Leiston 1-1 Nuneaton Borough - Match Report

Leiston conceded in the 88th minute as they had to make do with sharing the points against play-off chasing Nuneaton Borough, in a match sponsored by FGH Motorhomes with Roger Smith and Barry Spall kindly donating towards the Match Ball.

In what was a first ever clash between the two sides, Glen Driver gave starts to new signings Sam Donkin and John Sands while midfielder Noel Aitkens returned to the starting eleven after being out injured in the last couple of weeks.
It was the Blues who began the better of the two sides and they took the lead on 15 minutes. Striker Andy Fennell, on loan from Chelmsford City, cut inside the away defence from the left hand side before shooting past Tony Brendan in the Nuneaton goal. Breeden then had to make a couple of very good stops, the best coming from a John Sands effort as Leiston tried to add a second goal. At the other end, Sam Donkin in the home goal had little to do as the home side kept Nuneaton at bay.

At the start of the second period, Luke Benbow and Will Davies went close at either end of the pitch, before Byron Lawrence had a free kick kept out by Breeden. Nuneaton couldn’t net from a goal mouth scramble in the home box as they searched for an equaliser as Leiston kept it tight at the back. Late on however, Ryan Edmunds scored a late leveller to secure a point for Nuneaton, with Joel Kettle shown a red card during the goal celebrations. The point means Leiston go level on points with Redditch United, but they remain bottom of the table. Leiston visit Royston Town on Tuesday evening as they start their December league fixtures, with four out of five matches away from home in the festive period.
Meanwhile, Leiston Reserves picked up a good 4-2 win at Cornard United in league action. Ben Morling, Sam Allen and two goals from Harrison Bacon helped the side pick up three more points as they remain in 14th position in the league.
Finally, Leiston ‘A’ remained unbeaten in the league as they won 8-1 at Ipswich Athletic Reserves. Hayden Brown scored four goals while Zac Gissing, Callum Pearce, Max Cowan and Ash Wilding added more strikes as the side remain second in Macron SIL Division 4.

FT: - Leiston 1-1 Nuneaton Borough.

Line-ups: -

Leiston: - Donkin, Hammond, Saunders, Aitkens, Clements, Odelusi, Lawrence, Hitter (Kamanzi 80 mins), Fennell, Davies, Sands (Stewart 80 mins). Subs not used: - Andrews, Gaffer, Beckwith.

Nuneaton Borough: - Breedon, Clifton, Kelly-Evans, Kettle, Hood, Osbourne, Powell, Jamie Towers (Candlin 64 mins), Benbow, Declan Towers (Julien 45 mins), Edmunds. Subs not used: - Belford, Byrne, Addison.

MATCH SPONSORS FGH MOTORHOMES MAN OF THE MATCH: - Ollie Saunders.

Attendance: - 238.