests ply their trade at the same level but in the Isthmian One South East League.  Leatherhead look to make it six wins in a row before we start our campaign.

Kick off at 3pm.  Directions can be found here.

Tanners 3 - 1 Dartford

Leatheread made it five in a row, with a stunning 3-1 win against our Step 2 guests last night.

Charlie Sherringham played a big part in opening the scoring, by heading across goal to set up a close range header.

From then on Leatherhead responded and responded well with three spectacular goals.   I just hope we haven't used them all up in pre-season!

Masikini, Lawson and a last minute Tarpey goal made for a fine 3-1 win.  Off to Beckenham on Saturday for the last friendly...

Dartford are coming

National League South opposition come to the Grove tonight and bring ex-Tanner Charlie Sherringham with them.

Our pre-season form has been rather good... disconcertingly good... and this is one of our last two games before the season starts.

Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas. 

Tanners 1 -0 Brentford

Another fine pre-season win chalked up thanks to a piece of magic in the first half.

Brentford brought a youthful side and the experience of Leatherhead's players dictated much of the first half, with our hosts being bullied off of the ball.

Tarpey had the first attempt of goal, being played through but hitting straight at the 'keeper.  Then Tyler Cox found the ball out wide on the left, before he shimmied past two players, then beating another, before firing into the top corner.

Second half and our hosts were not quite so easy to pressure but we were rarely threatened.  Tarpey continued to look lively but failed to score.

We then won a penalty which was well saved after some mind games from their 'keeper.

Overall, an entertaining game played in front of a respectable crowd.  Dartford tomorrow then...

League structure announced

Here are the teams that we will face next year.  No new grounds for me...

1. Ascot United
2. Ashford Town
3. Badshot Lea
4. Binfield
5. Chertsey Town
6. Chipstead
7. Corinthian-Casuals
8. Guernsey
9. Hanworth Villa
10. Hartley Wintney
11. Leatherhead
12. Metropolitan Police
13. Northwood
14. Raynes Park Vale
15. South Park 
16. Southall
17. Sutton Common Rovers
18. Thatcham Town
19. Uxbridge
20. Westfield

Tanners 2 - 2 Binfield

Leatherhead see out the season with an entertaining game in front of a large crowd with both teams putting the disappointment of missing out of the play-offs behind them.

Leatherhead opened the scoring quickly, with The Lip's Dave Tarpey looking lively and squaring a ball to Omar Lawson for him to guide his low shot in off of the post.

It looked like Leatherhead would run away with the game at this point but failed to build on the pressure in the first half.  Our hard work was undone early in the second half, a goal I missed in the tea queue.

As the half wore on, Leatherhead played some attractive football and took the lead on the break.  Dave Tarpey, with a spring in his step that can only come from being crowned The Lip's Player of the Season, made an intelligent run to be in the right place to smack home a low cross.  We went on to hit woodwork for the 27th game in a row.

Looking at the table, we realised it would be too painful to finish 6th so charitably let Binfield score from a corner to take that honour.

So another season is over and we can look forward to some time off before starting it all again...

Binfield are coming

Looking at the table, all the sides (including our guests) just outside the playoffs find themselves shout out as a four point gap has emerged.  Hanworth Villa getting the last laugh, after our recent win, finding themselves in 4th place.

So pride is at stake to finish as high up as possible, and finishing above Chertsey would be something of a moral victory.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

Travelling Tanners

This game looked like it was going to be rather special, and it could be but for only 50% of the reason.  A couple of weeks ago Tooting & Mitcham were playing for their lives, but now the dreaded R of Death proceeds them on the league table.  Play-offs could still happen for us but it would take some incredible results for that to happen.

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

SCR 1 - 1 Tanners

Barring a collapse from three sides above us, I would say that is our lot in terms of chasing a play-off place.  A side that has become somewhat ravaged by injury and suspension took the game to our hosts, but could only manage a draw.

Dan Hector, again, scored to make it 1-0 and perhaps we could believe a sixth win in a row was on the cards.  At the centre of this run has been a 'keeper at the top of his game but an uncharacteristic error saw the ball spilled into his own net after a clash with a defender.

Chances came and went but without the all important goal that leaves us 3 points and an inferior goal difference off the pace.

A midweek game may lift the spirits but in any case, we travel to Tooting & Mitcham to try and finish the season with good momentum.

