Walton & Hersham 5 Whyteleafe 2
Ryman League Division 1 South
Saturday 12th April 2008
This match promised a great deal early on in the match for the travelling Whyteleafe supporters but the early goals were soon forgotten as Walton & Hersham punished their visitors with a string of goals which led to their heaviest defeat of the season.
Manager, Dave Swindlehurst decided upon an entirely new defensive formation for this match. Alhajie Jabbie, already having shown his versatility this season playing at left back, at left sided midfield and right wing, this time played in the middle of a three man defence.
Alongside Jabbie were Ali Reeve, back from a three-match suspension, and John Cartledge returning from an injury sustained in February. The match also saw a return to the recently out-of-favour front pairing of Sean Rivers and Daniel Platel.
The new look line-up couldn't have had a better start going two goals up in the first ten minutes. The first came within just two minutes of kick off as Rivers headed home a Sam Clayton cross from close range.
Rather than subdue them, the home side sprang into action and Rob George and Jon Neal both had chances that the 'Leafe defence did well to clear. But on ten minutes, Walton were stunned again when a Chris O'Flaherty corner resulted in Rivers once again pouncing to head in from a yard out.
Despite the deficit Walton & Hersham knew they had time to turn things around and proceeded to play the better attacking football with pacey forward Julien Thompson posing the greatest threat to Jabbie down the middle.
But the composed Whyteleafe defence generally looked comfortable throughout the half until its dying minutes. Walton knew they needed to score before the break if they were to get back into it and score they did.
A ball from the left was played into the box, it was met by the rising Julien Thompson and just bounced wide of the far post. However, the referee sort some kind of infringement, presumably a push from goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey and awarded a penalty. Tolfrey's protest earned him a yellow card. Jon Neal stepped up for the kick and Walton had managed to get a grip on the match.
The second half was punctuated with torrential rain showers which saw the pitch become treacherous by the latter stages. But Whyteleafe started well as they tried to take the momentum away from the home team. Michael Riley had a good opportunity to get a cross in but mis-kicked his effort behind the goal and Callum Maclean had a powerful shot well saved by Walton's keeper Rob Webb on 51 minutes.
As the half wore on Walton started to get the upper hand again. They won series of corners that Tolfrey and his defence were doing well to keep out but eventually Thompson managed to get the breakthrough poking home through a crowd of green shirts to equalise on 54 minutes.
With Walton once again in the ascendancy, Swindlehurst made a couple of changes but they did little to stem the flow. On 66 minutes, Rob George's slightly awkward overhead kick met a free-kick from the left. Although there wasn't much power in the shot, Tolfrey saw it late and the ball bounced beyond him into the net. Now in front, the home side never looked back.
Tolfrey made a good save on 75 minutes to keep out a good effort from Matt Martin but they had to wait until the 82nd minutes to get their two goal cushion when an unmarked Rob George headed home an Adam Moriarty free-kick.
Whyteleafe's misery was completed in injury time when another Moriarty free-kick was this time met by Jack Watkins whose light touch was enough to earn him the credit for his side's fifth.
Whyteleafe will have to perform a great deal better than this for the remainder of the season if the players and manager are to come out with the great credit they sometimes think they deserve.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Jabbie, O'Flaherty, Reeve, Cartledge (Causon), Riley (Méité), Maclean, Broomhead, Rivers, Platel (Greaves). Unused sub: Hackett.
