Tanners 3 - 3 Yeovil Town

A sell-out crowd watched a dramatic second half, where both teams thought they had booked their place in the First Round Proper… which they both did, but with a replay on Tuesday.

 

The first half saw Leatherhead try desperately to control the game. The one thing that was clear from the warm-up was that Yeovil wanted to move the ball around quickly, so we had to be disciplined and keep our shape. This limited our visitors to really one sniff at goal, which Sonny dealt with.

 

The one thing that often infuriates me when playing teams from higher leagues is the ref. It is my perception that they favour their buddies and the lower team gets the crappy end of the stick, so when Yeovil’s key player flew into Anas, it was no surprise only a yellow was awarded.

 

Dryer, who was unusually quiet, had our best chance in the first half when he was put through on goal. He looked like he had only the ‘keeper to beat, but then a defender got himself between him and the ball. Somehow, Tom still managed to surprise the ‘keeper with a shot and force a reaction save with his chest. 0-0 at half-time and we were kicking towards our own fans for the second half.

 

Mind games for the start of the second half as we made Yeovil wait for us to come out. If we were two or three minutes late to be physically out, we were three or four minutes late to be mentally out there, as Yeovil pounced and we failed to respond. A swift move was powerfully finished at the near post after just 30-40 seconds. 0-1.

 

The day appeared to be getting worse when the referee rushed to give a penalty. It didn’t look like much more than a coming together, but he saw enough and dramatically pointed to the spot. Sonny, the hero of so many penalties recently, wasn’t needed as the Yeovil player smashed the ball into the crossbar and one of the follow-up attacks was deemed to be offside.

 

Then the game looked dead and buried when Yeovil moved the ball across the box until they found space and whipped in a shot perfectly into the side netting to make it 2-0.

 

On 71 minutes, it looked like it was turning into a massacre when one of our players slid in and clearly took out the trailing leg of their player, but Durkin had seen enough now and felt sorry for us and waved it away. Then something happened…

 

Ian Selley will tell you it was down to the bold changes he made. The extra energy in midfield with Everitt, the power up front of Barrington, the outlet of Hogan, blah, blah, blah… but the truth is a lot simpler. The pitch.

 

The grass, which had been slowly growing all game, finally reached a length that Yeovil couldn’t cope with and Leatherhead pounced. Durkin gave us a foul out on the right and Everitt sent in a cross to the far post, headed back into the middle by Butler for Paget to head into the empty net on 75 minutes. 1-2.

 

Then Leatherhead won a corner from the same side. The ball was swung into the near post but met by two desperate defenders who, between them, could only steer it towards goal. The ball seemed to take an age to spin into the back of the net, but when it did, The Grove erupted.

 

On 85 minutes, anyone who had any vocal cords left suddenly lost them. Yeovil failed to clear a cross and sent the ball high into the air. It was won by a Leatherhead player who played in Mark Waters, who evaded a tackle and sent in a powerful shot. It took a deflection on the way, but the power and precision were too much for Ronnie Barker in goal.

 

Could we have actually booked our place in the First Round Proper? We looked like we had them on the ropes, but then something happened…

 

Billy Rowley will tell you it is about the togetherness of the group, the quality of his signings from lower leagues or the instructions from the sidelines, blah, blah, blah, but the truth is a lot simpler. The weather.

 

On 87 minutes, it started to rain a bit, which gave the pitch the zip Yeovil needed to attack themselves. The one thing you learn quickly when playing a National League side is that passing is quicker and the shots bendier, as Sonny appeared caught off guard by the extra three or four feet of movement from a long-range shot and could only spill the ball into the path of a Yeovil player (who I was surprised wasn’t offside to be in such a position), who tapped it in.

 

Somehow, Leatherhead struggled through the conditions of a slightly damp pitch to the 96th minute, where they had a free kick to try and win it, but for once their ‘keeper managed to deal with it.

 

So, the footballing gods looked down at the replay fixture and pronounced that it is good. See you on Tuesday!

Yeovil Town are coming!

If the fact that Yeovil Town are coming tomorrow has passed you by, where the hell have you been!? Also, get your ticket online before 10pm tonight!

 

One-time Championship side Yeovil Town arrive tomorrow, and everything seems to be going their way. Twelve goals in two games, the appointed referee once gave them a 95th-minute penalty, and their manager can casually recall beating us 4-2 in the Surrey Senior Cup while at Walton & Hersham.

 

Leatherhead are going to have to be on top of their game to overcome all of those omens. But I also recall us holding Rushden & Diamonds to a draw here, and had the ref spotted a push on our defender, we would have won 1-0…

 

Kick-off at 3pm. See you there!

Tanners 1 - 2 Cheshunt

This was as disappointing as it was predictable.  With just a week before we play 12-goals-in-two-games Yeovil, it is understandable that some players might be a little distracted and a little (if not miles) off it.

 

Leatherhead perhaps edged the first half, but the game hardly reflected the league-table positions at kick-off. Dryer fired a powerful shot against the crossbar, only to be adjudged offside, but beyond that there was precious little to get excited about.

 

The second half was petering along until Cheshunt scored. I thought I saw our defender shoved off the ball to allow the cross into the box, but the referee disagreed, and it ended with a simple tap-in. 0-1.

