Badshot Lea 0 Leatherhead 4
Leatherhead dominated bottom of the table Badshot Lea with a comprehensive 4-0
win at The Operatix Community Ground on Saturday.
Tanners opened their account with only 35 seconds played. Skipper Kane Fitzgerald
delivered a probing cross into the box from the right, picking out an unmarked Ruben
Bartlett-Antwi who struck a superb volley on the turn from fifteen yards past Baggies
keeper Harry Cawdron.
Leatherhead created several opportunities to build on their early lead, with the young
Badshot Lea side conceding a string of corners in a one-sided opening spell of play as
Kelvin-Manuel Massango teased defenders with a series of probing runs on the left.
And with only ten minutes on the clock, two of the top players from last season’s
Baggies squad combined to produce Leatherhead’s second goal. Fitzgerald whipped a
corner into the six-yard box to find an unopposed George Hedley to head home at the
far post.
With a seemingly comfortable two-goal lead, Tanners were able to take off centre
back Alex Pearce and introduce substitute Adam Morley, in a precautionary measure
after Pearce had taken a slight knock in the pre-match warm up.
Leatherhead continued to dominate possession in the hosts’ half and should have
added a third goal on 25 minutes after Cawdron spilled another Fitzgerald corner,
only for the keeper to atone for his mistake by producing an excellent save from
Hedley’s follow up.
Tanners chalked up an unassailable three-goal advantage on 27 minutes. This time
Bartlett-Antwi broke clear of his marker on the edge of the box before skilfully
flicking the ball forward for an advancing Kareem Akinnibi to head past the keeper.
Baggies missed a chance to pull a goal back on 42 minutes after David Garlinge won
a rare corner for the hosts. The ball was pumped into Leatherhead’s penalty area but
an unmarked Luis Le Paih missed the target, heading wide from ten yards.
Tanners made another change at half time with Rhys Murrell Williamson coming out
for the second half in place of Anuar Ceesay. Murrell Williamson tested Cawdron
with a forceful long range effort on 54 minutes, with the keeper having to parry the
shot behind for another Leatherhead corner.
Badshot Lea came close to reducing the arrears on 70 minutes when Dawid Hamiga
fired a shot just wide of the post.
And ten minutes later, Charlie George’s corner was flicked over the bar by Callum
Wiltshire as the hosts began to claw their way back into the match, albeit without
testing Tanners keeper Sonny Wheeler with a single shot on target throughout the
match.
Leatherhead had the ball in Badshot Lea’s net again on 82 minutes after Alfie Huckle
played a ball through to an advancing Bartlett-Antwi, only for the referee’s assistant
to rule out the striker’s effort for offside.
In the closing minutes Baggies striker Steve Sylla was denied a shot on goal from the
edge of visitors’ penalty area, thanks to a well-timed interception from Leatherhead
centre back Cameron Black.
Tanners added a fourth goal in stoppage time. A fast flowing attack culminated in Ty
Butler playing the ball through to an advancing Matt Everitt to score from close
range. It was a fitting reward for the hard-working player who had missed half the
season through injury, but who had battled his way back into the squad in recent
weeks.
The result moves Leatherhead up one place in the table to seventh on 60 points from
35 matches, five points behind fifth-placed Hanworth Villa, while Badshot Lea
remain firmly rooted at the foot of the table.
Tanners are back in league action on Tuesday when they host fellow play-off
contenders Uxbridge at Fetcham Grove. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Badshot Lea: Harry Cawdron, Luke Jarvie, George Winkworth (Ibrahim Busari
90+2), Callum Wiltshire, David Garlinge, Baback Dehghani (Dawid Hamiga 68),
Luis Le Paih, Steve Sylla, Aitor Andon (Reece Mather 63), Jaheim Kamara (Kai
Allsopp 63), Sammy Yabani (Charlie George 59)
Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler, Cameron Black, Alex Pearce (Adam Morley 10),
Kelvin-Manuel Massango, Anuar Ceesay (Rhys Murrell Williamson 45), Alfie
Huckle, George Hedley, Marco Haigh (Matt Everitt 69), Kane Fitzgerald, Kareem
Akinnibi (Ty Butler 58), Ruben Bartlett-Antwi