Burgess Hill Town     0       -        2       Leatherhead

                                                        (Holmes, Hutchings)

 

Tanners fans could have been forgiven for feeling a little apprehensive before last weekend’s season opener away at the Hillians. With a squad filled with teenagers it was always going to be a test of their nerve against a side who did well against them last year.

This time, the new look Leatherhead showed that their blend of youth and experience was more than enough to see off their hosts. With the exception of the suspended Tony Cuff, this was the expected line-up with the defensive unit consisting of new signings Dean Sammut and John Cartledge paired with Iain Hendry and Ryan Palmer. The midfield was considerably stiffened by the experience of Stewart Holmes and Gareth Graham allowing Billy Marshall and Adam Bernard to pressure the home defence’s flanks. With Tom Hutchings and Harry Ottaway making up the strike force, this was the culmination of a hard summers work by Ian Hazel and Mickey Stephens.

It did take the Tanners some little time to settle down. For their part, Burgess Hill threw a good deal of ball at the back four but in Hendry and Cartledge, on the day, they were nowhere near inventive enough to break them down. Cartledge, in particular, looked solid as his understanding with the stalwart Hendry started to take shape.

There were precious few chances in the first half. The nearest Leatherhead came was when good work from Billy Marshall saw him find space down the right and deliver a killer cross that was only just ahead of the impressive Hutchings.

Part of the success of the defence was the confidence that the back line had in the new goalkeeper, Stuart Robinson. The ex-Lewes man was not under any undue pressure in the opening 45 minutes but commanded the area and was in constant communication with the men in front of him.

Although the level scores at half time were probably a fair reflection of the first 45 minutes, the Mole Valley side came out into the second period and looked the more cohesive of the two sides. Leatherhead started to exert more pressure with Gareth Graham and Stewart Holmes both having shots without unduly testing Craig Stoner in the home goal. It was Holmes – not a prolific scorer – who opened the account for this season ten minutes of the re-start. A ball in from the right caught the Hillians defence in disarray and Holmes was on hand to stab the ball home from inside the area. His midfield partner Graham had supplied the final ball to give Leatherhead a deserved lead.

With a goal cushion, the Tanners started to exert pressure with Billy Marshall continually linking with the front two to cause some desperate defending (evidenced by 3 yellow cards for the home side).

It did not all go the Tanners way. On the rare occasions when the Hillians were able to advance beyond the midfield, they came up against a stubborn back four that gave little away. The best chance they had came from a cross shot that Robinson deflected with his foot to scrape the far post and roll away to safety.

The second and decisive goal came with just over 10 minutes left on the clock. Stuart Robinson had been kicking accurately all afternoon. This time, he launched a long ball down the middle. The defence should have done better but Tom Hutchings got to the ball first and calmly lobbed Stoner into the top of the net. It was a classy finish from a youngster who is full of confidence.

By this time, the Tanners were well in control and played out the final minutes to send the Fetcham Grove faithful back up the A23 in better heart than they were for long periods last season.

It was a promising performance but there is a long way to go and a testing opening period that sees the visits of Worthing and beaten play-off finalists, Cray Wanderes and a tricky away trip to Chipstead on Bank Holiday Monday. It was till 3 points well won

Team  Robinson, Sammut, Palmer, Hendry, Cartledge, Graham, Holmes, Bernard (Smart), Marshall, Hutchings (Ayling), Ottaway (Jenkins)