Tanners 1 - 0 Met Police

There were more fouls today than there are tweets and emojis on match day. A horrible game to watch but one that ended with a deserved 3 points and joint top of the league with the obnoxious classless egotistical wide boys of Essex.

The game started cagily with a typically niggly spoiling Met Police side looking for a draw or maybe to sneak an odd goal. The weather was dangerously hot by British standards as it was almost 26 degrees celsius. How they manage without drinks breaks in Spain when it is 35 degrees we will never know.

The first half saw very few chances. The biggest concern was a misbehaving yellow motorbike until the usually superb Clohessy had a rush of blood to the head. An off the ball incident noticed by the assistant referee saw him receive a straight red. No one complained much so the decision must have been correct.

Met Police almost tried to launch the occasional attack when we were down to 10 men but it was half hearted. We went into half time on level terms but slightly hot and bothered.

Despite their player advantage, Met Police created few real chances in the 2nd half and it wasn't long before one of their number (who should have been keeping people safe in Notting Hill) was shown a 2nd yellow. Our spirits rose and the boss brought himself on. We started to control the game and we searched for a winner which finally came in the form of the influential Blackman and the lively Chike.

A superb start to the season and a well deserved 2 week rest from league action. Onto the FA Cup where last year a dreadful performance under a hapless Sandman saw us crash out at Hythe. 

This year will be different. Mooro stared down Steven Gerrard in the FA Cup not that long ago so surely will not fold against Cray Paper Mills from 2 leagues below. The friendly against Glebe showed we can not afford to be complacent . An A1 sized performance will be required, not A3 or A4.

Tanners 4 - 0 Ks

You would be forgiven for thinking this was a thrilling game, but strangely it wasn't as both the players and supporters participated in a low-key manner.

It never quite got to the frenetic levels as it did against Harrow, but today the goals went in.  This was certainly the case where a cross into the box was met by Minshull's neck / shoulder but somehow had enough power to beat the 'keeper.

There was nothing fortunate about Midson's header.  That had all of the power and accuracy of a Moab missile and their 'keeper had no chance.

Second half and it was much of the same.  The home supporters did manage a quick song of "Sh** ground, no fans" which was firmly met by "No ground, **** fans" just as Chike tiptoed past three defenders to make enough room for a low powerful shot.  3-0.

There was something inevitable about the fourth.  A free kick was set up about 30 yards out and the Ks defence really didn't fancy it.  The ball was initially flicked onto the post but fell to Ambroisine who smashed it into the back of the net.

Leatherhead push up into the play off places again and now await the visit of Met Police.  A side that has conceded 12 goals so far this season...

Travelling Tanners

In any other year, Ks away would have been one of the first fixtures to look for but THIS year it takes on a new meaning while they share with us.

Ks earned a lot of brownie points on the first day of the season by beating Billericay, but that counts for nothing as we renew acquaintances in familiar surroundings.  At least we know where the yellow hatchings are at Fetcham Grove.

Leatherhead go into the game with something a defensive concern.  We have lost three defenders in the last week (two through injury and one returning to Peterborough), so a flat back one may be needed.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Tanners 0 - 2 Harrow

After two relatively straightforward games, Leatherhead perhaps turned up thinking a win was inevitable as long as they stuck to their game plan.  Harrow turned up with a determined game plan of their own, to slow the game down and frustrate, and took the initiative away from the hosts in the first half to run away with a two goal cushion.

You could not fault Leatherhead's effort.  On another day we would have won this easily with the chances that did not quite come off but Harrow's ascent to the top of the league does not look to be an accident.  From early in the game Leatherhead struggled to break them down.  The usual format of our attack (everything via Clohessy) seemed to be nullified by Harrow so we tried to work out a different route to goal.

Meanwhile, Harrow snatched a two goal lead.  First a ball to the back post was headed across goal only to be met by a powerful header into the top right corner; then a powerful run into the box brushed aside our defence to shoot into the bottom corner.

Leatherhead got some help from the referee on about 30 minutes when he sent off their left back.  Chike's heel was clipped and he went down, too theatrically for the defender who confronted our striker and then pushed him in the chest.  Chike went down holding his face and the ref showed the red.  Perhaps the defender thought the ref was a soft touch as he had allowed such blatant time wasting.  Notably kicking the ball out of Moore's hands as he placed it to take a free kick.  Either way, I don't think anyone covered themselves in glory in this passage of play.

Leatherhead, with the man advantage, went for the all out attack but were denied by a good 'keeper, brave defending and a slice of luck.  Notable efforts were Chike's goal bound shot being blocked on the line by a covering defender; Calum clipping the bar; Midson grazing the ball wide off of his studs; and pulling off a triple save from Chike.

Disappointing but we have the Ks fixture to look forward on Saturday.  Two of their stewards were out our game getting some match practice in to keep us off any hatched areas and stop any fun.

