Travelling Tanners

Today we travel to our old friends Merstham as we look to continue putting pressure on the top five places.  Games against our local rivals can one of two ways, and did I see Hayden Bird attending a game at The Grove recently..?

Hopefully Tom Richards will play upfront and continue his fine scoring run. 

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

Dorking 0 - 1 Tanners

Leatherhead book their place in the final at Gandy Bloody Green following a gutsy display last night. 

The first half lacked a little quaility but both teams gave their all in the second.  Tom Richards scored for the second game running to put us into the lead.

There were some outstanding performances from Gallagher, who played in the unusual position of centre-back, and Nail McManus.

Dorking thought they had scored a late equaliser but the lino was quick to flag for offside.  The home side were furious with the officials, but he had let them off a couple of heated clashes where another ref could have shown a red.

Hopefully now we can go on and win this much coveted trophy...

Travelling Tanners

The stage for Live Aid rotated to allow the next band to appear in quick succession to the last act, a situation we find ourselves in now for the rest of the season.  Dorking Wanderers are our Style Council to the Status Quo of Staines Town.

Tonight we play the semi-final of the Surrey Senior Cup and I hope the lessons of Met Police are learnt; too many changes and we will struggle.  I am in Bratislava, so will miss the joy of snooty "security" who swear behind your back.

Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas.

Tanners 2 - 0 Staines

A physical yet unimaginative Staines side came to The Grove to play out a rather drab 2-0 win today.

Any kind of high ball into the box was soon snuffed out by the huge centre backs and we only looked dangerous when Nana stretched the play.  Up until our goal there was only 5 seconds of excitement when a series of shots eventually squirmed wide for a corner.

Our goal came in the last few moments of the first half.  Nana was sent free down the right and finished well, under the 'keeper.

Second half and Midson came on to add some height to our attack.  The true turning moment of the game came Derry (Brand Manager, Brixton) suddenly swiped right and was taken down by a player who had already seen yellow from not retreating from a free kick. 

Staines were down to 10 and we could be a bit more adventurous.  An attacking move was well finished by Tom Richards, using the utside of his foot to deceive the 'keeper and beat him near post.

Staines never really troubled us and the games drifted to its conclusion without further incident.  Another big game on Thursday...

Staines are coming

This game is massive.  Lose this and the already distant hope of the play-offs (subject to point deductions) becomes a thing of the past.

Many of the team were rested and hopefully Sammy Moore will play his best player, Sammy Moore.

Kick off at 3pm.  See you there.

Met Police 1 - 1 Tanners (we win on penalties)

On arriving at Imber Court we got to see the team sheet my first thought was it was one or two changes too many, and that is how it proved as we only really got a grip on the game once some changes were made.

Leatherhead did not look comfortable for the first 10 minutes at all, in which time a free kick whistled past the top right corner and they scored from a smart move on the left wing.

Reece Williams-Bowers led the line well but was not given much assistance from Wynter who still needs more time before playing in the senior side.

The introduction of Ghallager and McManus made us more competitive and we started to look like the only side likely to score.  Only the ref and the increased physicality of the game could stop this, the former was becoming increasingly frustrating with his chummy-smile-bottompat style of referring that allowed some nasty tackles to go unpunished.

The ref did make amends by awarding a penalty when the 'keeper clearly brought down Nathan Woods in the box.  Williams-Bowers coolly slotted it away to send us to penalties.

I feel bad for Chris and his son who I firmly told it was extra time and so they slipped off to the bar... I hope they got back in time to see Met Police's No3 (who should have been booked in the opening minutes for an outragous colley of abuse he gave the ref) have his shot saved by Manny. 

We made no mistake from our spot kicks (although their 'keeper got a hand to a couple of them) and when Manny saved a further penalty it was down to Minshull to put us through to the semi final.  He found the top corner and the tie with Dorking Wanderers was confirmed.

On to Saturday and the big game against Staines Town...

Travelling Tanners

Surrey Senior Cup action tonight (subject to the weather no doubt) and a chance to progress into the semi-final... we just two games away from the dream at playing at the souless-bowl of Sutton.

I have heard this is now a fixture where a full(er) strength side will be set out, mainly as that is all we have.  Jerry may be rested due to injury but Will Seager had an im[ressive debut in our 4-1 win over Tooting & Mitcham.

Kick off at 7.45.  See you there!

Travelling Tanners

I'm amazed, but today's game is on!  Leatherhead have failed to win now in the last four games - roughly since the news of Yanis must have broken internally - and perhaps now the p word can be dropped from match reports.

Today we travel to Tooting & Mitcham, a side we beat 2-0 on New Year's Day and a team we could be close to should the point deduction talked about come home to roost. An unlikely 6 pointer.

Kick off at 3pm. Good luck fellas.

