Report
Sunday papers suggest that this win, which took the Lilywhites to second place in the division, was due to injuries forcing the Met to bring in replacements.
Believe none of it: only three changes in their line up compared to three in the Leyton Pennant line up. Even then they took off the top scoring Jason Prins with half hour of the game to go.
Poor Met Police: they could only choose from every serving officer within the Met! This was a game where the Lilywhites taught their opponents a footballing lesson!
This is a very different Leyton Pennant team to those weve seen in recent years: a team that will work for one another, a team that knows where the goal is. The opening exchanges were much as expected with both teams probing each other for an opening. But one could see the difference in desire to win even at this early stage. The Lilywhites used first time balls to feet whereas the longer balls from the Met allowed the Lilywhites defenders to read the game and clear up any problems.
The Lilywhites drew first blood on the eighth minute after some excellent work from man of the match Carlton Campbell, he won the ball in the penalty area, drew out Kemp in the Mets goal but shot just wide. A moment later, a loose ball in the Mets defence fell to Billy Cove. His first time pass found Campbell 30 metres out from goal, he took two steps and drove the ball home.
From that point on the Lilywhites controlled the game, keeper Russell Ling collected everything in the air and Matt Waldron dominated in an excellent defence. On 25 minutes a beautiful long pass from Neil Tilley found Cove on the left side of the penalty area but his shot was just wide. Not to be denied, he found the back of the net moments later after Jamie Richards had caused so much trouble to the rather static Graeme Thompson on the left of the Met. Defence. He lost the ball and Billy Cove controlled it on the edge of the area. Again, two strides took him through the defenders caught square and the shot burst the back of the net.
At this stage Leyton Pennants total football had the Met. looking for a cell to hide in: Carlton Campbell forced two more great saves from Kemp before the half was over. Their final fling on 45 minutes was their first shot of the half saved by the impressive Ling.
Campbell started the second half the way hed finished the first, by forcing Kemp into two great saves. Then the Met. tried to rest the game from the visitors with ten minutes of attack which was efficiently dealt with by the Lilywhites defence. As often happens, a team pushing up leaves gaps at the back, gaps which the Lilywhites brand of football was made to exploit: with the Met. defence pushing up Tilley was strangely given just enough time on the ball to spray pinpoint passes to his attacking colleagues: almost every ball found Cove, Richards or Campbell together leading the attack with strength, guile and speed.
So then, it was Campbell, on 66 minutes who stole the ball from Wickens on the half way line, in seconds he was free of the straight back four and bearing down on Kemp who had come off his line and out of the penalty area. A quick jink around the keeper and Campbell had all the time in the world to walk the ball into the back of the net.
Nothing could stop Campbell now, Billy Cove had another shot excellently saved by Kemp but it was that man Campbell who sealed the win on 73 minutes when he capitalised on poor calling in the Met defence to steal the loose ball between Kemp and Thompson. Again Campbells speed meant that all the defence could do was watch while he put the ball in the back of the net.
The game finished with two great saves from Ling who was in no mind to allow the consolation goal. This was a thoroughly confident, clinical and professional performance against a team the Lilywhites gave six points to last season. This team is one worth watching!