Leatherhead 0 Chertsey Town 1
Chertsey Town ended Tanners unbeaten league run with a second half goal from
Conor Lee in a tightly contested match at Fetcham Grove on Tuesday.
Leatherhead welcomed back skipper Kenny Beaney to their starting line-up after
having missed the last two matches through injury. Beaney brought some much-
needed cohesion to the Tanners midfield, which had been noticeably lacking in
Saturday’s FA Trophy defeat at Westfield.
The first half was a largely cautious affair from both sides, almost in the way of a
chess match, with neither side able to create an opening through their opponents’
defence.
With tension rising in the second half and Leatherhead’s supporters
uncharacteristically quiet, Curfews fans behind the Tanners goal started taunting the
hosts with choruses of ‘Is this a library?’ and ‘Your support is very poor’ (or words to
that effect).
The deadlock was eventually broken after 64 minutes. Leatherhead’s Fabio Saraiva
challenged for a ball in Chertsey’s penalty area and was booked for a high tackle on
Lee.
As play restarted the Curfews full back pulled himself up off the ground and quickly
moved forward unnoticed up towards the halfway line, where he received the ball
unchallenged and headed off towards the Tanners goal. Lee fired a hard, low shot
from the edge of the box into the back of the net for what tuned out to be a worthy
winner.
Chertsey missed out on a chance to add a second goal on 80 minutes when
Leatherhead’s Jamie Splatt fouled Oliver McCoy just outside the hosts’ penalty area.
Wayne Ridgley fired the ensuing free kick into the Leatherhead wall and the
opportunity was lost.
Very late in the game McCoy forced a fine save from goalkeeper Mikey Allen before
Leatherhead’s Trevan Robinson tested Curfews keeper Nick Jupp with a close-range
effort. To show just how well Chertsey had defended, Tanners had to wait until the
ninetieth minute before testing the visitors’ keeper with their first and only shot on
target.
The evening’s results see Leatherhead drop down to third place in the league, while
Chertsey move up to second and Raynes Park Vale retake top spot after a 2-1 win at
Corinthian-Casuals.
Tanners return to league action on Saturday when they visit seventh-placed Uxbridge.
Leatherhead: Mikey Allen, Alpha Diallo (Michael Elechi 69), Tyler Cox, Jamie Splatt
(Gus Sow 84), Ollie Cook, Fikayo Atewologun, Fabio Saraiva (Trey Masikini 69),
Kenny Beaney, Trevan Robinson, Daniel Hector, Omarr Lawson
Chertsey Town: Nick Jupp, Mason Welch-Turner (Rob Sheridan 90), Alex Fisher,
Glenn Yala, Rueben Collins, Liam Flanaghan, Wayne Ridgley, Luke Robertson,
Gianluca Botti (Gareth Chendlik 78), Oliver McCoy (Albie Sheehan Couzins 90),
Conor Lee