10 men Royston run rings around Leighton

Leighton Town FC 1-4 Royston Town FC 

With the sun shining down on Bell Close for the last home game of the season, Leighton hoped to continue their success from previous weeks. 

They faced Royston, who are currently sit in a play off position and it always going to be tough, but Craig Bicknell was ready with his team to face the challenge to try and get another 3 points on the board.

Leighton kicked off but Michael Lyon soon gave Royston possession, when he took down Ryan Ingrey. Luckily Zaki Oualah caught the ball well from the the free kick.

Danny Watson went one on one with Ron Yates in the the 5th minute but he couldn't beat him and instead kicked it straight at him. Leighton had the first corner of the game but it was short lived because Royston were awarded a free kick for pushing in the box.

An unusual scramble for the ball took place between Oualah and Fejiri Okenabirhie and it looked like the ball was handled and shouts were heard but the referee took no notice and the game continued.

It was clear that Oualah had an injury to his calf in the 17th minute, as Robbie Goodman stepped up to take a goal kick for him. However Oualah wasn't subbed off due to his injury and carried on as best as he could.

Royston earned a free kick in the 22nd minute, once again due to Lyon being careless. Steve Bridges stepped up to take the kick, he powered it into the box to find the free head of Liam McDevitt  who put Royston 1-0 up.

A great save by Oualah stopped Royston from extending their lead in the 34th minute and only a minute later Watson was taken down in the box and Royston were reduced to 10 men.

Chris Watters was shown a red card and a penalty was awarded to Leighton. Watson stepped up to take the spot kick and slotted it right into the corner of the net, drawing Leighton level.

Goodman went down injured in the 38th minute and with a player missing in defence Oualah managed to stop Bridges's shot brilliantly. Leighton made their first substitution bringing off Goodman for Odunayo Oke.

The second half underway and with it all square, Ash Farmer fancied his chances at goal, but Yates managed to stop the shot with his feet. 

Yet again Royston scored from another set piece and free header in the 50th minute. Bridges delivered the ball into the box and found the head of Gary Hart who put Royston into the lead. 

As if two goals weren't enough for Royston they went and got their third only 2 minutes later. Hart sent an unstoppable shot towards Oualah and it bounced off the bar and into the net, leaving every one shell shocked at the strike.

Things only got worse for Leighton as Royston went and got their fourth goal from a set piece. The free kick was taken by Scott Bridges and he found, once again a free head in the box this time it was Ingrey. Oualah got a hand to the ball but it wasn't enough to push it away, making it 4-1 to Royston.

Leighton made their second substitution in the 61st minute bringing off Farmer for Anthony Ottaway. Some good play by Aaron Morgan and Oke allowed Watson to take a shot at goal but he could only sky it over the bar.

Morgan had a chance to pull a goal back in the 80th minute, when he went one on one with Yates, but he tried to walk the ball into the net and even though Yates mishandled the ball wasn't able to convert it. 

Two well deserved yellow cards (one each) were shown to Royston's Spyros Mentis and Hart after persistently committing fouls. Leighton tried to convert their short corner into a goal in the 83rd minute but Mark Bunker put it over the bar.

Lyon was shown a yellow card for tripping up Mentis in the 85th minute and he was shortly replaced by Harvey-Bailey Irving as Leighton's final substitution.

Royston continued to outrun Leighton and managed to have three shots in injury time. The first came from Ingrey which Oualah dived to save but the shot was wide.

Next up was substitute Khan Fehmi and Oualah managed to save and convert the ball out for a corner and then Hart headed the ball just wide of the post before the final whistle blew.

Leighton's next game is away to Egham on Saturday 18th April, kick off 3pm.

Royston Town FC

Team- Yates, Wharton, Watters, Bridges, McDevitt, Powell, Mentis, Bridges, Okenabirhie, Hart, Ingrey

     

Subs- Scott-Morris, Bradshaw, Fehmi, Theobald, Nightingale

Leighton Town FC

Team- Oualah, Lyon, Ridgway, Goodman, Rajaram, Taylor, Crook, Bunker, Morgan, Watson, Farmer

Subs- Murphy, Fitzjohn, Ottaway, Irving, Oke 

Attendance- 84 

By Hannah Sellman 

Leighton rack up four points over the Bank Holiday weekend

Leighton Town FC 1-1 Chalfont St. Peter

Bank holiday blues for Leighton as they were unable to continue their winning ways against Chalfont, who currently sit 16th in the league.

Chalfont kicked off but it was Leighton who had the first corner of the game in the 2nd minute, unfortunately  Billy Lobjoit was unable to get the ball past the first man.

However Leighton certainly tried to hammer the ball home in the first few minutes after the unsuccessful corner. First Mark Bunker and then Lobjoit, both from Chalfont deflection, but they could only find Mikey Pearce's hands. 

Leighton tried to keep the ball alive after they got their second corner of the game in the 16th minute, but they couldn't find a way to cross it back into the box.

A well taken free kick by Aaron Morgan in the 28th minute saw Pearce have to punch the ball away, but only as far as Lobjoit, who struck it first time and came close to putting Leighton into the lead. 

Robbie Goodman played the ball to Danny Watson in the 31st minute and he managed to take on Chalfont's defence and slot the ball into the left hand corner of the net putting, Leighton 1-0 up. 

Only a minute later it looked like Leighton would get their second of the game. Tyrone Taylor headed the ball down from a free kick to Gary Ridgway and he hit the ball with immense power. Adam Pepera felt the full force of his shot but managed to keep it from reaching Pearce. 

Chalfont had a corner in the 36th minute and with no one marking Anthony Mendy he was free to head the ball, only to thankfully hit the side netting. But it wasn't too long after that, that Chalfont did find the back of the net with a rather scrappy goal. 

