Ryman League Division 1 South
Tuesday 29th January 2008
Whyteleafe looked to be heading for three valuable points as they push towards a play off place, but a strange penalty decision in the closing stages turned this game and Leatherhead, who were behind for nearly all the match, scored a late equaliser.
'Leafe got off to the best possible start when in the third minute they won a free kick 30 yards out. Chris O'Flaherty took the kick which should have been claimed by keeper Aaron France, but as he was rooted to the line, Sean Rivers swept in to meet the kick and headed home from close range.
At the other end, Asher Hudson went close in the 6th minute, Steve Causon heading his effort off the line. A minute later O'Flaherty also saw a shot headed off the line. Rob Tolfrey made a great save in the 15th minute to tip over Iain Hendry's header from a corner. Tolfrey again rescued his team in the 23rd minute when he grabbed the ball on the line after a goalmouth scramble.
Whyteleafe went two up after 27 minutes. Alhajie Jabbie won the ball by the corner flag and put over a great cross to the far post. Rivers headed back into the box where Daniel Platel headed home from close range.
Leatherhead had a good spell just before half time and Dave Stevens forced a good save from Tolfrey in the 44th minute following a good run.
The visitors won a series of corners early in the second half and their main tactic was to hit it long to Hendry. From one of these corners in the 51st minute, Tolfrey just got his fingertips to Hendry's header and the ball bounced along the bar before dropping in front of goal. Moses Spencer sliced his clearance high into the air and it eventually went off a Leatherhead player for a goal kick as Tolfrey tried to claim the ball.
'Leafe gradually regained the upper hand and O'Flaherty hit a 25 yard shot wide in the 72nd minute. A minute later Sam Clayton looked to have scored with a header from Callum Maclean's corner, but it hit the underside of the bar and bounced clear of danger.
Stevens was booked shotly afterwards for dissent towards a linesman who had given him offside when he had headed the ball into the 'Leafe net.
Just as the game seemed to be drifting towards a comfortable win, a penalty was awarded, despite no appeal from any Leatherhead player and general puzzlement all round. The referee said after the match that he had given it for shirt pulling by Ali Reeve. Stevens hit the penalty into the top corner out of reach of the diving Tolfrey. Leatherhead stole a point in the 88th minute when they broke away and substitute Adam Bernard scored the late equaliser.
Whyteleafe:
Tolfrey, Boxall, Jabbie, Reeve, Causon, Spencer, Platel (Greaves 58), MacLean,
Rivers, Clayton, Flaherty (Riley 79).
Photos from this match (external site)
Ryman League Division 1 South
Saturday 26th January 2008
Dover consolidated their second place in the table, behind Tooting on goal difference, but with two games in hand, with
this comfortable victory against an in-form Whyteleafe side. The home side looked to be a class above anyone else in this division, and whilst Cray and Tooting still hold out hopes of taking the title, it i
s difficult to see it going anywhere but Dover on the strength of this display. 'Leafe, who have recently beaten other play-off candidates were simply no match for a very well organised Dover side. The hosts were stronger in all departments and in captain John Keister had a player who gave the best display of any individual against 'Leafe this season, yet astonishingly he was overlooked when Dover named their man of the match.
Dover went on the attack from the start and Rob Tolfrey was called upon in the fourth minute to save from Lee Browning following a cross from Matt Fish. A rare mistake from Ali Reeve let Frannie Collin in. His shot was blocked by Moses Spencer but fell to Browning who shot wide. Another mistake let in Craig Cloke in the 16th minute, but he was also well wide of the target when well placed.
'Leafe then had a good spell, first Alhajie Jabbie made a good run down the left and his cross was well caught by John Whitehouse under pressure from Daniel Platel. Two minutes later Jabbie put the ball through to Joel Greaves who got in the box ahead of Matt Bourne but shot straight at Whitehouse. As 'Leafe enjoyed their best spell of the game, it was Dover who took the lead after half an hour. A free kick was awarded 30 yards out and was well struck by Jon Wallis, it took a deflection off the wall which saw the ball loop over Tolfrey and into the net.
Dover extended their lead in the 43rd minute. Collin won the ball on the right of the area and his cross was hit home at the far post from close range by James Rogers.