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead make their way to Whyteleafe (not Sutton) to play Sutton Common Rovers, as we continue to push for that last play-off spot.

Our hosts were a club that made The Grove their home for a couple of games last season, but now they play at the 3g-Tarpeyless Whyteleafe.  They are two points from safety, so will be playing for their lives today.

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

Tanners 1 - 0 Hanworth Villa

The visiting manager's pre-match team talk climaxed with the words of "let's ******* ruin their weekend" but the ruinees became the ruiners.

In many ways it was the complete performance.  A team in Hanworth Villa's form is bound to have the odd spell, but they were limited to few chances while we looked on the hunt for great periods of the game.

The goal came while some people's thoughts turned to getting in the tea-bar queue.  Dave Tarpey played in and found himself with a clear shot on goal from the penalty spot.  His neat finish found the side netting.

The dominance continued as moments later we struck the bar even before I had time to take the teabag out of the tea.

To help with the nerves I decided to break the game down into 6 minute blocks.  As the half wore on, counting to 6 suddenly became tougher than I imagined but it never really looked in doubt as we notched up a fine win.

On to Sutton Common Rovers then as we continue to push for that all-important fifth place...

Hanworth Villa are coming

This is it.  The whole shooting match.  Well, sort of.  

Losing to Hanworth Villa would put the 8 points ahead with only 9 to play for, so surely we would be out of the running.  Winning would keep us in the chase.

Leatherhead have four straight wins under their belt, while our guests have won five from the last six.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Tanners 2 - 1 Merstham

A stunning comeback saw Leatherhead rise to 8th place and keep our play-off hopes alive.

The less said about the first half the better, as for much of it Merstham looked the most likely to score.  Serine had to pull off a double save to keep it at 0-0 as the ball spent most of its time in our half.

The second half and Hayden's words had an immediate effect as we pressured looking for an opener.  That said, while we looked a lot more threatening you wouldn't call their opener "against the run of play".

Merstham won a penalty after 10 minutes of the second half.  The referee saw contact, but personally I just think he went down with the first case of the contagious cramp that appeared to affect the majority of their players shortly after the penalty was scored; sending Serine the wrong way.

On 80 minutes, Merstham thought they had the game wrapped up when they smashed home a cross from close range, but up went the flag to keep us in the game.

Then it all happened.  On 87 minutes an attack allowed the ball to rebound out to Dan Hector, who was a player of note the entire game, whose low shot beat several players and found the bottom corner.

On 88 minutes, almost from the first attack after winning the ball back from their kick off, a high ball was flicked onto Tarpey but his powerful side volley was deflected wide by a fortunate defender.

From the resulting corner a ball was swung in and there was Dan Hector again, with a deft header, to beat the 'keeper.  Absolute limbs.

Merstham must have found some salt tablets as their cramp suddenly eased as they pressed for an equaliser in the six minutes of injury time.  Six minutes.  Then in the dying seconds they won a freekick on the edge of the box.  

Up went the 'keeper to cause some extra mayhem.  The freekick taker saw the extra chaos but decided to ignore this and go directly for goal; but not being James Ward-Prowes he sent in into the River Mole.

I am not sure if the ref meant to blow for full time then or he swallowed his whistle laughing but blew it he did to secure us the three points.

Big game on Saturday then, when we face the team holding onto the coveted fifth place... Hanworth Villa...

Merstham are coming!

For me, this is a game I have been looking forward to for a long time.  Both teams have something to fight for (some more fights being more realistic than the other) with the added spice of a local derby.

Merstham went on a purple patch of results, being unbeaten for seven games from mid-February, but have lost the last two games 2-0.

Kick off at 7.45.  Come on you Tanners!

Bedfont Sports Club 0 - 1 Tanners

A robust encounter ended with a 1-0 win on the road, on Saturday.

High boots and elbows a plenty but it was a Leatherhead player that saw red, towards the end of  the first half.

With 10 men on the pitch for the second half, it may have been tempting to dig in for a draw but Leatherhead pounced on a set piece opportunity and Diallo headed home the winner.

Six points off the playoffs but with only 5 games left.  One of which is the much anticipated visit of Merstham, on Tuesday night!

Travelling Tanners

Thank goodness Bedfont Sports Club have a 3G pitch, or this game would have fallen foul to Storm Mathis.

Some may think Storm Mathis came a few days too late, with the defeat in cup against Virginia Water, but now it's all about the league...

