Hartley Wintney 0 Leatherhead 2
Leatherhead concluded the season with a 2-0 win against Hartley Wintney at the
Memorial Ground on Saturday.
Tanners took the lead on 36 minutes when a Matt Everitt corner was firmly headed
home by George Hedley. Despite a second half assault from the hosts, the visitors
sealed the win deep in added time with a finely executed finish from Marco Haigh.
Leatherhead had the majority of possession in the opening half, playing up the slope
on a hard, bumpy and dust-strewn pitch; but to little effect.
Tanners had the ball in Hartley’s net after four minutes. Kelvin Massango’s cross
from the left was turned in by an advancing Lucas Franzen-Jones, but was adjudged
off-side.
Hartley’s Jack Penton was shown a yellow card after clipping Massango’s heel just
outside the hosts’ penalty area on 26 minutes. Kane Fitzgerald subsequent wide
angled free kick was whipped in hard towards the goal, requiring a good punch from
goalkeeper Nick Jupp to clear the ball away to safety.
The visitors took the lead nine minutes before half time after Kareem Akinnibi won a
corner on the right. Everitt floated an in-swinger towards the far post and Hedley did
well to head it down. With one firm bounce on the hard pitch, the ball flew beyond
the keeper’s reach and into the back of the net.
Tanners almost doubled their advantage four minutes later when Alfie Huckle and
Ruben Bartlett-Antwi combined with Franzen-Jones in the hosts’ six-yard box before
Jupp did well to save Franzen-Jones’ clever back-heel on the goal line.
Hartley made a couple of changes at the start of the second half, with Sam Bartlett
and Josh Ewing replacing Aderi Dede and Penton. The substitutions brought more
flow and creativity to the hosts as they attacked up the slope in the second half.
Ewing went down in the box after an Akinnibi challenge on 55 minutes to loud
appeals for a Hartley penalty. But the referee saw nothing untoward and waved play
on.
The visitors had a lucky escape on the hour mark after Hedley was cautioned for a
foul on Ewing just outside Leatherhead’s penalty area. Calvin Camara’s firmly driven
free kick was headed over by an advancing Conor Lynch.
Hartley continued to press players forward. Bartlett did well to get round Tanners
centre-back Alex Pearce as he bore down on goal, but met his match in the shape of a
decisive and well-timed tackle from Hedley.
Leatherhead goalkeeper Harvey Keogh was yellow-carded for a foul on Bartlett
outside the visitors’ penalty area on 71 minutes. But the 21-year-old shot stopper
redeemed himself with a fine save to deny Camara with the subsequent free kick.
Hartley continued to pressurise the visitors. On 76 minutes Niran Butler was shown a
yellow card for a heavy challenge just outside the visitors’ box. Camara’s thunderous
free kick rocked the crossbar before the ball was eventually cleared.
A late assault from Hartley saw Leatherhead’s Alfie Huckle penalised for a foul on
Lynch. Camara struck another probing free kick across the Tanners six yard box. But
to the visitors’ relief, no one in a Hartley shirt got on the end of it and the ball sailed
behind for a goal kick.
In the third minute of added time Haigh produced a rare moment of second half
pressure from Leatherhead, bringing the ball towards the Hartley goal from the by
line, before forcing another good save from Jupp.
With Hartley pressing ever-deeper into Leatherhead’s half in search of an equaliser,
the inevitable counter-attack came from the visitors in the fifth minute of added time.
The ball was fed out of Tanners defence to Haigh at the half-way line and the former
South Park forward did the rest, advancing thirty yards with the ball unchallenged
before firing low past Jupp into the corner of the net.
Leatherhead go into the summer break with the knowledge that Ian Selley and his
management team have committed themselves to the club for next season and can
now focus on developing a squad of players to challenge for promotion next year.
Hartley Wintney: Nick Jupp, Jack Penton (Josh Ewing 45), George Wallace, Aaron
Burchett, Liam Gavin, Louie Downey, Calvin Camara, Alfie Edmons (Jack Woodyer
79) Aderi Dede (Sam Bartlett 45), Conor Lynch, Sam Tanner (Harvey Chogugudza
67)
Leatherhead: Harvey Keogh, George Hedley, Kelvin Massango (Cerny Ando 78),
Alfie Huckle, Niran Butler, Alex Pearce (Ty Butler 67), Matt Everitt (Tyler D’Cruz
67) Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, Kane Fitzgerald (Marco Haigh 58), Lukas Franzen-Jones,
Kareem Akinnibi (Rodney Dos Santos 58)