Hampton & Richmond 2 - 0 Tanners

Mr Sandmann showed that he is still undecided whether to try for the play-offs next season or settle for 14th place.  It appeared that he changed his mind at half time as a competitive first half was followed by an embarrassingly one sided second half. It was reminiscent of the second half at Torquay except Hampton are in the same league not four leagues higher.

We held our own in the first half and even had a couple of chances through Mahal and Collin. Hampton must have thought they were in for a fight for the three points but they were sadly mistaken. From the start of the 2nd half we were camped on the edge of our penalty area and attempted to repeal forces. It was fruitless. Wave after wave of Hampton attack rained down to be followed by poor clearances with none of our players able to keep the ball or pass to one another.

Hampton stay top of the league but are already promoted in the league for the most difficult ground to park.

Tanners 2 - 0 VCD

Leatherhead make it a double over VCD who, along with a couple of ex-Tanners, look like the drop is looming.

The game was not one for the scrapbook.  What actually goes into the scrapbook is still open for debate.  Those behind the goal were struggling to think of one… perhaps East Thurrock away… or Farnborough away… anyway…

Leatherhead always looked the more likely.  VCD were happy to try and defend and we would probe away looking for a goal.  It got to about 60 minutes and we were getting confused.  Surely a point would not be enough for VCD and they’d have to go for it.  However their surge never really came.

Then on 70 minutes we introduced Franny Collin.  He has not been as prolific as his previous stats suggest he could be but he turned the game.  His first contribution was to send in a freekick that strikers like Walsh must love.  It eluded the ‘keeper giving him a free header at the back post.

Late into the game two events summed up why VCD may well be going down and why we will not.  VCD had a one on one with Wells who saved twice and somehow we managed to block a third shot before scrambling it away.  At the other end Collin was clear with his shot saved which was followed up by Mahal.  His first attempt was saved but his third was finished.  2-0 and the three points were ours.

We travel to perhaps the champions, Hampton & Richmond…

VCD are coming

The Easter festivities start today with the visit of VCD.  A team no doubt scratching their heads as to how they did not get at least a point when we visited their place earlier in the season.  I felt they played rather well in the second half and worthy of a 1-1 draw.

VCD find themselves in real trouble though.  While we can look forward to a discussion on whether we will try and win a few games next season in the Ryman Premier or not, VCD are 11 points from safety with games running out.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

Burgess Hill 1 - 2 Tanners

Tanners get the three points many believe will keep us safe this season thanks to two quick goals in the first half.

The host’s twitter account was having a nightmare with both goals needing clarification.  The first came from a shot from Hughes-Mason that took a deflection from Mahal.  Just two minutes later Walsh got in on the action and headed in a goal that gave us a two goal cushion.

This cushion was soon halved due to us giving away another penalty.  Burgess Hill converted and applied pressure for the rest of the half but we held on.

So now a true test.  Playing VCD Saturday with the knowledge we are probably safe…

Travelling Tanners

Burgess is probably a Hill too far for me tonight.  I still cannot face going back ever since the 2014 Trophy defeat.

Burgess Hill sit just a couple of places below us but have a slightly better goal difference.  Without a win in seven games they will be out to get a vital three points to push them away from the relegation zone.

Kick off at 7:30 and NOT 7:45.  Directions can be found here.  Good luck Tanners.

Wingate & Finchley 1 - 1 Tanners

Perhaps writing off the performance as lackluster even before hitting the stationary traffic was hasty if not a tad harsh but when you consider the two goals came from a penalty and a bundled in set piece it tells you what you need to know about this game.

Apart from the last 10 minutes, where Leatherhead really did start to press, the game really never took off as a viewing spectacle.  There was a small  amount of ill feeling amongst the players and a few pushes could be seen but on the whole it was a tepid affair.

Leatherhead could have opened the scoring when Hughes-Mason evaded the ‘keeper and found himself with an open goal, albeit at a tight angle.  The time it took to get a good sight of goal allowed a defender to cover.

Shortly after a clumsy coming together  presented the referee with a decision to make and he went for a penalty.  A fairly clear decision and some supporters wanted a red card.  The resulting penalty sent Pidgley the wrong way and he would have had a better chance of saving it if he had just stood there waving at the crowd as he had done when the players lined up.

On the stroke of half time Leatherhead where a awarded a free kick about 35 yards out.  The lofted ball should have been dealt with by the ‘keeper but he dropped it and Steve Watt was on hand to prod it home.

Second half saw little in the way of clear cut chances but it was pleasing to see Leatherhead pass the ball well and play something close to football.

A new ground and a family trip to Hampstead sees me in the good books.  Not a bad day then.

Travelling Tanners

First of all, apologies for the lack of match report from the Wednesday game.  I thought I was going to receive a report from someone at the game but he was either comatose or concerned over the impact of the sugar tax, the conversation on which was the most entertaining part of the game.  That said, good luck to Bognor in their Trophy Game today.