In the 40th minute Luke Brook-Smith stepped up to take a corner and with the ball being deflected to Pepera who placed it into the back of the net, making it 1-1 going into half time.

With the second half under way Zaki Oualah made an easy save from Brook-Smith's free kick shot. Leighton made their first substitution bringing off Ash Farmer for Anthony Ottaway.

Remmel Clarke denied Leighton of a second goal in the 54th minute, when he cleared the ball off the line. Ottaway managed to play the ball through to Watson after a great run, Watson maintained possession of the ball and went for goal but the ball found the side netting.

Chalfont came close to getting a second in the 73rd minute when Mendy struck the post with his powerful shot and it thankfully ricocheted out for a goal kick. Pearce made a fabulous save in the 84th minute when Lobjoit took his chances and went for goal and managed to win a corner for Leighton.

Leighton made their second substitution in the 85th minute brining off Ridgway for Alvin Rajaram. Another close call for Leighton for an all important second goal came when Morgan played the ball to Bunker and it went straight across the goal only needing a touch to go over the line.

A final substitution for Leighton saw Harvey- Bailey Irving replace Michael Lyon. A free kick was awarded when Irving pulled down Asen Valchan in the 90th minute but Rajaram was in the box to clear the ball away.

Chalfont had a last ditch attempt at goal in injury time when Glenn Yala put a cross in to hopefully find Clarke, but instead Robbie Goodman was there and cleared the ball down the pitch before the final whistle blew.

Leighton next game is at home to Royston on Saturday 11th April, kick off 3pm.  

Chalfont St. Peter

Team- Pearce, Brook-Smith, Yala, Paxton, Pepera, Hedley, Hudson, Stead, Clarke, Mendy, Louth

Subs- Valchan, Butcher, Fonge, Silcolt, Benmadani

Leighton Town FC

Team- Oualah, Bunker, Ridgway, Goodman, Crook, Taylor, Morgan, Lyon, Lobjoit, Watson, Farmer

Subs- Irving, Fitzjohn, Sopa, Ottaway, Rajaram

Attendance- 70 

By Hannah Sellman 

Leighton's winning ways halted against high flying Bedworth

Leighton Town FC 0-2 Bedworth United

With two wins under their belt, Leighton went into the game with their heads held high. However with Bedworth currently sat second in the table it wasn't going to be a walk in the park for Leighton.

Bedworth kicked off and Leighton worked well to win the ball back. They had their first chance of scoring when Christian Lester played the ball straight across the goal and past the post 5 minutes in. 

It wasn't long before Tyrone Taylor tested out his long throw's on Denham Hinds. With the ball reaching the box Hinds came for it only to collide with Lester allowing the ball to fall for Phil Draycott who skied it over the bar. 

Alex Naughton's game was short lived for Bedworth when he hobbled off the pitch with an ankle injury in the 25th minute.

With Bedworth down to 10 men it seemed to confuse Leighton and they were sleeping at the back. Daniel Creaney made his way past Taylor and slotted the ball into the back of the net, making it 1-0 to Bedworth.

Lester had a chance to equalise but his shot was more like a pass back into the hands of Hinds. Leighton were lucky not to go 2-0 down in the 42nd minute, when Daniel Dubidat walked all over Leighton's defence, but he miss kicked his shot and Zaki Oualah gathered it with ease. 

With only seconds before half time it was handbags at dawn and the game became out of hand, with punches being thrown. After a discussion took place between the officials it was decided that Draycott and Peter Folkes would receive yellow cards.

The game restarted and straight away Aaron Morgan was fouled by Ben Steane who was shown a yellow card. It was far from over for the yellow cards when right before the half time whistle Alvin Rajaram was added to the book for kicking the ball away. 

With the second half finally underway, Bedworth were keen to get the ball past Oualah again and came close twice in two minutes with both shot being taken by Creaney.

The yellow card appeared yet again for Leighton, this time for Michael Lyon in the 51st minute. Leighton's first substitution saw Claude Senla come on for Ash Farmer. 

Bedworth managed to earn themselves a corner in the 58th minute and they didn't disappoint. With no one on the back post and Oualah no where to be seen, Dubidat put the ball in the net. 

Danny Watson received a yellow card in the 61st minute for not keeping his mouth shut when he was told to. Rajaram picked up an injury only moments later and Chris Crook took his place. 

A cracking pass by Taylor found an unmarked Watson but he hesitated, losing the ball. But luckily Lyon was there to win the ball back and earned himself a free kick. 

After only being on the pitch for seven minutes Crook received a yellow card for pulling back a player. A great save by Oualah denied Dubidat a brace and what could have been a third goal for Bedworth.

With 4 bookings already it was no surprise when the referee reached into his pocket to show Lester a yellow card in the 74th minute. Leighton's final substitution saw Aaron Morgan replaced with Remy Forrester. 

Lyon hit the woodwork in the 77th minute and it wasn't long before Watson came close but his shot was just wide and he hit the post. A last minute save by Oualah yet again denied Dubidat of a goal.

This result and the fact that Beaconsfield beat Barton 4-2 today, see's Leighton slip down to 20th in the league table.

Leighton's next game is away to Kettering on Tuesday 3rd March, kick off 7:45pm. 

Bedworth United

Team- Hinds, Ashmore, Rowe, Creaney, Westwood, Tullin, Folkes, Steane, Naughton, Dubidat, Degville-Cross

Subs- Cartwright, Blenkinsopp, Robinson, Donovan

Leighton Town

Team- Oualah, M. Lyon, Ridgway, Goodman, Rajaram, Taylor, Farmer, Morgan, Lester, Watson, Draycott

Subs- Senla, Green, Crook, Flux, Forrester 

Attendance- 102

By Hannah Sellman