Harrow Borough are coming

A Marc Charles-Smith-less Harrow come to the Grove tomorrow in good form.  They have taken the opportunity of remaining in the league, after last season's reprieve from relegation, by winning their opening two games.  Only a goal prevents them from being top over us.

A big crowd was present for the win over Worthing and now we sit top perhaps even bigger figures can be hoped for...

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

Tanners 3 - 0 Worthing

The A24 will feel a lot longer on the trip home for our visitors as they were largely outclassed tonight.  A 3-0 win takes us to the top of the league, but both of our victims have yet to win so we'll try and keep our feet on the ground and dressing room walls lion free.

Leatherhead could have been a couple up in the opening few minutes.  A cross in the box was slashed at twice before it ballooned off of a shin.  Chike missed from about 6 yards too add to the first half nerves.

The nerves were eased when a corner was firmly met by Jerry and the ball powered into the back of the net.  1-0 at half time and Jerry nearly repeated the trick early in the second half but the 'keeper saved well.

The 'keeper turned out to be a bit of an enigma.  Saving well on the one hand but inviting trouble on the other.  As a result Leatherhead seemed applied more and more pressure until the goals came.

Sean Clohessy's crossing has been impressive and it was from another of his corners we scored.  Midson thought he had done enough but it rebounded off of the crossbar, but only as far as Chike who added to his tally from point blank range.

Sammy Moore took himself off to watch the game from the side lines and introduced the more attack-minded Sam Blackman.  Some individual skill from him saw him with room to shoot and he put it away to make it three.

High flying Harrow come to the Grove Saturday to test our winning streak...

Worthing are coming

This story from tonight's guests tickled me a little bit.  If you are going to fail a pitch inspection, do it properly.  Don't have some pencil pushing jobs worth from the Isthmian League of Sussex FA tell you it looks a bit too lumpy; have someone from FIFA turn up not once but three times.

I am sure Worthing don't see the funny side yet, but as a lover of grass it is good to see an old fashioned pitch like the Grove come to the rescue.  Although our pitch is going to take an early season battering.  This rearrangement gives us five "home" games in a row (with Ks on 26 August).

Worthing did not get their season off to the best start either, losing 3-1 to Met Police.  Meanwhile we will look to build on the victory over Lowestoft.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there.

Tanners 2 - 1 Lowestoft

Leatherhead got their season off with a win at the weekend, thanks to two goals from Midson who was assisted by Chike.

It didn't take Leatherhead long to get on the score sheet.  Chike chased a through ball down the left that turned the visitor's defence and had them scurrying to recover.  This left Midson open in the middle of the goal and Chike's perfectly weighted pass made it almost impossible to miss.

Moments later Chike danced through the Lowestoft defence to again square it to Midson but his shot ended up in the leisure centre.  The 'keeper also pulled off a fine save with his face from a Chike header.

So all in all the first 20 minutes was pretty impressive, but then we seemed to lose our way.  It could have been we opted to shoot the wrong way, away from the Bernard Edwards Stand, in the first half so we just got lost.  Certainly, buying tea and clapping off the team was made harder by this decision so I can imagine it would disorientate the players too.

Where the game grew stale in the first half, the second half became tense as Lowestoft were very much in top.  It was a relief that on 78 minutes Chike lofted a ball to the far post for Midson to head powerfully home.

While there may be fears that this team is costing too much, the budget was spared a clean sheet bonus as Lowestoft pressure finally told and they pulled it back to 2-1 to make it interesting.  Last season this would have signalled at least another goal, but on this day we held on to get three points in the bag.

Leatherhead fans went home happy but news that our tenants scored a last minute winner away at Billericay caused unprecedented joy not just in Leatherhead but the footballing community in general.  Will the joy continue on Wednesday when we host Worthing...?

Lowestoft are coming

OK.  The pre-season is done, and a pretty successful pre-season it was too.  We tested ourselves at the right level and came out with some impressive wins, the beating of Ks just one.

That all counts for nothing though and tomorrow we really see if we have something special on our hands with the visit of Lowestoft Town.  They finished two places above us last season in 11th so a true marker as to how we may have improved...

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there!

Ks are coming...

So many questions. Will Leatherhead maintain their good form? Will Chike keep us 100% goal scoring ratio? Who is at home? How much to get in, £5 or £7?

Kick off at 3pm. 

Tanners 2 - 1 Basingstoke

A friendly that both clubs appeared to want to win made for an entertaining encounter last night.  If Basingstoke are a force to be reckoned with in their league then this is an encouraging sign of the season that lies ahead.

It was Basingstoke that opened the scoring though.  A powerful low near post shot that seemed to go through our 'keeper.

Leatherhead soon bounced back by scoring from a corner.  A ball to the far post was headed back across goal, over the keeper, onto the head of Chike; who could not miss from one yard.  "Puta madre!" were the words of encouragement from the family of the Basingstoke centreback...