Today we travel to Wingate & Finchley.  A trip I find myself making, although I fear I will witness another halfhearted performance that will inevitably end in disappointment.  It’s a new ground so still worth the trip.

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

 

Bognor Regis are coming

Tonight we welcome Bognor Regis as they return to league action after enjoying a fine FA Trophy run.  Currently they are 1-0 down in a two legged semi-final with Grimsby.

All that excitement has seen them slip down the league by virtue of the fact they have played six less games.  I would expect them to start rising again soon but with such a big game Saturday perhaps tonight is a good time to play them.

Same again please Leatherhead.  A spirited performance Saturday gave the home supporters something to look forward to.

Kick off at 7:45.  Good luck fellas.

 

Tanners 2 - 1 East Thurrock

Finally Leatherhead show some passion that has been so lacking ever since the dismal Surrey Senior Cup display against Merstham.  Leatherhead went toe to toe with the visitors and grew into the game to deservedly win the game.

It didn’t start that way.   On just two minutes we looked disorganized and were forced into desperate tackles, one of which resulting in a penalty which was coolly dispatched by the visitors.  For those who have seen too many lacklustre performances recently feared we’d be on the end of a thrashing but a couple of things happened.  Firstly, the visitors began to rattle the cages of key players (and the officials) with some robust tackles and persistent playing the man rather than the ball.  Second we won a penalty when a defender’s raised hand struck the ball.  Franny was equal to the task.

In the first half the officials seemed to be very much intimidated by the guests but things changed in the second half.  Certainly when their centre-back went off injured (and should have been sent off for the volley of bad language directed at the angelic Leatherhead supporters by the bar) they lost some of their presence.

Mahal was in wonderful form today, running at the defenders and creating problems.  With ten minutes to go it was just him and the ‘keeper and perhaps he should have finished it but for a wonderful save but the ball ran to Franny who fired it into the top corner.

Masterful ball retention from Leatherhead followed and when East Thurrock finally had the chance to play the ball into the box we held firm.  Not conceding the now traditional last minute goal.

So Bognor turn up mid-week and perhaps something for them to think about.

East Thurrock are coming

At the start of the season it was all about Dulwich and Bognor Regis as to who was going to go up automatically but now our visitors have emerged as a credible challenger for first place.

Only last weekend they saw off Tonbridge easily 3-0 and will no doubt come to the Grove looking to improve on the draw they got at their place where they must have felt they threw away all three points.  3-1 up at half time, Leatherhead stormed to a 4-3 lead only to concede in the last minute of the game.  Exciting stuff.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

 

Tanners 2 - 2 Needham Market

This was a game Leatherhead would have hoped to win and could certainly not afford to lose and perhaps that accounted for some of the nerves on show in the first half.

Needham Market look like they are going to survive to play another season, and if they do it will be built around the skill of their number 9.  We discovered that at their place so it was disappointing he was the one player we allowed to have the ball about 20 yards out and his shot beat Wells on just three minutes.

We feared the worst but Leatherhead struck back.  After some pressure, the visiting ‘keeper made a smart save but could only push it into the path of Mahal.  His powerful shot found the back of the net after perhaps two deflections.  The ‘keeper made another fantastic save from a Franny Collin free kick.

Second half and we played with a bit more freedom and with our attacking pressure so Needham Market started making mistakes.   It was Mahal’s pressing that allowed him to steal the ball in midfield and set up Franny Collin.  He was now one on one with the ‘keeper and he picked his spot well.  2-1 and we could now dream for a much needed win.

It looked like we were on the right track until we made a couple of substitutions that unsettled the balance and gave the visitors the initiative.  First was the much anticipated Cooper Smith, who had he scored would have no doubt signaled a chant of “he’s one of our own”, for Mahal.  Then Okoh for Walsh.  Now neither of these did anything particularly wrong it was just their enthusiasm for the game found them offside more often than not and so the ball often returned to Needham Market to build attacks.

As a result the pressure built until the last minute of the game where a swung in ball found a head and Wells was beaten again.

No game now until Saturday where we host the current leaders… East Thurrock are coming.

Needham Market are coming

Hopefully we can get a game on for a change.  I swear it’s been ages since the last time I saw Leatherhead play so I am looking forward to seeing some action.

Last time we met we made the 200 mile trip to witness a first half where we were largely outplayed but to bounce back and do everything but score, suffering a 1-0 defeat on the way.  We felt we were unlucky but a trend has since emerged.

Maybe by returning the favour and inviting down our new friends to a boggy pitch is the polite thing to do…

Kick-off at 3pm.  See you there!

Travelling Tanners

This was a game I was rather looking forward to a few months ago.  Perhaps I’d make a weekend of it with the family… alas I had forgotten a previous commitment so for the second year running this new ground passes me by.

I wonder if I will get the chance to see them next year.  Certainly at one point they looked like definite play-off hopefuls but have drifted away to 10^th place.  Certainly losing 3-0 to Farnborough does little to help their clause.

The last few miles of directions can be found here… the other 120 miles you’ll have to work out yourself.  Kick off at 3pm.  Good luck fellas.

