Match Report by Rod Ellis
Leatherhead 6 Merstham 0
Leatherhead comfortably beat local rivals Merstham in a pre-season friendly at Fetcham Grove on Tuesday.
Two goals from Jacob Breckon, a brace from Lukas Franzen-Jones plus goals from Kane Fitzgerald and Nathan Hogan saw Tanners complete a 6-0 demolition of the Moatsiders.
Merstham threatened in the opening exchanges but were unable to find the target. An early attack from the visitors saw Tanners keeper Sonny Wheeler block a cross into the box. The ball fell invitingly for Jamarie Brissett, but the former Leatherhead player fired over from the edge of the area.
Towards the middle of the opening half Leatherhead turned up the pressure on the Merstham defence. Shots from Kelvin Massango, Franzen-Jones and Breckon were all deflected behind for a succession Leatherhead corners.
Tanners’ patience was ultimately rewarded with an opening goal on 34 minutes. Nathan Hogan’s corner was met in the box by Breckon, who outjumped his marker to send a looping header over the keeper and into the corner of the net.
Merstham almost levelled within a minute. A quick counter-attack through the middle saw Brissett fire just wide from eighteen yards.
Leatherhead continued to press forward and doubled their advantage on 40 minutes. Franzen-Jones latched onto a quickly taken free kick, striking the ball low into the corner of the net from twenty yards out.
Tanners added a third goal before half-time with Breckon volleying Massango’s cross
from the left beyond the Merstham keeper.
The visitors missed a chance to pull a goal back on 61 minutes after a forward got past a Leatherhead defender before being denied by a fine save from Wheeler.
Fitzgerald scored Tanners’ fourth goal two minutes later, firing past the Merstham keeper from twelve yards and on 70 minutes Hogan escaped his marker to add a fifth goal for the hosts.
With the win secured Leatherhead took the opportunity to introduce three Under 18 players for the closing minutes. Ronnie Spinks and James McLeod were both comfortable and assured on the ball while young goalkeeper Joe Mather confidently gathered up everything sent his way.
Tanners rounded off the evening with another fine strike from Franzen-Jones on 86 minutes. Seeing the Merstham custodian off his line, the Leatherhead forward lobbed the keeper from thirty yards out to complete an emphatic 6-0 win for the hosts.
Leatherhead continue their pre-season build up on Saturday when they visit
Corinthian-Casuals. Kick-off is at 3.00pm.
Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler, Kelvin Massango, Niran Butler, Ross Stepney, Kane
Fitzgerald, Mark Waters, George Hedley, Nathan Hogan, Jacob Breckon, Lukas
Franzen-Jones, Rodney Dos Santos (Subs: Ty Butler, James Richmond, Ronnie
Spinks, James McLeod, Joe Mather)
