Ashford Town 1 Whyteleafe 2
Ryman League Division 1 South
(Good) Friday 21st March 2008
Whyteleafe secured a fine away victory under testing conditions with goals from Sam Clayton and Adam Broomhead.
A bitterly cold gale blew across a heavy wet pitch and it was never likely to be a feast of football. It was the visitors who started the brightest and after only seven minutes they opened the scoring when Michael Riley dribbled across the Ashford goal and wide of the advancing keeper, leaving Sam Clayton to tap the ball in to the empty net.
The first half was short of incident, although Leafe keeper Rob Tolfrey needed to be smartly off his line to bravely dive at the feet of the advancing Michael Sherwood on twenty minutes. Shortly before the break Adam Broomhead and Ashford’s Ryan Briggs were involved in an altercation that surprisingly brought stern words but no cards from referee Mr O’Brien.
The second half proved livelier, Sam Clayton making an early jinxing run, his shot well gathered by keeper Sam Moore. On the hour Ashford squandered an open goal when a Moses Spencer slip allowed Mark Lovell to cross leaving Jimmy Bottle to finish from ten yards out, but he somehow managed to drag the ball wide of the goal. At the other end Sam Clayton, in confident form at the end of an impressive season, fired a 30 yard free-kick narrowly wide.
The 75th minute saw an ugly incident when Ashford defender Danny Lye inflicted a late and high tackle on midfield playmaker Robbie Smith who was lucky to escape serious injury whilst Lee escaped with just a yellow card, despite a disgraceful volley of abuse at the prostate Smith.
Shortly after, Alhajie Jabbie made a vital interception, stealing the ball from Bottle’s boot as he was about to shoot. With Ashford growing stronger there was relief for the visitors when a Chris O’Flaherty free-kick was bundled in by Broomhead in the 82nd minute. Rob Tolfrey then produced the save of the match turning a fierce Bottle drive around his post, but Ashford did reply in injury time when substitute Walid Matata finished a tremendous run with an unstoppable shot.
Whyteleafe held out to secure a second successive victory and retain faint hopes of a late surge to the last play-off place.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Jabbie, O’Flaherty, Causon, Boxall, Spencer, Smith, Broomhead, Greaves (Platel 77), Clayton (Rivers 77), Riley. Subs not used: Méité, Hackett, Dille
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