'Leafe began the second half brightly and although they had a fair share of play, never seriously troubled Whitehouse in the Dover goal. Sam Clayton tried a long range effort in the 51st minute but it went wide. They won a corner on the hour from which Callum MacLean found Spencer. He laid the ball off Platel, but his shot went wide.
Dover had a great chance to go three up in the 65th minute when Danny Boxall was punished for a push in the back and a penalty was awarded. Fortunately, Alan Poulter shot well wide.
Jabbie had another good run in the 70th minute and found Chris O'Flaherty. He laid the ball back to Clayton who shot just over the bar. But any hope 'Leafe might have had disappeared in the 71st minute when a mix up in defence left Collin on a one-on-one with Tolfrey. He pushed the ball past the keeper and slotted into the empty net.
Collin thought he had scored again three minutes later with a well-placed header but Adam Broomhead did well to clear the ball acrobatically off the line. 'Leafe knew they were defeated and didn't really threaten the Dover goal again. The home side really should have scored a fourth when Collin outpaced the defence on the right and crossed to the unmarked out of favour substitute Jimmy Dryden in front of goal, but he mistimed his run and the chance was gone.
'Leafe had to play the closing minutes with ten men when Jabbie hobbled off injured but by then the contest was over.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Boxall, Jabbie, Reeve, Broomhead (Causon 76), Spencer, Platel (O'Flaherty 60), MacLean, Rivers, Clayton, Greaves (Riley 70).
Jason's clickable photos:
Clickable photos (mostly on the coach home and including probably the least flattering photo of Colin Samuels ever taken) :
Surrey Senior Cup 3rd Round
Tuesday 22nd January 2008
Whyteleafe progressed to the quarter finals of the competition and despite resting a few players this was a straightforward victory against quite poor opposition. The visitors could have racked up a much bigger score, having two goals disallowed and hitting the woodwork as well as the four goals that counted.
'Leafe were on top right from the start and it soon became a matter of not if, but by how many, they would win. Michael Riley attacked down the right in the second minute, cut inside and found Callum MacLean on the edge of the box, his fierce shot bouncing back off the woodwork. Three minutes later Riley sent Joel Greaves clear and his shot was turned round for a corner. The corner was flicked on by Causon and headed into the net from close range by Sam Clayton.
The visitors dominated proceedings and Clayton and Greaves both went close twice each before Clayton bravely headed home 'Leafe's second in the 37th minute from Chris O'Flaherty's cross.
O'Flaherty went close with a 48th minute free kick that he curled just wide and five minutes later he saw a fine shot from a MacLean cross well saved. The resulting corner was headed into the net by Sean Rivers but the referee blew for a foul.
The score rose to 3-0 in the 61st minute when Michael Riley shot took a deflection leaving the keeper wrong footed. Riley should have scored again when he was clear 10 yards from goal, but he decided to cross the ball and it was cleared.
Two minutes later O'Flaherty won the ball on the left, crossed to Rivers who headed home but again the referee had spotted an infringement and disallowed it. Three minutes later Rivers finally got his goal when he headed home from another O'Flaherty shot.
Whyteleafe coasted the last 20 minutes, but still dominated the game. Clayton went closest to scoring again with a couple of long range efforts that were only just off target. They will now entertain Guildford City in the next round.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Causon, Jabbie, Reeve (Spencer 69), Hackett, Maclean, Riley 64, Smith (Boxall 72), O'Flaherty, Clayton, Greaves (Rivers 45).
Ryman League Division 1 South Whyteleafe snatched all three
points in a tough match the result of which keeps them in touch with the play
off places. The victory leaves them within four points of a play-off place and
so after two or three seasons of struggling, manager Dave Swindlehurst has
turned things round so that his team are now looking up rather than down the
league. To take the points, 'Leafe had to
battle all the way against a tough Dulwich side and wait until the 88th minute
before they finally made the breakthrough. The visitors, themselves already
in a play-off spot played with a lot of respect for Whyteleafe's good current
form and from the start it was clear that they would be happy to go home with a
point. However, they did look
dangerous on occasion and 'Leafe had keeper Rob Tolfrey to thank more than once.