Tanners 1 - 1 Billericay

A pre-booked taxi to the airport prevented Glenn from being at this game.  A shame, given his dream that he be crowned league champion at Fetcham Grove.

Billericay are starting to look more accomplished but less special without the likes on Konchesky and Pennant.  Bicknell looks a lethal strike are this level and we would have to work hard to keep him quiet.

It did not take Billericay long to open the scoring.  A breakaway move that found Robinson free to slot his shot under Manny.  The omens were not looking good.

There is nothing like a goal to settle the nerves and from a corner gifted to us by their number 2 - he was a gift that kept on giving - we scored.  Pollock nodding home past their stranded 'keeper and a number of defenders on the line.

Nana had a great game.  He used his body well to hold up the ball and had pace to spare to trouble the defence.  On another day, any one of his three shots would find the back of the net.

Second half and Leatherhead made Billericay look ordinary for 30 minutes.  Our guests struggled to retain possession, and while not bereft of chances we looked the more likely.  That changed when Billericay threw on O'Hara to pack an extra punch in midfield.  Meanwhile Sammy took himself off which handed the initiative to our guests.

Some how we managed to hang on and over the four games of football we have faced each otehr this season, Leatherhead edge it 5-4 on aggregate.  Money well spent Glenn.

Dorking Wanderers 1 - 1 Tanners

Honours even as 1,014 people cram into the Westhumble ground on false pretences.  With the new ground months away, a large crowd - consisting of mainly Leatherhead supporters - descended on the old ground in hope of at least seeing a good game.  Rumours of point deductions (yes, it is April again!) may have played a part in our recent slump as such a deduction would sweep the rug from under Sammy Moore's play-off chasing feet.

What the crowd saw was a competitive game, where the hosts were clearly more fired up, dishing out some robust tackles with not many of their players were spared a yellow card.

Leatherhead were playing some good football though.  With Sammy back in the side our chests just seem to puff out a bit more and we have some purpose to our play.  It was from nice intricate play that D'Sean found himself in the box, cleverly placing his body between the ball and the defender who could not resist a tackle.  He caught our player and a penalty awarded.  Derry sent the 'keeper the wrong way.  1-0.

Dorking levelled the match on the stroke of half time when they won a freekick on the edge of the box.  The player fell inside the box, so no doubt the home fans were disappointed with the ref, but not with the end result.  Our 'keeper asked for players not to jump (strange), but could not resist and the ball glanced off of Sammy Moore and dipped into the goal.  1-1.

The second half, and it was Dorking who looked the more likely overall.  They scored but it was ruled out for offside.  They also had a Peter Crouch-esque player who proved a useful outlet for them.

We had our chances though.  Derry was put clean through but put his shot just wide.  We also though Jerry and Lee were denied clear shooting chances in the box but were pulled down on both occasions.  The unwritten rule of only one penalty a game was used by the ref.

Dorking were reduced to ten men, but that just upped their time wasting which the ref failed to get hold of and so the game nudged its way to the final whistle.

With a win in the league coming hard to come by over the recent games, I would say the Surrey Senior Cup is now something to take very seriously...

Travelling Tanners

I really wish our official site would tweet more reminders about games.  The odd video wouldn't go a miss either... but luckily you have me here to remind you (in case you had forgotten about this cracker) that tonight we travel to Dorking.

Tonight we travel to Dorking's familiar ground at Westhumble due to massive delays and overspend at their proposed Meadowbank stadium.  Disappointing as many of us bought tickets in January on the premise we would be treated to fruits of Mole Valley DC's labour.

While Dorking struggle off of the pitch, we struggle on it with just one goal in three games.  The last being against our hosts tonight.  Hopefully we can start firing again to retain bragging rights and prepare for the visit of Billericay on Saturday.

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

Tanners 0 - 1 Needham Market

A horribly lacklustre draw turned into a horribly lacklustre defeat when the new 'keeper dropped a harmless cross in front of a Needham Market player on 88 minutes.

 

You would be forgiven for thinking that we were the ones who had travelled 100 miles to play the game as we looked leggy and uninventive tonight.

 

We had struggled to get a win in the away fixture and Needham seemed to have our number tonight. They were very well organised in defence and coped very well with our crosses and hopeful balls.

 

A defeat was harsh tonight but our lack of goals is a concern. We have the joint lowest goals scored in the league but one of the best defences. It's an unusual combination for a team in play off contention.

 

Sammy and Jack will need to put their thinking caps on tonight and try and find us some goals on Saturday. All is not lost in the push for a play off place but with a fixture pile up and a small squad it's going to be tough.

Needham Market are coming

Things are looking good for the game tonight!  Conspiracy theorists thought our Monday night game was called off a little prematurely but no such fears tonight.

The P-word is now being spoken openly, although teams like Staines are showing new interest in one of the places.

