Tanners 3 - 1 Egham

While sipping a pre-match drink, I was handed the team sheet and noticed something strange: the away team had been allowed to play in lime green while we were also in green and white. Talk turned to Manchester's grey-kit debacle at Southampton, but who would be the ones ruing this decision? Luckily, Leatherhead's own Ken Monkou, Neil Shipperley and Matt Le Tissier were on hand to make sure it wasn't us.

 

The opening 25 minutes were everything the vast majority of last Saturday's game wasn't: high tempo and ruthless. The opener came after just ten minutes when a penalty was awarded for handball. Harsh on the defender, who had his arm outstretched to break his fall as he dived to block the shot, but the ball struck it and the referee pointed to the spot. Hogan stepped up for his 21st goal of the season. 1-0.

 

Jacob Breckon hasn't been on the scoresheet much recently, so it was good to see him cleverly make room for himself inside the box and fire into the bottom corner on 16 minutes. Mark Waters made it three when he pounced on a loose ball at the far post and side-volleyed in from a tight angle just six minutes later. 3-0.

 

With 25 minutes gone, a group of home supporters started the chant: "Can we play you every week?" It was far too early for such gloating, and Egham scored on the break. IDIOTS! 3-1. That shook Leatherhead a bit, and we had to work hard to regain control and see the half out.

 

Despite only three minutes being indicated, the referee allowed an extra three or four before Egham finally sauntered out for the second half. They had the manner of a group about to undertake a 45-minute spell of gardening rather than a football match. It was as if they had decided to topple their king over and declare, and we gratefully accepted. The second half was not much of a spectacle. We only had two shots: one from Kane that went just wide, and a dipping free kick from Hogan.

 

On 60 minutes, the Egham 'keeper went down with the kind of mysterious cramp the league should keep an eye on. All too often, an opposition 'keeper collapses holding his leg to receive "treatment" while the rest of the team have an ad hoc coaching session and a drink, only to play on without so much as a limp.

 

Three points notched up, though, and now we prepare for the trip to Moneyfields on Saturday…

Egham are coming!

A big night for the Isthmian South Central as 1st plays 8th and 3rd plays 10th at home in a wonderful piece of footballing symmetry.

Our guests have been chugging along quite nicely, only losing to Westfield and Portchester this year.

Kick off at 7.45pm. See you there!

Tanners 2 - 1 Fareham

As was the case when we met in November, Leatherhead needed a last-gasp goal to take all three points against a bottom-of-the-table side.

 

There was something not quite right about Leatherhead's performance. For long spells it was flat and lacked the urgency needed to maintain our position at the top. We did force the Fareham defence — and their TikTok 'keeper — into a few saves in the first half, but we went in at 0-0.

 

The second half started in much the same way until we gifted Fareham their chance. Wheeler completely mishit a pass straight into a striker. It looked like we'd survived the initial scare, but the ball was eventually smashed into the top corner from a tight angle. Just two minutes into the half, and it was 0-1.

 

Leatherhead continued to huff and puff, but we still created chances. When Anas scored his winner in November, there was a touch of luck in how the ball got to him, and the same was true here. A hopeful through ball should have been cut out easily by two well-placed defenders, but they both left it to each other and Anas was allowed to run on. The TikTok 'keeper dived towards his 360-degree camera for likes, and Anas sent the ball the other way. 1-1.

 

In the first half, Wheeler was booked for politely enquiring why he wasn't allowed to play on after an offside decision. No Fareham player was booked for similar "discussions" with the ref about why Anas wasn't deemed offside.

 

Leatherhead still looked flat until about ten minutes to go, when Kane started to lift the side by the bootstraps. He drove us forward and raised the tempo as we searched for a winner. Someone from Moneyfields must have texted the Fareham bench to ask why the TikTok 'keeper hadn't gone down injured for no reason, and down he went to receive "treatment" with only a few minutes of normal time left.

 

We went into stoppage time, and the news that Westfield had conceded an equaliser looked like it might be a silver lining — until Gallagher broke down the right. His cross found Hogan and, despite a Leatherhead player being dangerously close to blocking the effort, he placed his shot into the side netting to send the home support crazy.

 

Fareham slumped to the floor. Their valiant effort to cling on for a point — one that would do little to change the course of their season — had come to an end, and we could head home still top. Three points secured, but we can't repeat a performance like that and expect to get away with it, especially with Egham coming on Tuesday and a trip to Moneyfields on Saturday…

Fareham are coming

Bottom-of-the-table Fareham come to The Grove today, like a slippery banana skin threatening to ruin the results of last weekend.

