VCOMPETITION: RYMAN YOUTH LEAGUE
DATE: WED 3RD MARCH 2010
EASTBOURNE TOWN YOUTH 1 - 1 LEATHERHEAD YOUTH
At last a league match after nearly 14 weeks!
Leatherhead travelled all the way to Eastbourne to play their 1st league game since defeating Horsham on November 26th with a depleted squad and only 1/3rd of their management team to find the bumpiest pitch of the season, the club house closed for a cricket club meeting, and an icy coastal wind. An ‘Alien’ environment one could say!!!
From the 1st minute it was obvious that a flowing passing game was not going to be possible with every other pass taking a bobble but Leatherhead started the stronger and it was a surprise when their keeper had to make the first save of the match after 6 minutes. A minute later though Kieran Lunn nearly put the visitors ahead following a mistake by the home sides keeper but a last ditch tackle from their centre back was just enough to prevent the opening goal...
Leatherhead were certainly forcing the game and were awarded 4 corners in the first 10 minutes and despite the referee apparently not realising that challenges from behind through the back of a player were no longer an acceptable part of the game were also awarded numerous free kicks. Paul Moran who was having a very influential game coming forward from right back took a near perfect kick after 12 minutes but no one could put add the final touch and the ball went agonisingly wide...
The next 10 minutes were much the same Leatherhead pushing forward, referee awarding free kicks for 1 in 3 fouls committed, 3 more corners, but no end product...
It was the 23rd minute before Eastbourne were awarded their 1st corner but their forwards were beginning to show they why they are the league’s second top scorers trying to run on to long balls over the top whenever possible.
Leatherhead looked like they were odds on to score in the 28th minute when Max Bayeux turned his marker and broke into the box but just as he was about to shoot the referee blew his whistle and stopped the game because of an incident some 50 yards away!!!
This was the first of many ‘strange’ decisions that were to shape the outcome of the game...
Eastbourne were restricted to long range efforts for the rest of the half but Leatherhead came close to breaking the deadlock on a number of occasions...
Paul Moran played a great ball in from the right on 35 minutes but again no one could add the finishing touch.
Three minutes later the Eastbourne defence were beaten again when the best move of the half saw a sharp interchange of ‘bobble free’ passes between Bayeux and Lunn but the final touch from Ross Salisbury did kick-up off the pitch and stretching as a result he couldn’t quite steer ball past the keeper... Two further free kicks from just outside the area for the visitors again did not produce a clear goal scoring opportunity so the half finished goalless
The second period started in the same vein with Leatherhead dominating most of the play and some good work by Bayeux on 55 minutes ended with a defence splitting pass that almost put Salisbury in to score the opening goal.
A good long range strike from hard working central midfielder Joe B went close in the 59th minute and got the small band of travelling ‘Green Army’ supporters on their frozen toes but a minute later they really had something to warm their spirits when Bayeux made a great break down the right and put in a perfect cross right on to the head of Salisbury who made no mistake with his finish.
Going behind sparked a response from Eastbourne who started to compete again in the middle playing long balls through to their quick forwards. Leatherhead’s defence were for the most part containing them well but it took a great diving save low to his left from keeper, Lee Shipp, to keep out a long range effort on 62 minutes.
Leatherhead’s forwards then had a couple of 1 on 1 chances to put them two up that they couldn’t convert and after 68 minutes they both outpaced the home defence again but as Lunn selflessly tried to play a square pass to Bayeux yet another wicked bobble was to intervene...
The game was now much more even with both teams pushing forward and in the 75th minute Eastbourne’s lively no. 10 managed to break free through the heart of Leatherhead’s defence and coolly slot home to make it 1-1. After the equaliser both teams were pressing hard for a winner but it was Leatherhead who should have come away with the three points.
Lunn was clearly brought down from behind in the penalty area on 85 minutes in full view of the man in black (MIB) who was officiating but as was now apparent to all present, including one of his assistants, certainly not refereeing the game somehow waved play on. Incredible, but given that he was allowing tackling from behind through the man throughout not so surprising, but worse was to come...
On 87 minutes a long through ball from the back by Andy Higgins put Bayeux clean through the middle of Eastbourne’s defence but their keeper proceeded to pull off a great double save and keep the striker off the score sheet.
Then the most incredible of the MIB’s decisions came in the 89th minute when he awarded a free kick to Leatherhead which they took but he immediately blew his whistle to stop the game and book an Eastbourne player who was shouting at him. He then gave the ball to back to the visitors who retook their free kick with a long ball over the top of the home defence that Lunn raced on to and ‘scored’ However the Green Army’s celebrations soon turned in to ironic laughter as the MIB ruled out the ‘goal’ and told the Leatherhead players they had to replace the ball on the same spot and give the ball back to the opposing keeper. ‘Incredibly strange and certainly alien’ but true...
MIB agents are of course known to be equipped with devices known as “Neutralyzers” with which they are supposed to wipe witnesses’ memories of what they have just seen, unfortunately for Leatherhead Youth it seems that this particular MIB had perhaps not read the operating instructions (AKA RULES!) and was apparently wiping his own memories!!!
The last minute of normal time and few minutes of added time did not see any clear cut chances for either team but did allow a couple more opportunities for ‘memory neutralyzing’ and bookings...
Leatherhead went home glad to have come away from their ‘Alien Experience’ with a point but knowing that their hard work in extremely difficult conditions had earned them three...
MOM: Paul Moran for innumerable forays down the right wing and consistently delivering good free kicks and crosses.
Non Aliens: Lee Shipp, Kyle Miranda, Andy Higgins, Josh Earl, Jeremy Osei-Bonsu, Paul Moran, Dave Burton, Joe Brown, Ross Salisbury, Kieran Lunn, Max Bajeux, Tom Lindfalk, Robbie Lake, Josh Smith
Scorers: Salisbury, Lunn
Report by David Hedges
Next fixture:
LEATHERHEAD YOUTH vs BURGESS HILL YOUTH (RYL)
THURSDAY 11MAR10 – K.O. 7:45 PM