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

Virginia Water 2 - 2 Tanners (4-3 on penalties)

Not only do I lose one ground, Leatherhead crash out of the Southern Combination Challenge Cup on penalties.

The hosts opened the scoring on 14 minutes but we were quick to respond with a Jerry Puemo goal.  The travelling fans may have hoped that we would go on and take a comfortable lead, but the hosts had other ideas by making it 2-1 on the half hour mark.

Second half and on came some big guns and Tarpey hit back to make it 2-2.  At about the time the ref could have blown for full time he awarded us a penalty to take us through, but Tarpey could not find the back of the net and the penalty shoot-out was summoned.

Tarpey made amends by scoring the opening penalty but three Leatherhead players went on to miss and despite Virginia Water also missing, they did enough to beat their higher placed opposition.

Onto Bedfont Sports on Saturday then...

Travelling Tanners

This fixture has upset me a little bit.  In doing my research into the whole confusion over which club we are travelling to, I discovered that Windsor & Eton no longer exist and Windsor were created in their place.  

While it is never nice to hear about a club folding, the real reason for my despair was the realisation that my football ground list is now overstated to the tune of one duplicated Stag Meadow.  I will update my list to reduce the count, shortly.  Honest.

Tonight we travel to play Virginia Water, without the promise of the New Ground Klaxon but with a hope of reaching the Semi Final of the Southern Combination Challenge Cup.  Our hosts ply their trade in the Combined Counties Premier Division North and sit in 7th place.

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

Tanners 2 - 0 Thatcham

The game started off with a minute's applause in honour of Dave Fuzzey and then onto the business of trying to get three points.

After a slow start, Leatherhead started applying the pressure but without really troubling the goalkeeper.  Dan Hector did deceive the 'keeper, who guessed the wrong way as he shot, but a deflection took it into the path of the diving 'keeper.

Second half and the game was starting to look every inch a 0-0 draw but just as we approached 10 minutes to go, Dan Hector struck.  He made some space inside the box and while his shot was not the cleanest shot, it did enough to beat the 'keeper.  1-0.

Leatherhead can be ripe for the picking at 1-0 but Dave Tarpey made it safe with a fantastic strike that flew into the top left hand corner despite the 'keeper getting a hand to it. 2-0.

Another two goals would have seen us rise above the visitors but we have to settle for 13th place today.

On to Tuesday where we play Virginia Water who play at Windsor FC (and not Windsor & Eton).

Thatcham are coming

This time last week, I posted a preview for the game oblivious to the rain outside and was caught out.  Today, the weather has been kinder and we can expect football today.

Our guests sit three points above us and were the team that gave us our first win of the season; so a double could be on the cards today.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there! 

Game off

Alas, the overnight rain proved too much. Game off.

Merstham are coming!

The Mick Sullivan (and Hayden Bird) Derby comes to the Grove today for this league fixture.  Much like Guernsey, Merstham arrive as the in-form side.  They were very much the whipping boys at the start of the season, but now are unbeaten in seven.

Leatherhead continue to be somewhat inconsistent but did manage to notch up a fine win in our last game.

Kick off at 3pm.  Come on you Tanners!

Chipstead 1 - 3 Tanners

An impressive display sees Leatherhead run out comfortable winners on the road at Chipstead.

Two first half goals from Lawson and a stunning strike from Dan Hector made Chipstead's response a mere consolation.

On to Saturday and the visit of a much revitalised Merstham...

Travelling Tanners

Well, another crazy day as we travel to Chipstead today in the league.  We sit on the same points but they have a better goal difference by one.  That can change in a blink of an eye...  Hopefully we can conquer this team and be back by 8pm.

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

Tanners 1 - 2 Guersey

The game went with form, as a revitalised Guernsey stunned the home side with two quick goals in the second half.

The first half was played out very much as the league table would suggest.  Leatherhead simply would not let Guernsey out of their half and pressed for the opening goal.

Splatt came close initially when he struck a low cross onto the outside of the post.  Away at Basingstoke we speculated that we were probably the team with the highest tally of rattling the woodwork and we went on to double our tally for the day.  A deflected shot looped over the 'keeper and struck the bar.

The second half started and we did not have the same energy and Guernsey started to smell blood.  We certainly did not help ourselves when Slav dropped a high ball and the ball was bundled in during the resulting melle.