 

That finally sparked Leatherhead into life, and we began to play with some real attacking intent. Anas, who had previously shown admirable self-restraint in crossing whenever he won the ball on the right, decided to take matters into his own hands and unleashed a powerful shot that the ‘keeper could only parry into the path of Kennett, who smashed it into the net. 1-1. Now we pressed for a winner.

 

A double chance came and went, and The Lip’s Marcel Barrington did a Paul Gascoigne by somehow failing to get on the end of a low cross for what looked a certain tap-in. Then our players all seemed to believe they were Morgan Rogers and started trying to bend them in from 30 yards. Amid all the growing excitement and desperation, the one thing that felt inconceivable was that Cheshunt would go down the other end and score — but that is exactly what they did. In the final minute of stoppage time, the ball was worked down the right and coolly slipped under the advancing Sonny Wheeler.

 

1-2, and we drop out of the play-off places. Attention now turns to the new ground arrangements for the visit of Yeovil…

Cheshunt are coming!

League action returns to The Grove with the visit of Cheshunt. We last hosted them five years ago and they beat us 2-1. Hopefully we won’t be too distracted by next week and get revenge. 

Kick off at 3pm. See you there!

Tanners 1 - 0 Hanworth Villa

Leatherhead rode our luck, our injuries, and rode on the back of our loan player, to reach the 4th qualifying round for the first time since 2017. 

That was the year we beat Margate away 2-1, and went on to play Billericay in the 1st round proper. Toxic waster dumper Glenn Tamplinn, child puncherJamie O’Hara, drink driver Jermaine Pennant, and mercenary Paul Konchesky, were all humiliated by the famous Leatherhead. 

Today was always going to be a tough game. We like Hanworth Villa for stopping lowly Westfield getting promoted, and for having a manger who speaks truthfully and respectfully. 

Ol’ blue eyes Dicko, Cam Black, and Harry were all missing meaning that Kofie was asked to play alongside Mark Waters again. He will need an ice bath and an oxygen tent after today as Haworth ran us raged for large parts of the game. 

The first half was a cagey affair with Hanworth gradually starting to take advantage of our make shift midfield. The 2nd half started in the same vein and it felt like we were playing Farnham all over again. 

On 67’ Sonny bought down an attacker, who was about to round him and score, and a penalty was awarded. This proved to be an excellent decision by Sonny because he’d saved 4 penalties three days earlier and did so again. 

This rejuvenated our tired legs and agent provocateur Charlie Kennet enticed a right hook from Elliot Bolton who was duly sent off. This act probably cost Hanworth the game. Our lads now started to believe that our number was on a ball due to be picked out by Hawksby and Jacobs at 2pm on Monday. 

The Hanworth keeper who could have sat in a deckchair for most of the game was suddenly sat on his ass as Tom Dryer (who looks and scores goals like Fernando Torres) rifled the ball into the net with a flourishing finish. Scenes. 

If the one in 63 chance of playing Southend becomes a reality it will take place on Saturday October 17th. Sadly the odds of playing Dorking are just the same. 

Meanwhile there is no midweek game so the players can rest their legs, and supporters can ground bag in step 5 or 6.

Hanworth Villa are coming!

Last year’s playoff winners come to The Grove today, for the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. I’m away, but will be following from afar. Kick off at 3pm. Good luck fellas.

Tanners 1 - 2 Farnham Town

When you arrive see the manager named on the bench, you know we're down to the bare bones. Amongst the list of absentees were Cam Black who was still suspended, and Woking may have decided this competition wasn't worth the risk for Dryer. With both available, it might have been a different result, as we rather ran out of steam in the final third of the game.

 

It started well, though. We were confidently stroking the ball around a largely changed Farnham side. The Lip's Marcel Barrington could have put us 1-0 up, but his powerful downward header was too close to the feet of their keeper. We did go 1-0 ahead when Anas confidently placed a powerful shot into the top corner from a low pass into the box.

 

Farnham did grow into the first half, but we looked quite comfortable and went into the break a goal to the good.

 

The second half, and two things happened. Farnham started taking it more seriously and upped the quality on the pitch. Meanwhile, we grew tired and had to withdraw ours. The telling substitution came when Mark Waters picked up an injury. The cool control we had shown rapidly disappeared.

 

First, they tapped one in, but it was ruled out for offside. It was looking inevitable that our lead was going to go, but could we hang on for penalties? When they did equalise in the 82nd minute, it really didn't look like we could, and sure enough they took the lead just a few minutes later.

 

The handful of Farnham supporters went wild. Even more probably did from the comfort of their own homes, as we appear to have allowed them to stream the game to spare their fans the inconvenience of actually travelling.

 

We tried to force an equaliser during the five minutes of stoppage time, but it didn't come. So we bow out at the first time of asking but avoid the need to voluntarily pull out when it gets wet in January.

 

Onto Saturday then, and the hope of reinforcements for the FA Cup game...

Farnham Town are coming!

Perhaps my favourite cup competition tonight, but it could not have been a tougher drawer with last season’s winners and National League South Farnham Town coming to The Grove tonight. Last minute attempts to move the Hampshire border were thwarted. Oh well. Kick off at 7.45pm. See you there!