Chances were hard to come by in the early exchanges with the best falling to the
visitors. Benson Paka made a good run into the box in the 13th minute but took
too long to get a shot in, allowing Daniel Platel time to get back and block his
shot. Seven minutes later Steve May
also managed to take the ball into the home team's area: this time Moses Spencer
was in good position to block the shot. The rebound fell to Dewayne Clarke whose
shot was deflected over the bar. 'Leafe had a great opportunity on
the half hour. Joel Greaves won the ball on the half way line and laid it off to
hard working defender Ali Reeve.
Reeve broke clear of everyone with a great run into the Dulwich box, but
keeper Sheik Cessay was quickly out to block his shot. Five minutes later
Greaves thought he had scored a debut goal when he shot past Cessay, but Marc
Cumberbatch managed to get back to clear off the line. Seb Schoburgh broke clear in the
37th minute but this time it was Danny Boxall who was back to make a saving
tackle. In the 42nd minute, Scott Edgar headed a free kick over the 'Leafe
defence to Clarke who headed over Tolfrey, but he leaped backwards and just
managed to get his fingertips to the ball and tip it over the
bar. Dulwich had a good early chance
in the second half when Stanley Muguo broke clear, Tolfrey making a great save
and the ball was then cleared away by Boxall. Tolfrey made another good save
from the same player six minutes later. Greaves won the ball out on the
left in the 61st minute and found Sam Clayton. His cross found Sean Rivers in
the box who shot over the bar but had in any case been ruled offside. Manager Dave Swindlehurst made a
number of changes, and one of them, Callum MacLean had an early impact. 90
seconds after coming on, he won a free kick 30 yards out and took the kick
himself, forcing a good save from Cessay. A minute later MacLean tried a long
range shot that went just wide of goal. Leafe's back four worked hard
throughout and the hosts looked the more dangerous on the break in the closing
stages but Dulwich were also tough to break down. The introduction of Riley and
O'Flaherty brought more width to the 'Leafe attacks. The game seemed to be
headed for a goalless draw when in the 88th minute, Alhajie Jabbie who had a
great game at the back joined in with a break. He received the ball on the left
and a fine cross into the box found Greaves who managed to get to the ball
before Cessay to head home a late winner.
Saturday 19th January 2008
Clickable photos:
(1) Goalscorer, Joel Greaves, (2) Danny Boxall passes to Robbie Smith, (3) Ali Reeve, (4) Joel, (5) Moses Spencer, (6) Rob Rolfrey, (7) Sam Clayton, (8) Joel, (9) a repeat of (4) doh!, (10) friendly local plod, (11) tight-fisted local, (12) enthralled paying supporters, (13) back in the clubhouse: almost birthday boy Biscuit with PBFC. (13) Visiting Dulwich Hamlet supporters.
Ryman League Division 1 South
Saturday 12th January 2008
Whyteleafe were unlucky not to leave with at least a share of the spoils after an exciting second half come-back at fellow play-off candidates Sittingbourne. After days of heavy rainfall the game was in some doubt, however the heavy pitch was just deemed playable by referee Mr Atkin, although the boggy conditions clearly favoured the home side's more direct approach rather than the Leafe's passing game.
Sittingbourne attacked from the off with former Dover winger Bradley Spice a clear threat down the right flank and it was his run and cross that provided Kieran Marsh with a simple tap in to open the scoring on 11 minutes. Moses Spencer almost replied for the visitors shortly after, just unable to connect in the area from a Daniel Platel corner.
Chris O'Flaherty and Michael Riley struggled to contain the left hand side in the slippy conditions and it was Spice again whose run and cross was almost converted by Jack Baines. In reply, Sam Clayton had the best Leafe chance of the half, jinxing past four Sittingbourne players, but unfortunately his left foot shot curled narrowly wide of the goal.
Spice continued to torment down the right, his cross on the half hour flashing just past Tolfrey's post, persuading manager Dave Swindlehurst to replace Riley with Alhajie Jabbie who slotted in at left-back, O'Flaherty pushed further up the field. It had little effect with Spice again firing across goal, and then latching on to a through pass to slip the ball between the advancing Tolfrey's legs for goal number two.