Just three minutes later, they found the net again.  A period of possession was rewarded with a well placed shot from within the box.

We did respond but without the same intensity of the first half.  Tarpey looked bright; perhaps playing in the larger no 11 shirt gave him more freedom.  When a bouncing ball came into the box, his neat finish on the spin gave us some home.

But Guernsey are on a roll and they knew what they needed to do to get the three points and did so without the excessive need to waste time.

On to next Saturday and the trip to Chipstead...

Guernsey are coming!

It's been just over nine years since we first made the trip to Guernsey and today they come to us.

They started the season very much the whipping boys but now look a force to be reckoned with.

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Ashford Town 0 - 3 Tanners

Leatherhead bounced back with a fine 3-0 win on the road with goals from Diallo, Splatt and Tarpey.

The win moves us to within 9 of the play-off places but we face a resurgent Guernsey side on Saturday...

Travelling Tanners

Another trip to the Robert Parker Stadium as we face Ashford Town tonight.  Leatherhead were not outplayed by the league leaders, although were at the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline.  The team has seen some movement too.  

Our hosts, meanwhile, sit just one point behind us.  So a win is vital to prevent a further slide down the table.

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

Basingstoke 2 - 0 Tanners

On paper, it would seem this was a comfortable win for the table toppers and while I am not saying it was particularly uncomfortable, in truth it was a little bit different.

Leatherhead managed to have the majority of possession and, while we didn't look particularly dangerous in front of goal, managed to hit the woodwork twice in the first half.  Once from a corner and another from a long range effort.

We had one (and perhaps a half) good penalty shout waved away and limited Basingstoke to few chances.

When the chances came for Basingstoke, they came fast.  The opening goal was set up by one pass to set the winger free down the right and then a cross to set up a strike on goal.

Half time we changed ends with little else to do due to the lack of a clubhouse.  To our disappointment, it soon became apparent that their supporters were not going to change ends.  

The levels of smugness have not been seen since we played Maidstone away.  There we had an inform striker who would help inflict their first home defeat of the season so we could go away happy (albeit soaked in beer).  

Here we had a ref who could see a foul on a player who was wide of the box and adjudge it to be a clear goal scoring opportunity and brandish a red card.  Perhaps the pressure of playing in front of 753 people was too much.

Despite only having ten men, we continued to take the game to the hosts but our efforts were snuffed out with a headed goal late in the game to make it 2-0.

Off to Ashford on Tuesday, then...

Travelling Tanners

The NEW GROUND KLAXON sounds as we head off to Basingstoke.  I initially thought I had ticked this one off, until I discovered they left The Camrose in 2019.

This was always going to be a tough game but, after a wobble has become a stumble, it could be that little bit harder.  A new striker does arrive though, which will be needed as this is a 3G pitch and so we will probably be without Tarpey.

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

Tanners 1 - 2 RVP

The historic treble is now off of the table, as we lost 2-1 to Raynes Park Vale last night.

A stunning Mullins header equalised in the first half, but an early second half RVP goal was the killer blow.  Things became harder on 68 minutes, when Puemo was sent off for two yellow card offences.

RVP were worthy winners in the end, with our 'keeper pulling off some fine saves.  On to the tricky away game at Basingstoke then...

Raynes Park Vale are coming

Tonight sees the arrival of Raynes Park Vale for the quarter final of the Surrey Senior Cup.  Our guests have won both of our two previous encounters in "friendlies", so it is about time we got a win.

Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas.

Tanners 0 - 0 Uxbridge

As Nathan Jones found out last week, playing against 10 men can be a "hiding to nothing" as we struggled today.

The visitors were down to ten men after just three minutes, with their No 9 going in hard on our left back.  The scream was loud enough to warrant a red but with just a few minutes gone, these are the decisions the referees usually dodge.  Not today, and off he trudged.

Uxbridge then slowed the game down and made this all rather a non-event.  The ref did book their 'keeper for time wasting but, as he was unlikely to show a second for the same offence, it did little to speed up the game.

At times it was difficult to see where our extra man was and perhaps we should have gone down to nine to turn the tables on Uxbridge.  Tarpey came on and had a sniff of a one on one chance but their 'keeper came out quickly and smothered it.

0-0 it ends and on to Tuesday and the all important Surrey Senior Cup tie...

Uxbridge are coming!

