Leighton Town 2-1 Chesham United

[Simon N]

Chesham:

1. Richard Hayward
2. John Kyriacou (booked 59 mins)
3. Sam Ledger
4. Nick Leach
5. Danny Talbot
6. Lewis Laws
7. Steve Obeng
8. Steve Wales
9. John Frendo (booked 33 mins; goal 45 mins)
10. Chris Bangura
11. Dom Marsala

Subs:

12. Kevin Cotton
14. Danny Gudgeon (for Obeng 76 mins; booked 86 mins)
15. Dave Fotheringham (for Marsala 68 mins)
16. Conner Baker
17. Liam Farrell (for Kyriacou 87 mins)

Leighton did the double over Chesham whose run of five wins and a draw in six games came to an end. The nature of the game was dictated by the pitch which was barely playable after a deluge in the hour before kick-off, and which hardly suited Chesham’s style, but after taking the lead in controversial circumstances Chesham paid the penalty for a five-minute spell of lack of concentration in defence.

With Mark Lambert still suspended and Darrell Cox starting a four-match ban, there was only one change to the starting line-up, Phil Turner being replaced by new signing John Frendo who played and scored for Chesham in a pre-season game before opting to sign for Cambridge City. Shortly after two o’clock the heavens opened and soaked the pitch, and by kick-off there were two large puddles near the centre and patches of water elsewhere and it was still raining. However, with nine weeks left in the season and Leighton having 18 games to play and Chesham 16, and with Leighton’s biggest gate of the season inside the ground, both teams were keen to play. I suspect many referees would have called the game off but this one took the sensible course and agreed to start, but even then there was no guarantee that the game would finish but thankfully the rain stopped about 15 minutes after kick-off. However it was clear from early on that the game would not be a classic, but both teams started well, John Frendo glancing a header wide from John Kyriacou’s cross, while at the other end Chesham failed to clear a corner and Richard Hayward had to make a smart save from a snap shot from James McNulty. After 15 minutes Frendo’s shot from the edge of the area forced home keeper Richard Morris to turn the ball behind, then in the next minute Hayward made a good save from Leon Cashman’s shot and the rebound fell to Ben Porter whose shot was deflected onto the top of the bar and over. The game went into a quiet phase until shortly before half-time when Steve Wales ran on to Dom Marsala’s pass and was held back by Nick McFarlane, who escaped with a yellow card as there was some doubt as to whether he was the last man. Danny Talbot sent the resulting free kick a yard or so over the bar.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time Chesham took the lead with a goal that proved the game’s main talking point. Leighton keeper Morris had the ball in his hands and Chris Bangura was standing in front of him, when Morris threw the ball at Bangura who turned and shot for goal, the ball holding up in the mud in the goalmouth so John Frendo needed to touch the ball over the line. Leighton’s players and management were furious and I admit I was expecting the referee to award a free kick, but some Leighton officials felt that Morris was the chief culprit for throwing the ball at Bangura. Chesham made a strong start to the second half and a fine crossfield pass from Danny Talbot found Steve Wales who shot high and wide, then Sam Ledger’s header from a Talbot corner clipped the top of the bar. However the referee redeemed himself in the eyes of the home side when Leon Cashman slipped on the treacherous surface but the referee gave a free kick, which Aston Goss put into the area and Ben Gallant headed in. Four minutes later Gallant had another free header from a right wing cross, Hayward touched the ball onto the bar but Goss put away the rebound to put the home side ahead. Leighton never threatened again and two minutes later Ledger headed a Danny Talbot free kick across goal to John Frendo who headed in but was flagged offside. As Chesham pushed forward Morris was forced to save a shot on the turn from Frendo, then a cross from the left from Dave Fotheringham was touched on by Danny Gudgeon but Morris touched the ball onto the bar. In the last minute of normal time Steve Wales brought down Sam Ledger’s cross and fired over, but the game ended with Leighton launching a rare breakaway and sub Dan Walker’s low cross was just ahead of the onrushing forwards.