5 out of 5 for League leader's

Leiston 2-0 Burgess Hill

Table toppers Leiston welcomed Burgess Hill to Suffolk & maintained their 100 per cent start to the season with late goals from striker Matt Blake & a Jack Ainsley penalty.

The home side began attacking the Fairground End & it was no surprise after their superb start to the season that the Blues started in confident mood & dominated the early proceedings. Gareth Heath forced James in the visitors goal into an acrobatic safe as he leapt to tip his curling effort wide & for a corner. Joe Francis then had a curled effort from fully 25 yards tipped onto the bar & then the same player then pushed another effort just wide as the Blues looked to make their possession count, however the visitors were working hard to frustrate the Blues & were looking a more than useful outfit themselves without really creating much from their own possession. It was left to industrious striker Matt Blake to bring the half to a close when his volley from a tight angle flew just over with the very last kick of the first half.

Half time 0-0

Neither side made any changes at the interval & to their credit Burgess Hill came out with far more attacking intent & their best chance of the game came pretty much straight after half time, however Lee Hardings effort from inside the box brought a fantastic save from Leiston keeper Nick Eyre. The game then ebbed & flowed & the visitors from the south coast more than matched the home side for much of the second half, however the Blues got the crucial breakthrough their sheet persistence deserved with 10 minutes of the game remaining. Joe Francis curled in a deep cross from wide on the left & Matt Blake stretched to volley home his 4th league goal of the season at the far post. 5 minutes later the Blues doubled their lead & the lively Blake was involved again, this time after he was fouled by keeper James, the ever reliable Jack Ainsley stepped up to score from the resultant penalty, calmly putting the ball to the keepers left, to ensure the Suffolk sides promising start to the season continued.

While certainly not at their best this afternoon the Blues still dug deep & found another way to win a football match, a quality that will undoubtedly stand them in good stead as the season progresses. Burgess Hill for their part worked hard & proved stubborn opposition & will perhaps feel their efforts deserved more, however the Blues late rally saw them
claim 3 more valuable points.

Leiston - Eyre, Brown, Dunbar, Ainsley, Jefford, Bullard (C) Lawrence, Heath, Blake (Ottley-Gooch) Finch (Winter) & Francis SNU - Saker, Brothers & Hastings

Burgess Hill - James, Taylor, Redwood, Pearse, Toure, Fisk, Gayler (Smith) Okwute, Thompson (Richardson-Brown) Bolton & Harding. SNU - Tuck, Richmond & Gargan

Match Sponsors F & H Scaffolding Ltd MOM (Joe Francis - Leiston)

Att 203

Bookings
Pearse (Burgess Hill)
Jefford (Leiston)