With a win very much needed, Saturday became our Stanway to Heaven, as we took all three points, scoring seven goals in the process.
We got off to a flying start when Date beat the defender to a low cross and deftly flicked the ball into the far top corner. 1-0.
It didn’t take long for Leatherhead to go Leatherheady, though, giving Stanway far too much space on the right to pick out a player in front of goal and fire on target. 29 minutes in and it was 1-1.
Then came a ten-minute spell that put the game out of reach. First, Waters thundered in a header. 2-1. Soon after, Stanway gave us a helping hand by attempting to play it out from the back, but their No. 4 had his pocket picked and Date was on hand to tap in from the resulting cross. 3-1.
Then Anas was brought down in the box and Date picked up the ball to take the penalty. A supporter offered the advice of “follow it up, Leatherhead”, which was hardly a vote of confidence. If that penalty had been taken against Eastbourne it would have been saved, but this time the ’keeper went the wrong way. 4-1.
Stanway didn’t give up and a speculative shot went in when, from where we were standing, it looked like saving it might have been the easier option. 4-2.
Second half, and it all went Leatherhead’s way. On 56 minutes, Connor Harris hit the ball into the ground, taking the pace off it, but the ’keeper was unsighted and couldn’t react in time. In it went. 5-2.
Ten minutes later, Murphy went on a mazy run and slotted the ball away to make it 6-2.
With Leatherhead on the ropes, they needed another goal to make the game safe, so naturally we turned to The Lip’s Marcel Barrington. On 76 minutes, a cross was lofted into the box and Marcel flew in like a torpedo wearing a green pinstripe jersey, heading it past the ’keeper. 7-2, and the three points were ours.
The games come thick and fast now, with another chance to move up the league on Tuesday when we make the trip to Brentwood Town…