Leatherhead 5-2 Southall Match Report
Written by Jake Cox
The Tanners hit 5 to move past a robust Southall side 5-2, with a brace of late goals
disguising a tight and well-contested affair which saw Leatherhead maintain top spot in
the league.
An early series of goals setup a spectacle at Fetcham Grove with 4 being scored in the
space of 6 minutes to put the game at 2-2. However, Halim, Massango and Coles
combined in the second half to earn Leatherhead all 3 points.
Sonny Wheeler was forced into a smart early save down to his left-hand side to prevent
an identical start to Saturday’s defeat against Westfield. This was part of an opening 10
minutes where Bright Siaw found success for Southall, but they failed to convert.
The Tanners were dealt a blow with Anas Igozouln going off through injury following a
robust challenge, he was replaced by Sebastian Tauta-Caballero.
Leatherhead weathered the early Southall storm to take the lead inside 12 minutes,
when a header bounced off the crossbar from a corner into the path of Mehmet Halim
who guided the ball home.
The evening got better for the Tanners just two minutes later with Seb Tauta-Caballero
who retrieved the ball on the left and delivered the ball straight to Jordan Gallagher 10
yards out who did the rest and saw Leatherhead take a two-goal lead.
However, Southall’s response was swift with their own two goals in two minutes, a
brace from Brandon Harriman-Annous restored parity at 2-2.
Leatherhead’s inability to clear the ball from the back was capitalised on in a clinical
fashion to rapidly level the game in what felt like an instant.
A double save from Sonny Wheeler prevented a complete comeback in the space of 5
minutes with the Tanners looking shell-shocked defensively, completing a whirlwind of
an opening 20 minutes.
Mehmet Halim managed to find an opening in the Southall defense and skipped past
the keeper, but the angle was against him, and the ball was just about kept out to keep
it 2-2 with 25 minutes gone.
Southall’s pace and mobility caused Leatherhead all sorts of defensive problems in the
opening stages with an end-to-end affair definitely suiting the away side as half time
approached.
A rollercoaster of an opening 20 minutes saw the game race to 2-2 at half-time with
both defenses looking shaky, Ian Selley would’ve been disappointed that his side surrendered a two-goal lead so cheaply, despite the early pressure that Southall applied.
The end-to-end theme continued into the second half, Southall’s Daniel Roberts had an
effort saved by Wheeler from distance, and Hogan had a looping shot bounce off the
bar to keep the score level.
Leatherhead began to look dominant with 55 minutes gone, Mehmet Halim probed the
Southall defense in pursuit of a goal to restore Leatherhead’s lead, but Milan
Czerwonka in the away goal was up to the task to deny the Tanners.
The game’s first cagey passage came around the hour mark with both sides standing
strong, causing a midfield stalemate at two apiece.
With 73 minutes gone, the league leaders eventually found a way through. A brilliantly
lofted ball out to the right-hand side found Louie Paget who cut it back to Mehmet Halim
on the edge of the box who side-footed the ball with composure into the back of the net.
The Tanners’ second half toil and patience paid dividends with a crucial goal to retake
the lead with just over a quarter of an hour remaining at Fetcham Grove.
As the clock struck 90 minutes, Kelvin Massango broke through one on one and
deliciously chipped the ball over Czerwonka into the net to ensure all 3 points remained
at Fetcham Grove.
To seal the deal, Logan Coles moved past the Southall defenders and comfortably
slided the ball past the keeper into the bottom left corner to complete a hard-fought
victory.
Southall’s pace was a thorn in Leatherhead’s side, but clinical finishing counteracted the
away side’s threat for the Tanners who go 5 points clear at the top of the table.
Next up for Leatherhead is a trip to Raynes Park Vale on Saturday December 6, kick off
is 3pm.
Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler, Liam Flanighan, Kane Fitzgerald (C) (Isaac Olaniyan
92), Nathan Hogan, Jordan Gallagher (Kelvin Manuel-Massango 59), Cameron Black,
Mark Waters, Mehmet Halim (Logan Coles 92), Anas Igozouln (Seb Tauta-Caballero
11), Louie Paget, Charlie Kennett
Southall: Milan Czerwonka, Harry Mils, Ryan Hope, Mitchal Gough (C), Daniel Roberts,
Alexander Kelly, Brendan Matthew, Brandon Harriman-Annous (Makael Scott 66),
Lanseny Traore, Bright Siaw, Frankie Taylor