After making genuine progress over the last few weeks, Leatherhead have their play-off rug swept from under them with two straight defeats.   We are now one point closer to the relegation places than we are the play-offs...

We can make amends today, with the visit of Unxbrigde who sit just beneath us on 31 points.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Southall 1 - 0 Tanners

Leatherhead travelled to Southall (well Stanwell) and left with very little chance of a play off place. After Marlow away we were starting to think it might be possible, but after two pointless league games we look to have run out of aviation fuel.

We started quite brightly utilising Hayden's Plan A "Pass The Ball".  The 'keeper dealt well with three shots on target and we looked the most likely to score. As the half wore on we started to create less, and the main interest was whether the huge gas holders behind the goal actually contained kerosene. John Loveridge was adamant that they did.

When the second half started we were expecting Hayden's Plan B "Pass the Ball Better" but it soon became clear that the players had other ideas and adopted Plan C "Give The Ball Away".  On 48 minutes Southall took the lead and never looked like losing it as we tired and started to look very ragged.

It was decided that Hayden should be spared a post match interview and having to give any messages to the downbeat Tanners fans amongst a meagre crowd of 108. Maybe The Southern Combination and Surrey Senior Cups can still provide some light and joy on an otherwise frustrating and fragmented season.

Travelling Tanners

Southall, those romantic devils, have ensured our midweek fixture did not clash with Valentine's Day so that we had time to impress our partners with a 99p card and a bunch of supermarket-bought flowers.  "You didn't buy the cheapest bunch" was my reward and now I can focus on tonight's game.

Our hosts sit four places above us and are two points the good.  We first met in September where we played out a 0-0 draw at a time where we couldn't score at home in the league.

Southall ground share with Ashford (so no new ground) and directions can be found here.  Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas!

Tanners 1 - 3 Chertsey

In recent weeks, Leatherhead have looked much improved and worthy of our play-off aspirations.  Chersey have looked the part all season though, so today was going to be a tough test.

Leatherhead nearly got off to the perfect start, with a good chance falling to Hector but the 'keeper saved well.  The opportunity remained when the ball rebounded out to Tarpey on the edge of the box, but his lofted effort went just wide.

Chersey responded with a good chance that they, lucky, blasted high and wide.  From then on the first half took on a more cautious tone and both sides dug in.  The large crowd became rather flat and it was played out to an inevitable 0-0.

Second half and Chersey stepped through the gears and had the home side largely at their mercy.  While the sight of Swannell lifted the spirits of kids around the age of 8, it did little for the supporters aged 40-50 something which is largely our demographic.

First, a lofted ball was headed home past our stranded 'keeper.  0-1. Then a low ball found a player on the spot who rifled it into the top left hand corner.  The third goal I missed while heading to the toilets.

We did try and restore some pride with a Dave Tarpey goal.  About 10 seconds of head-tennis was finished off by our striker, who needed to generate all the power himself to beat the 'keeper.

A real shame, as a win would have moved us up to eighth.  Southall, on Wednesday, is the next opportunity to progress up the league... 

Tanners 3 - 0 Frimley Green

When I think of Frimley Green I think of the BDO Darts; sitting in a hall wearing an Hawaiian shirt... although it was hardly the weather for that fancy dress as the temperature dropped lower than my feet could withstand.

Hayden, understandably, made a number of changes.  He played all the right players but not necessarily in the right order, with a centre back wearing the number 9 shirt.  He did open the scoring when the 'keeper palmed it down for a tap in but missed an open goal minutes later.

The goal certainly settled the nerves as Frimley Green missed an open goal and a one on one chance to perhaps go 2-0 up.

From there on Leatherhead controlled the game, winning a penalty late in the second half - which Archie calmly slotted away - and then securing a third goal which I missed due to frostbite.

A fine win but, even during the game, thoughts turn to Saturday and the arrival of Chertsey...

Frimley Green are coming!

Tonight we dip our toe into the Southern Combination Cup pool.  A competition originally set aside for the U23s but now falls upon the first team to fulfill the fixture due to their folding in the summer.

Kick off at 7.45.  Discounted prices for season ticket holders, by the way.  See you there!

Hanworth Villa 0 - 0 Tanners

Perhaps with one eye on the Southern Combination Cup, Leatherhead played out a 0-0 draw last night.

A blistering first half did not produce a goal and in the second half our hosts made it difficult for us on an increasingly frosty pitch.

On to Thursday then and the visit of Frimley Green.

