Leatherhead 0 Moneyfields 1
Leatherhead’s recent dip in form continued with a one-nil defeat against Moneyfields
at Fetcham Grove on Saturday.
James Franklyn scored the only goal of the match on 77 minutes after a quick break
from the visitors caught out the Tanners’ defence.
With too many players pressing deep in the Moneys’ half after a series of Leatherhead
corners, the hosts were left exposed to a swift counter attack.
Moneys pushed forward quickly and Leatherhead keeper Sonny Wheeler rushed off
his line in an attempt to clear the ball away from the corner of his penalty area. But
Wheeler misjudged the flight of the ball and failed to make a connection, allowing an
advancing Franklyn to get around him and fire home from a tight angle.
Both sides missed a number of chances to break the deadlock before Tanners
eventually succumbed to this sucker punch from the visitors.
Leatherhead’s Kelvin Manuel Massango set up a shot for Anuar Ceesay on 18
minutes but the advancing midfielder fired into the side-netting.
Moneyfields’ Franklyn and Marco De Sousa both tested Wheeler with long range
efforts before the visitors had the ball in the Tanners net on 40 minutes, only for the
referee’s assistant to raise his flag for offside.
New signing Ruben Bartlett-Antwi went close for Leatherhead in first half stoppage
time. The former Basildon United striker did well to power his way forward to the
edge of the box before firing a firm shot over the bar.
Bartlett-Antwi came close again early in the opening minutes of the second half.
Marco Haigh set him up with a fine pass but the new striker took one touch too many
and the ball ran on harmlessly to Moneys keeper Callum Smart to gather safely.
Ceesay made way for Seb Karczewski after 52 minutes and the former Knaphill
striker almost scored with his first touch of the ball. Leatherhead skipper Tom
Kavanagh pumped a probing free kick into the six-yard box with the Tanners sub’s
glancing header just clearing the top of the bar.
A positive attacking spell followed with Leatherhead winning a succession of corners
and free kicks in the Moneys’ half.
On 63 minutes Karczewski picked out Massango on his left who fired a shot into the
side netting. Tanners almost the deadlock five minutes later when Karczewski headed
a Kavanagh free kick against the bar.
But with Leatherhead pressing deeper and deeper into the visitors’ half, Moneyfields
made their telling breakthrough on 77 minutes.
Moneys ran down the clock and survived the closing minutes despite seeing another
late Tanners effort cleared off the line.
The result sees Leatherhead drop down to sixteenth place in the table while
Moneyfields complete a league double for the season against Tanners to move above
them to fourteenth.
Leatherhead return to league action on Tuesday when they host South Park (Reigate)
at Fetcham Grove. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler, Kelvin Manuel Massango, Alex Pearce, Niran Butler,
George Hedley, Tom Kavanagh, Kane Fitzgerald, Alfie Huckle, Anuar Ceesay (Seb
Karczewski 52), Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, Marco Haigh
Moneyfields: Callum Smart, Harry Birmingham, Ciaran Martin, Lawrence Cooper
(Harry Sargeant 68), Jack Lee, Tom Cain, Joel Brown, Marco De Sousa (George
Barker 81), Scott Hills (Isaac Kamin 73), Callum Laycock, James Franklyn