Blues 0 Staines Town 1

Leiston returned to action after having a number of games cancelled in previous weeks but did not put in the kind of performance they have become used to with Staines coming away from Victory Road with all three points in a MATCH SPONSORED BY SUE TUGWELL. The pitch certainly played apart throughout the match and this was certainly not helped by the weather as it snowed and rained for the full 90 minutes writes Ollie Fairs.

Even with the pitch making it difficult for both teams to get the ball down and pass it around the game was still played at a high pace. The first opportunity came just minutes into the game as Adrian Clifton struck the crossbar from the edge of the box. A poor pass in the midfield then created another opening for Staines but Jake Hutchings did superbly to throw his body in front of the ball and block the shot twice in a matter of seconds. Leiston’s best chance of the first half came when Niko Muir did well to shield the ball before threading through Joe Francis but the Staines keeper did well to get out to him quickly and smother the shot. At the other end of the pitch Blues keeper Jacob Marsden was also on fine form. Max Worsfold managed to run through into the box and he seemed to have a clear shot on goal but Jacob Marsden was quick to get down to his right and palm the shot past the post. Jacob Marsden came to the rescue again when he stopped a free kick from range that was drilled towards goal. However, the ball was still loose in the six yard box and it seemed as though it was going to be tapped home but Jacob Marsden did brilliantly once again to claw the ball away from the crowd of players before it was cleared to safety, meaning the first half ended goalless.

The second half was very similar to the first in that it was played at a fast pace but unlike the first half chances came at a premium. Joe Francis did well to make a strong run through the middle of the pitch, evading several tackles on his way, but his through pass to Matt Blake was just slightly over hit. The deadlock was finally broken in the 59th minute when a shot from the edge of the Leiston box hit the post and fell nicely into the path of Staines striker Jonathon Hippolyte who rolled the ball into the back of the empty net to put the visitors ahead with half an hour still to play. Leiston almost responded immediately when a Matt Blake shot was pushed into the path of Niko Muir in the area but he was quickly closed down and had consecutive shots on goal blocked before the ball was cleared to safety. Things then got even harder for the Blues as Staines looked to sit back a little to hold onto their one goal lead. They did well to ensure Leiston weren’t able to get in behind and had to play in front of the Staines back four the entire time. Leiston’s final chance of note came when Matt Blake was able run at the Staines defence before being brought down only to get back to his feet but his shot was blocked. Leiston did push men forward towards the end of the game but Staines defended very well which meant the Blues struggled to create many openings and even when they did they were stopped by some brave defending or solid goalkeeping. It was a disappointing result and performance for the Blues and certainly one they will look to put behind them as soon as possible.

FT - Blues 0 Staines Town 1

Blues - Jacob Marsden, Ainsley, Dunbar, Cole (Heath 65 mins), Hutchings, Bullard, Lawrence (Brown 78 mins), Francis (Hubble 64 mins), Blake, Muir-Merchant, Brothers. Subs not used - Jefford and Joe Marsden.

Staines Town - Turner, Day, Vanderhyde (Miller-Rodney 46 mins), Ahmidi, Coker, Brewer, Brown, Clifton (Brown 85 mins), Mohamed Bettamer, Hippolyte (Haile 90 mins), Worsfold. Subs not used - Rafiq Bettamer and Wyatt.

Match Sponsor SUE TUGWELL Man of the Match - Matt Blake

Attendance - 208