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead hits the cold and frosty road tonight as they travel to Hanworth Villa.  A run of form takes us into a busy week as we look to climb up the table.  Our hosts sit just one place below us and recently beat South Park...

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

Marlow 1 - 3 Tanners

For only the second time this season, Leatherhead score three (or more) goals to notch up a fine win on the road.

Lawson was the man to get us on our way with two goals, the first as early as five minutes, with Marlow scoring in between.

Leatherhead had to dig deep in the second half, as Marlow responded, but a third goal from Diallo made the three points safe.

A busy week ahead this week, with a trip Hanworth Villa being first on the cards on Tuesday night...

Travelling Tanners

Whatever your troubles are, navigating the Marlow roundabout will soon put them into perspective.  We travel to Marlow FC today, in the league, following a string of good results.  A win could finally see us jump up the table after weeks of making ground.

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

Tanners 1 - 1 Chertsey (8-7 on penalties)

This game looked like it was going to penalties from the opening few minutes, the only surprise being there were two goals scored within the 90 minutes.

It wasn't a classic.  Leatherhead squandered a couple of chances when they had 1-1s, one by Archie and someone who looks exactly like Archie.

In the second half Chersey mounted an attack with their striker in possession inside the box.  He still had plenty to do but managed to hold off one our defenders and release a powerful shot into the back of the net.  0-1.

It felt like this had happened in the 120th minute but a quick glance at the scoreboard showed it was only 67 minutes.  Plenty of time...

Chertsey had won everything in the air.  In fact the only corner that was not met by a Chertsey head was when it was kicked straight out for a goal kick.  So when, on 85 minutes, a corner was predictably cleared we thought another chance had gone but it fell to Dan Hector; who shifted the ball to his right and rifled a shot into the top right hand corner.

Suddenly the game sprang to life.  Leatherhead mounted another quick attack but this broke down to send the visitors up the other end where they very nearly scored but for an amazing save from Slav.  Penalties then...

The ref really should have gone straight to penalties as this was the best part of the game by far.  Both teams made their first three before Tarpey stepped up and hit the bar.  The pressure of the fifth penalty was too much for Chertsey's fifth penalty taker and he also hit the bar.

Parity remained until the eighth penalty where Slav stepped up.  We have been here before when Zak took one... same song, same result as it sailed over the bar.  Then their cocky 'keeper stepped up and out of some weird goal-keeper-union sympathy he sent the ball the same way.

It was getting tense now and I looked down to make an update and I was inexplicably about to tweet a picture of the San Siro... foreign objects struck my leg... basically I lost count.

I knew enough that if Slav saved after we scored we would win.  He had already got his hands on two but not managed to keep it out but finally he got enough on (the tenth as it turns out) one to send us into the next round.

Smashing.  Onto Marlow! 

Chertsey are coming

There-or-there-abouts Chertsey come to the Grove tonight for the Surrey Senior Cup.  They ran out comfortable winners when we played them away in October, but the team has gone under a transformation since then.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Tanners 2 - 0 Northwood

After two months, I have decided to rekindle my love for The Lip... and what a time to do it with a fine 2-0 win over second place Northwood.

Our visit to Northwood was a disaster as we failed to deal with some of their taller players.  It appears these have been snaffled up by other teams, so it was a very different side that visited us today.  That being said, they are in second place for a reason and quite capable of ruining another afternoon for me.

That was not the case as we played attacking football from the start and limited the visitors to scraps.  

Our opening goal came just before the half hour.  We had wasted a few chances but finally a low cross was met by a player and slid it into the back of the net.  Omarr Lawson being the player to pounce.

We stopped outside the away dressing room in the hope of hearing a full-throttle expletive-ridden teamtalk but it appeared the manager just gave his team the silent treatment and nothing could be heard.

Second half and Leatherhead did not let up the pressure.  Leatherhead being Leatherhead meant that a second goal would be needed to calm the nerves.  

It came from a Keane Anderson header, doing well to adjust his body while picking himself up off the floor having just missed an attempt seconds earlier.

The referee then put the result when he sent off the Northwood left back for bringing down one of our players as we attacked on the break.  The referee decided that as there was no covering defender within the original boundaries of space or time, he was the last man and had to go.

A fine win but Leatherhead find themselves stuck in the bottom half but are at least building some momentum to take us into the Surrey Senior Cup on Tuesday...