Hanworth Villa 2 Leatherhead 1
Leatherhead slipped to a narrow defeat at Hanworth Villa on Saturday.
Goals from Kyen Nicholas and Sam Mead midway through the second half gave Villa
a two-goal advantage. Kenny Beaney pulled one back for Tanners from the penalty
spot but the visitors could not find that all-important second goal to take a share of the
points.
The first half at Rectory Meadow produced few chances at either end with neither side
able to make a telling breakthrough.
Hanworth came close on 32 minutes when Bruno Robertson-Tingle headed over
Nicholas’s well struck cross. Nicholas failed to test Leatherhead keeper Amadou
Tangara four minutes later, firing over the bar after meeting Kyron Richards’s
pinpoint cross from the right.
Leatherhead were restricted by a well organised Villa defence, although goalkeeper
Harvey Rackley-Hayes made a fine save to block Omarr Lawson’s powerful low
drive on 42 minutes.
Lawson had another stab at goal from the edge of the box on the hour mark, but this
time his effort went well wide.
Hanworth took the lead on 62 minutes after Leatherhead failed to clear from their
penalty area. The ball fell invitingly for an unmarked Nicholas, who drove it home
from eight yards into an unguarded net.
Villa doubled their advantage five minutes later as the Tanners defence once again
failed to make an effective clearance. The ball landed in front of Mead twenty five
yards out from goal and he struck a thunderous low shot through a crowded box and
into the net.
Leatherhead almost pulled a goal back within a minute. Ibrahim Olutade attempted to
dribble his way past Rackley-Hayes at the by-line, but the Villa keeper held his nerve
and recovered the ball.
A hotly-disputed penalty gave Tanners a lifeline on 75 minutes after Olutade went
down in the box following the lightest of touches from a Hanworth defender. Beaney
stepped forward and planted the spot kick firmly into the corner of the net.
Substitute Trey Masikini came close to levelling for Tanners on 82 minutes, but his
dipping shot was tipped over the bar by Rackley-Hayes.
With nine minutes of added time signalled, Hanworth went down to ten men after the
referee showed Richards a second yellow card, followed by a red.
Having played all three of their subs the hosts finished the match with nine players
after defender Ben Geraghty was carried off injured with four minutes of stoppage
time remaining.
Tanners threw caution to the wind in those final minutes, with goalkeeper Tangara
running forward to the Hanworth penalty area, first for a Leatherhead corner and then
for a last-gasp free-kick.
But after Rackley-Hayes had safely gathered up the ball in the one hundred and first
minute of play the referee finally blew his whistle for full-time.
With the season ending next Saturday, the result means Leatherhead must gain at least
a point from their final match at home against Hartley Wintney to guarantee a home
draw in the play-off semi-finals on 1 May.
Hanworth Villa: Harvey Rackley-Hayes, Guy Ansah-Palmer (Kyron Richards 33),
Ben Geraghty, Ola Olajuba, Rayan Djouadj, George Wells, Quincy Patterson, Sam
Mead, Kyen Nicholas (Jordan Ellis 84), Sam Merson (Matthew Gbio 46), Bruno
Robertson-Tingle
Leatherhead: Amadou Tangara, Fikayo Atewologun (Ollie Cook 76), Fabio Saraiva,
Jamie Splatt (Trey Masikini73), Jerry Puemo, Tyler Cox, Omarr Lawson (Gus Sow
73), Kenny Beaney, Ibrahim Olutade, Trevan Robinson, Daniel Hector