Kick off at 7.45.  Good luck fellas!

Game off!

Unsurprisngly tonight's match has fallen foul to weather.  A shame as this adds to the backlog of games we have building up.

Hopefully our pitch will ready for the visit of Needham Market on Wednesday...

Tanners 1 - 0 Wanderers

The Leatherhead supporters spent some time in the bar to get to know each other again after three three week mid-winter break.  So much to talk about. Why have we not heard about what happened with regards to the SSC?  Why did we agree to play the game at the new Meadowbank a month later when we should have been getting games under our belt?  Why do MVDC give one club £8million while we beg for repayment plans?

On the pitch and Leatherhead ground out a hard fought win.  The first half was messy and had a ref that wanted the game to be largely about him.  He awarded a penalty for some robust man-management by Jerry (note; dangerous arms to the back of the head are OK as Ruel discovered).  The penalty was saved but the ref would go on to be a general nuisance all game.

Second half and the new style 5-3-2 formation ditched in favour for something more attacking and Derry was added.  This paid off as Midson headed back across goal for Derry to place his header past the 'keeper.

Some panicky last few minutes as we either forgot where the corner flag was or forgot how to run there and Dorking looked good for an equaliser but we held on.  So on to the next game then, same time tomorrow anyone? 

Dorking Wanderers are coming

So much for Leatherhead fans to feel disgruntled about this week.  The continued silence over the Surrey Senior Cup debacle.  A situation that if handled differently could have allowed for other fixtures to be rearranged, but other clubs find such requests hard to understand when you have your head in a bucket of sand.

Throw in the news that our precious cousins from down the A24 won't have their £8 million pound stadium ready for the return fixture, despite charging us in advance for the pleasure, you really have yourself the perfect storm... meanwhile a less than perfect snow storm threatens to get the game postponed anyway.

Keep checking up here for details of the game status, if it is on I will see you there!

Sevenoaks 1 - 3 Tanners

Following the cancellation of the game at Burgess Hill (one of only two games to fall foul of the weather in our league), Sevenoaks stepped in with a friendly to give us a run out.

Lee Minshull played himself in a false 5 position, getting two well taken goals.  In the first half his side volley beat their 'keeper when they failed to deal with a corner, and in second half he stole the Nail McManus to curl one into the far net.

Pollock also made a name for himself.  Leatherhead switched to three at the back to accodomate the new signing but he decided to sneak up the pitch, find himself through on goal and slot home the second.

Sevenoaks were no push overs though.  They forced Manny into two double saves; one he pulled off, the other proved to be too stong for his hand and went in.  In the second half in particular they really took the game to us and it took Midson to come on and steady the ship.

Not a bad day, and good preparation to Wednesday and the visit of Dulwich Hamlet...

Travelling Tanners

Burgess Hill are having a pitch inspection at 10.30, pre-empting some heavy rain over night.  I just hope they get round to telling us quicker than our officicial site, Surrey Senior Cup decisions, or we'll only hear while watching Match of the Day.

Our hosts, subject to the weather, sit at the bottom of the table.  Inconceivable at the start of the season with Worthing not being able to buy a point.  We, meanwhile, still dream of sneaking into the top 5...

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

Enfield Town 0 - 1 Tanners

If anyone turned right at the no right turn sign on leaving the ground, they will get a nasty surprise in the post in the next couple of weeks. I found this to my cost last season but even that shouldn't take the gloss of an excellent win today. It certainly wasn't one to twitch your nose at and decide to go shopping for rabbits instead.

Every game now seems like a must win as we have gradually scratched our way into play-off contention since the FA Cup run ended. This was another extremely professional and hard working performance at a ground where we have often been Enfield's bunny. Lettuce hope the winning run continues.

Nathan Wood was rewarded for his efforts against Ks on Wednesday with a start on the right wing and he was very lively in the first half. Sammy marshalled the midfield with his usual skill and excellence. Jack could have had 3 penalties in the 1st half as he was repeatedly barged over by the Enfield number 5 but the referee wasn't convinced by any of them although he would have been given free kicks anywhere else on the pitch.

The goal came fortuitously as a Tom Richards free kick was deflected into the net by a cotton-tailed defender on 35'. Enfield applied some pressure in the 2nd half but we kept our hare on and were fairly comfortable. The boys get a well deserved midweek off and good timing as well with Siberia coming to the UK. 

Massive game next Saturday as we host Hendon. Can we pull another rabbit out of the hat?

Travelling Tanners

Leatherhead travel to Enfield Town today, looking to build another run of wins to help us put more pressure on the p***-off places.

I'm rather in love with their ground.  That stand is quite something to behold and they are a well supported club.  Pity the pitch is sometimes hard work and our results haven't been to spectacular either (perhaps as a result).

Kick off at 3pm.  Directions can be found here.  Good luck fellas.