Goals from Darren Mills and debutant Christy Finch helped Leiston come from behind to beat a good Kingstonian side 2-1 at Victory Road on the opening day of the season reports Mark Barber. After a 15 minute delay to kick off it was the home side that started brighter with efforts from Patrick Brothers and Danny Cunningham , the latter’s header going agonisingly wide with Putnins in the away goal well beaten. It took the visitors 15 minutes to settle but they began to play their way into the game and took the lead on 21 minutes, Pelayo Pico Gomez capitalising on a defensive mix up to round Rossis in the home goal and tap into an empty net. Even in the early stages it never looked like a game where one goal would win it as both teams looked good going forward. The away side could have doubled their advantage on 22 minutes, K’s dangerman Richard Jolly ghosted in at the back post but he could only direct his volley into the away support behind the goal. Leiston rallied and probed without much success, one 18 yard box scramble from a corner the best they could muster before the ball was intercepted in the middle of the park on 40 minutes and Gareth Heath released Darren Mills, who showed a clean pair of heels to the K’s defence and coolly fired low across Putnins to level the scores. A fair score in a tight contest at this stage with Christy Finch showing good movement and touches up front and Danny Cunningham excelling in the defensive midfield role. For Kingstonian Dan Bennett out on the right showed flashes of what he is capable of and Richard Jolly stretched the home defence with some strong and intelligent runs.

Half Time - Blues 1 Kingstonian 1

Leiston came out after half time the stronger and should have taken the lead when Gareth Heath found himself through one on one but Putnins stood strong and managed to block. It was only one minute later however when Heath fed the ball to new signing Finch, 20 yards from goal, took one touch to set himself and his scuffed shot found the bottom corner to notch his first league goal for the Blues and put the home side ahead. Leiston were in the ascendency from this point and further efforts on goal came from Mills who fired over when Heath was arguably in a better position to his right and then Finch again whose rasping effort forced a good save from Putnins. The final 20 minutes really belonged to the away side as they pushed for an equaliser. A couple of penalty shouts fell on deaf ears and Alex Rossis saved the blues after Jolly found himself one on one, the Blues keeper making himself big to see away the danger. Both sides looked dangerous going forward into the closing stages without creating too many clear cut opportunities. The game was a very competitive and Kingstonian may feel they deserved at least a point from the game but Stuart Boardley’s fist pump reaction of celebration on the final whistle certainly tells us how big a win the players think this was. Other positives for the Blues included new signing Billy Clark being given 15 minutes, replacing Man of the Match Danny Cunningham and John Sands, recovering from a double hernia operation, who also played the final 10 replacing the impressive Finch.

Full Time - Blues 2 Kingstonian 1

Blues: Rossis, Saker, Dunbar, Brothers, Jefford, Boardley, Mills, Heath, Finch (Sands 80 mins), Cunningham (Clark 72 mins), Francis. Unused subs - Winter and Merritt

Kingstonian: Putnins, Goode, Wells, Smith, Page, Inns, Bennett, Odametey (Sweeney 65 mins), Jolly, Gomez (Hopkinson 88 mins), Dean (Kempton 76 mins). Unused subs - Imudia and Murphy

Scorers -
Blues: Darren Mills (40 mins) and Christy Finch (50 mins)
Kingstonian: Pelayo Pico Gomez (21 mins)

Attendance: 175

Powerclean Chemicals Ltd Man of the Match: Danny Cunningham – Leiston