The second half and the one person who really needed the practice was the referee.  He had mastered running backwards while joking with the players, that's like riding a bicycle for them surely, but he lacked match fitness in being able to observe things.  On another, less friendly day, we could have had three penalties.  The climax came when their 'keeper pulled of a fine finger tip save from a Midson shot, only for the ref to award a goal kick.

We got our winner in the end through a Basingstoke mix up at the back.  A cross was destined for the 'keepers hands but inexplicably a centre back jumped up and flicked it on.  The slight adjustment in flight meant the ball was dropped and Calum was at hand to prod it into the back of the net.  "Filho do puta" was the thoughtful assessment of that from the travelling support.

A good win and onto out last friendly.  Away to Kingstonian...

Basingstoke are coming

Subject to the cotton wool being taken off of the pitch after the rain stops, we are hosting Basingstoke Town tonight in the first friendly at The Grove.

Our guests ply their trade in the Southern League Premier Division so it should be an even match.

Kick off at 7.45.  No idea on how much the entry will cost.  See you there.

Many thanks

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support for my Ride London event tomorrow. 

After riding 1,500 miles and spending nearly 100 hours in the saddle this year all I needed was the financial support, for Prostate Cancer UK, to qualify and you rose to the task. Over 50% came from Leatherhead FC and I am very grateful.

I cycle through Leatherhead at about 12 tomorrow, so if I see a Leatherhead shirt I'll give you a wave.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattross

Travelling Tanners

Tanners take their pre-season tour to Hayes & Yeading tomorrow as they continue to prepare for the coming campaign.  Our hosts should prove to stiffer opposition than Godalming, but hopefully not too stiff so we can continue to experiment and build confidence.

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

Godalming Town 0 - 4 Tanners

Leatherhead ran out easy winners last night, against a side three leagues below them but what did we learn?

Not a lot.  It was hard to gage how good we were due to the inability of the hosts to organise their defence.  In the first half Midson and Jerry were left completely unmarked in the middle of the box at corners for example.  Also we missed some absolute sitters which don't mean much in July but come October it could become very frustrating.

On a positive note, we looked lively and perhaps much of Godalming's disarray was down to our movement.  Chike and Calum combined twice in the first half to make it two nil.  Chike finishing Calum's pass and vice versa.

Second half and the game threatened to boil over a little bit.  Midson had already had a chat with most of the home side and the ref and a few tackles started flying in.  Chike coolly finished amongst this unprecedented intimidation.  In the dying moments a diving header from a new player I do not know yet made it 4-0.

Good to visit Godalming again, and good to see a team coming together.

Travelling Tanners

Tonight Leatherhead travel (subject to it being called off because it has rained a bit and the groundsman still has the pitch wrapped in cotton wool) to Godalming Town.

It is a venue packed with so much Leatherhead history.  It was the opening game for Bob Langford, where the players made it quite clear they weren't going to play for him after just 30 seconds.  I still remember the death stare from Dave Stevens as he walked off.  Then our hosts employed Chuck Martini, the pantomime villain who made his presence felt in the club house prior to our first meeting.  Good times.

I have no excuse to miss this one, it is just up the road from me.  Kick off at 7.45.  Directions can be found here.  See you there!

AGM review

About 40 members turned up, with some old and new faces, to hear the report on the previous year and an outlook into the future.  The review of the last year's minutes was cut short as it turned out nobody was taken them.  Rod was given the task this year.

The thorny issue of River Lane was raised early.  It is still technically in a consultation process but we were told the appetite for the move appears to have faded for a number of reasons.  We were asked for a show of hands for those in favour to hear of the proposal, a luke warm response was received and less than 50% of the members gave the go ahead to even hear a proposal.

Then on to finances.  These accounts are not in the public domain yet so I will gloss over this, only to say the club has realised some losses through establishing a true position with debts to the council.  The club have a repayment plan and have managed to keep on track since year end.

The existing shareholders then proposed a plan to offer shares, by diluting their own holding, to raise funds to pay off the debt and create a contingency for future floods / surprises.  This vote got a warmer response and so they will pursue options.

The meeting then closed on words of thanks to Alfie and the current Board for their hard work.  I am sure The Lip was next to be thanked but we were running late and the meeting was brought to a close...

Travelling Tanners

Well. Last day of term scuppered my plans of Canterbury City, and good job too as a team of trialists were no match for hosts.  They lost 4-1.

Hopefully a more settled team will travel to Glebe today.  Kick off at 3pm. 

Travelling Tanners

Tonight Leatherhead take on Canterbury City in the first of a Kent double header, as they return to Glebe tomorrow.

Tonight's hosts ply their trade in the Southern Counties East Football League  and currently ground share with Deal Town; a ground I missed when we played them in the FA Cup so I will be making the trip.

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

The AGM

Just a reminder that the AGM is tomorrow at the club.  If you are a member then make sure you come down to hear a report on the past year and plans for the season ahead.

Kick off at 7.30.  See you there!