Leatherhead 1          Folkestone Invicta 2

                                                                                       (Terry)                   (Austin, J. Everitt)   

Leatherhead went down to their first home League defeat of the season at a wind-swept Fetcham Grove on Tuesday night.

Tom Williams stepped in at right back in the place of Jon Coke in the only change to the Tanners side that had won at Sittingbourne on Saturday.

Before Leatherhead’s defence had any time to settle the visitors took an early lead. In the second minute of play Folkestone hit the ball deep into the Leatherhead penalty area. The Tanners defence only half cleared their lines and the ball fell to Folkestone’s Simon Austin on the edge of the box. Seeing the Leatherhead keeper off his goal line Austin curled a shot over the advancing Tanners defenders and into the back of the net.

Leatherhead responded quickly with a route one equaliser after six minutes. Keeper Colin Harris cleared the ball from his area to the centre circle where Dominic O’Shea flicked it forward into the path of an advancing Kev Terry. Seizing his chance, Terry took one touch before hitting a rasping shot past the outstretched arms of Folkestone goalkeeper Jack Delo.

The Tanners continued to push forward and had an opportunity to go in front after 12 minutes. Josh Smith broke down the right and made a great delivery into the box. O’Shea leapt forward to meet the cross but his powerful header went narrowly over the bar.

As play continued, the swirling wind gave few opportunities for either side to take command of the match.

At the start of the second half Leatherhead used the full width of the pitch to launch their attacks with Billy Joe King and Josh Smith operating effectively down the flanks.

With growing confidence in their passing skills, Leatherhead’s O’Shea fed the ball out wide to King on the left. King took the ball past his defender and delivered a cross into the path of Terry on the edge of the box. But Terry’s well struck effort was safely gathered by Delo in the Folkestone goal.

Tommy Hutchings came on in place of Terry after 58 minutes but neither he nor O’Shea found a way through the sturdy Folkestone defence. 

But the Tanners continued to push forward in search of an important second goal. In one of the best moves of the half King worked the ball down the left flank, rounded his defender and delivered a great cross into the path of O’Shea. The Leatherhead forward hurled himself at full stretch to meet the ball but saw his shot go wide of the post.

Folkestone absorbed the Leatherhead onslaught before a crucial counter-attack restored their lead after 81 minutes. In a rare breakaway the visitors burst through the heart of the Tanners defence with Darren Smith feeding the ball through to James Everitt on edge of the box. Everitt pounced on the ball and fired his shot between Harris and the near post to put Folkestone back in front.

Mark Simmons and Julian Thompson came on for Leatherhead in the final five minutes in an effort to inject some extra pace. But the Tanners were unable to find a way through the resolute Folkestone defence and the visitors held out to the final whistle to take the three points.

Leatherhead: Colin Harris, Tom Williams, Rob Hill, Chris Boulter, Michael Corbett, Dan Dean, Billy Joe King, Tommy Williams (Mark Simmons), Dominic O’Shea (Julian Thompson), Kev Terry (Tommy Hutchings), Josh Smith.