Report
With Martyn Busson in caretaker charge and leaving home with no goalkeeper, things could have looked bleak for the Lilywhites on rainy Saturday but, on the contrary, they gained a point and were robbed of all three. Due to an administrative oversight, Shaun O’Neill’s absence on a course in Belgium meant that Neil Tilley (a known wicket keeper) had to go in goal.
It seemed that the Lilywhites realised that the best way to keep the goal safe was to attack the other end an this they did for virtually the whole match On a waterlogged pitch, they quickly came to terms with conditions and played to the wings where the grass was drier. This enabled Richard Chick and Craig Glashan to have send crosses into the centre virtually at will.
The first sign of things to come was on fifteen minutes when Glashan’s 30 yard free kick was just tipped out from under the bar by Lansbury in the Leighton goal. Although Pennant were having by far the best of the game shots on goal were few and far between. Leighton took until the 26th minute to have their first meaningful shot on goal but that went wide of Tilley’s right post.
A feature of the game became the strength of Lee Gildersleve who was playing in a deeper position to allow Chick more space. His holding of the ball and immaculate distribution behind Chick was the difference in the two attacking forces. Within moments of the start of the second half Graham Howell nearly scored with a long shot but it was Jay Notley who capped an excellent display by marking Leyton’s goal. Gildersleve was fouled 35 yards out. In almost a carbon copy of Hamman’s goal for Germany, Notley slotted home.
Three minutes later Glashan hit the bar from 30 yards to the left of the goal. Then Chick had a shot brilliantly saved. The Lilywhites, having mastered the conditions were having by far the majority of the play. By 86 minutes, the Lilywhites could have sown the game had Chick converted when in front of goal having been put through by an excellent Gildersleve central pass. He chose to pass the ball with only the keeper to beat and the chance was lost.
For the final moments of the match, Leighton piled on pressure for the first time. The Lilywhites seemed to have weathered this by keeping the ball to the flanks but a speculative shot by Redsull slithered through the defence and into the goal to give Leighton a point which the hardly deserved. An excellent display by the Lilywhites. Two points robbed by the referee buying a Japanese watch rather than a Swiss one.