The second half saw the immediate introduction of debutant Joel Greaves, another ex Carshalton Athletic player to join the Leafe ranks and he was to provide an explosive display that turned the game on its head. Leafe attacked from the off with Graves seemingly covering every blade of grass in the Sittingbourne half. After a fierce Adam Broomhead drive from 20 yards it was Graves whose cross was met by Sean Rivers to fire home, but unfortunately in an offside position.
On 55 minutes Broomhead hit the sweetest volley from 25 yards into the top corner to grab a goal back. Still Leafe pushed with Greaves terrorising the home defence with his pace and power. He ran through three defenders and was controversially hauled down on the edge of the box by keeper Chris Lewington. Incredibly the referee only waived a yellow card, to the astonishment of home and away fans alike.
Baines had a shot for Sittingbourne that hit the post, but Leafe pressed on and it was Rivers who equalised, heading home a smart Clayton cross after fine work by Jabbie. With 15 minutes to go Broomhead had a header cleared off the line, but Leafe seemed to run out of steam and the sucker punch came, when a suspiciously offside looking Hicham Akhazzan fired home a late winner for the home side.
It was a disappointing end, but a courageous display in difficult conditions and Whyteleafe remain in touch with the other play-off contenders.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Riley (Jabbie 40), Reeve, O'Flaherty (Greaves 46), Broomhead, Spencer, Platel, Smith, Rivers, Clayton, Boxall. Subs not used: Williams, Causon
Clickable photos: (a) Sittingbourne FC, (b) goalscorer Adam Broomhead & (c) Bourne Park at full-time through tears.
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 7th January 2008
Whyteleafe maintain their hope of making the play-offs by taking all three points in a tough encounter with Met Police. 'Leafe are now in 10th spot and with only four point cover the sides up to 4th, there is much to play for over the next few months.
This match was the first of five consecutive games against sides higher in the division and this will be a crucial period which could see them in the thick of the race for the play offs if all goes well. This was a great start to this difficult run, with Leafe coming out on top with a single goal.
Met Police set out their stall from the start and it was clear that they would be happy to take home a point. Visiting keeper Will Packham took as long as he could over all goal kicks and clearances and when he was hurried, he kicked the ball as far out of the ground as possible. The match was very tight and chances were few and far between with defences dominating. In fact all three candidates for man of the match were defenders with Ali Reeve winning it with an outstanding performance.
Rob Tolfrey didn't have to make a save all game, although Craig Carley felt hard done by went he went down in the box in the 7th minute after breaking clear, but no foul was given. Chris O'Flaherty tried his luck from a 25 yard free kick in the 18th minute but it went over the bar. In the 30th minute, a Danny Boxall cross just failed to get to an unmarked Michael Riley at the far post, being headed behind for a corner. O'Flaherty took the kick and found Moses Spencer who's header was blocked on the line. The ball fell to Ali Reeve, but before he could get his shot in, Packham pounced on the ball.
'Leafe did manage to get forward a bit more in the second half and were the only side that looked as if they might score. Riley sent O'Flaherty down the left in the 51st minute. His cross was cleared as far as Sean Rivers who tried to place his shot in the corner of the net but he was just wide of the mark. Rivers came close in the 66th minute heading inches wide from O'Flaherty's free kick.
Two minutes later 'Leafe took the lead when a long ball was flicked on by Rivers. Sam Clayton spotted Packham off his line and hit a wonderfully struck dipping volley over the stranded keeper and into the net.
In the 81st minute Leafe nearly increased their lead when an O'Flaherty corner was flicked on to Moses Spencer whose shot was cleared off the line by Dave Newman. 'Leafe had two further late chances, firstly Packham miscued a clearance straight to Clayton who hit his long range shot just wide of the empty goal. Then a minute from time, Broomhead's close range shot was turned behind for a corner.
Met Police may well regret their tactics as they tried to up the tempo of their game in the closing stages but it was too little too late and they never looked like penetrating the solid Whyteleafe defence ably led by Ali Reeve.
Whyteleafe: Tolfrey, Boxall, O'Flaherty, Reeve, Broomhead, Spencer, Platel, Smith, Rivers, Clayton, Riley.