 

Game off

No trip to Harrow to see Hendon tonight.  The continuous rain has made the pitch unplayable.

Next up the away trip is Leiston…

Tanners 0 - 4 Merstham

When the draw was made this was a tie the fans were happy about.  We had avoided teams such as Sutton, got a home tie and against a side we had a real chance to beat.  It was chance to progress to the semifinal and create some genuine excitement in a season which, apart from a good run against sides largely below us, has been rather drab.

The weather was wet but sadly the performance was even wetter. The lack of interest and effort in this game from the manager and players wouldn't have been more obvious if we had put up a sign outside the ground.

I counted the number of tackles we made in the 2nd half and needed just one hand. We made Merstham look like they were 2 or 3 leagues above us.

Even more concerning is that the last 4 games have seen no wins and an aggregate score of 2-13. We haven't scored a 2nd half goal in a league game since Boxing Day. The players don't appear to be as fit as other teams but tonight the overriding  impression was that they just didn't care.

Merstham are coming

The big one. Merstham arrive at the Grove looking to go one step further to reach the Surrey Senior Cup Final at Woking.

This quarter final tie will no doubt be played out in the usual lively manner when we meet.

Kick off at 7:45. Good luck fellas!

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead head south to take on Burgess Hill in the battle for 12^th place.  We sit just one point apart but with the same goal difference of seven in arrears.

Now, I thought this game was a certainty to be on but persistent rain in the morning (and Bognor Regis being postponed) it may be worth keeping an eye on Twitter.

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

Tanners 2 - 2 Hampton & Richmond

Was it two points dropped or two points gained?  For us it probably doesn’t matter either way.  We will hopefully finish mid-table and look back on a wonderful run of form that got us out of trouble.  Given the loss for Dulwich our visitors may look back at this point and find it rather important.

We also now know a two goal cushion is not enough given the complete loss of composure we seem to suffer when ahead against stiff opposition.  This was shown against Leiston and again last night.

The first half we cannot fault.  While Hampton & Richmond probably shaded possession our defence looked rather solid and upfront we had a certain about menace.  Hughes-Mason and Collin stole the show combining twice to race to the 2-0 lead that proved insufficient.

First it was Hughes-Mason who found himself advancing on goal down the centre with a defender and ‘keeper to beat but opted to slide a pass to Franny who made no mistake from a tight angle.  He returned the favour just minutes later when Franny broke down our right and fired in a cross.  Get your scrap books out.  Hughes-Mason buried his chance with a header.

Second half and all of that attacking endeavour went out of the window and we were forced in to hurried clearances.  This allowed our promotion chancing guests to set up camp in our half.  Our defence, led by Watt was magnificent though.  So much so it looked we could hold on and it was only down to a fortunate deflection that gave the visitors hope.  A shot was struck Jerry and ballooned up and over Wells in what turned out to be a perfect lob.

Then Watt re-asserted himself and kept them out until the last minute of injury time.  He made a crunching tackle to the right of goal, got up and ran to the far post to head clear from the cross that quickly followed.  The header then fell to another Hampton player who sent in another cross but it evaded our colossus and it was headed home.

A further 30 seconds of play was allowed before the ref ended the game.  Not the embarrassing defeat it could have been and something for Burgess Hill to think about Saturday…

 

Hampton & Richmond

After conceding seven goals in your last two games you could perhaps hope for an easy game (if there is such a thing when you have conceded seven goals in two games!) to get your eye back in.  No such luck for Leatherhead.  Hampton & Richmond will be a tough task.  Losing once in the last 11 they put goals past Leiston at the weekend.  Our only hope is that they conceded three themselves.

The pitch may be a factor.  Currently the form is soft and with no rain forecast the game should be on.

Kick off at 7:45pm.  See you there.

Tanners 0 - 3 Enfield Town

Seven wins out of eight was a healthy return but 7 goals in two games has taken the shine off of that a bit.  It is difficult to decide which game was worse.  Saturday’s visit of Enfield Town was not brilliant but lacked the shambolic corner taking of the midweek game.

In both games we were conceded a spectacular goal.  This time it was the third goal, which came on the stroke of half time was a magnificent bicycle kick from around the penalty spot. 

By then we had already conceded two.  The first from a mix up between Watt (who play and missed at a ball in the box) and Wells (who did not expect such a spectacular swipe of the ball to be sliced across the face of the goal).  The second was just a well worked move which slide in a more direct ball for the same player to tap in.

Second half and Enfield Town came out looking to settle for the 3-0 win and it appeared Leatherhead accepted the offer and played out a rather lackluster half.  Only Mahal, on an a sub, came anywhere near to scoring.  His toe pock from close range was saved by the rather charming and friendly ‘keeper.  In fact it was only watching his goal kicks as he mastered beautifully the windy conditions that offered any real kind of entertainment value.

Can we hope for better Wednesday when we host Hampton & Richmond.  Somehow I think Storm Imogen will spare our blushes.