This team have previous with us, only losing in the last minute following a fortunate flick on by a newly introduced Fareham sub.

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Ascot 1 - 2 Tanners

"A place for everything, and everything in its place", as my mother used to say — and this was a well-balanced Leatherhead side, with the key players in the positions that cause (and limit) the most damage. Well, almost everyone: Waters was absent, so Paget stepped in and did a good job. Importantly, Anas was back and out wide, alongside Hogan.

 

As the players came out of the tunnel, someone shouted, "Keep it cool, Sonny," to our 'keeper, who turned and laughed. It lightened the mood, but it was a shadow of last year's game in terms of the home crowd. Their run of results has kept the floating supporters away, though those who were there were welcoming.

 

Initially, Ascot set themselves up to defend robustly at set pieces. Their number 2 decided Niran needed some manhandling and began a series of pushes and nudges. The ball came in, and number 2 was suddenly on his backside. He didn't try that again. It's good to have Niran back.

 

Leatherhead settled the nerves of the travelling support after just seven minutes. A cross was floated in and found Hogan unmarked in the middle, where he caressed the ball into the side netting. 1-0.

 

The second goal came in similar fashion. A corner was lofted in and this time Cameron Black was on hand to place the ball into the same corner. Two goals from lofted balls dropping to unmarked feet in the area tells you all you need to know about why this Ascot side has been struggling at the moment.

 

In the dying minutes of the first half, we swung in another cross that Breckon met, but his stooping header went just wide. 2-0 at half-time.

 

Early in the second half we nearly got off to the perfect start again, when Anas broke free on the right but shot uncharacteristically wide. At 2-0 we still looked comfortable, and we could spend the game glancing at other results and seeing things go our way.

 

Then came that sinking feeling: an Ascot player let fly with an ambitious shot-cum-cross from a tight angle and it found the top corner. 2-1. By then, Paget had to move back to right-back and we had the less defensively minded Logan Coles (sponsored by The Lip!) on, so Ascot had their tails up and started to press. The ref found seven minutes of stoppage time — which makes a mockery of the six that were awarded on Tuesday night, given the lengthy spells of timewasting Moneyfields enjoyed — but we held on for the win to move back to the top.

 

Onto Saturday, then, when Fareham come to the Grove…

Travelling Tanners

With some overnight rain, it is a relief to be travelling to a 3G pitch with some assurance the game will be on.

On the form guide, our hosts sit bottom with just one point from six games.  Let's not get carried away, though.  We only have seven…

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

Tanners 0 - 1 Moneyfields

Leatherhead played out a game that was as depressing as it was predictable, as Moneyfields executed their usual game plan to perfection.

 

We started with a fluid shape. Players were popping up everywhere, switching sides and rotating constantly. It was like watching the balls bounce around inside a lottery machine, but Moneyfields didn't roll over. From start to finish they frustrated us with players falling over, screaming in pain at the slightest touch, then jogging off for a drinks break while someone received "treatment". That's fine if the referee adds the time on, but he didn't.

 

Leatherhead have the tools to deal with this, but too many players looked out of place. Bancroft has shown he can cause defenders problems when bursting into the box; he also showed he lacks the pace and trickery to pull off a winger's role. When he eventually settled out wide near the halfway line, we effectively lost the right flank. Hogan is our top scorer and is most dangerous when starting wide, yet he was used through the middle. And Waters has been influential both in breaking up play and creating chances, but here he was positioned too deep to do the latter.

 

At least Sonny Wheeler was where he should be, but he was powerless to stop Moneyfields' second-half goal. A low corner was cut out too easily and they scored on the break, despite two defenders getting back and attempting to stop the attack.

 

It could have been different. Breckon let fly with a powerful left-footed shot towards the near post, but their 'keeper stuck out a foot and saved it. He also struck the bar in the dying minutes.

 

The referee didn't cover himself in glory either, allowing blatant play-acting and timewasting without properly adding it on at the end. In the second half, one player needed five minutes of treatment and walking-off time, yet only six minutes were added despite numerous other stoppages, substitutions and a goal. To add insult to injury, the ref then wasted time explaining to the Moneyfields defenders how to jump in the wall, and blew up around ten seconds short of the six minutes he'd indicated.

 

That result sees us drop to third place — the first time we haven't been top since August. But we go again on Saturday, away at Ascot, looking to make amends…