LEISTON ended a run of three games without scoring or winning to put five past Peterborough Sports, who have been in excellent form of late, and move up three places from 17th to 14th in the Southern League Premier Division Central table writes Craig Cooper.

Captain Seb Dunbar was missing through injury still while centre half Kyle Callan-McFadden was ruled out but defender Eddie Jackson came back into the team.

Jude Frostick returned to the 16 after missing the game at Kettering Town last week with illness while 16-year-old Ollie Long, leading scorer in the Suffolk & Ipswich League Premier Division, came into the squad after netting 17 times already this campaign for the Blues Under 23’s and Under 18’s.

The home side could have taken the lead within 25 seconds. Leon Lobjoit got onto a ball inside the Blues’ penalty area and lobbed Callum Robinson but the ball hit the bar and the follow up strike was well blocked by Ben Batho.

After settling down, Leiston went close on four minutes. Noel Aitkens' cross was taken down by Harvey Sayer and the Blues player shot just over Daniel Wilks’ crossbar.

But, after a period of a few minutes where the ball was mainly in and around the centre of the pitch, Leiston took the lead in the 12th minute. The ball was moved into Sayer on the Blues right and he passed square across goal to Aitkens who shot low into Wilks’ bottom right hand corner from eight yards.

After the restart, Sayer got in behind the Peterborough Sports back line after a ball over the top by Aitkens but Wilks made a great stop to his left. Cameron Rayworth headed wide the corner. On 19 minutes, Adam Mills won a corner but Jackson’s header from Fraser Alexander’s corner was easy for Wilks.

Ben Batho and Jackson then made good tackles to stop home attacks while Adam Marriott clipped the ball over Wilks on 23 minutes but the offside flag was raised.

Sydney Ibie worked Robinson outside the box but the Blues keeper was equal to the effort. Batho was then booked for a late challenge as was Willie Clemons shortly afterwards.

Lobjoit, who scored in the reverse fixture in September at Leiston, turned and shot over from 30 yards on the half hour mark.

Then, on 31 minutes, Mills headed home Sayer’s delivery on the right from close range and looked to have given the Blues a two goal lead.

But referee Joseph Karram consulted with his assistant for a good minute and the goal was ruled out for offside. This initially seemed to help Peterborough Sports and the hosts levelled on 40 minutes.

Lobjoit got away from Jackson and passed across goal to Harry Vince who deceived Robinson and shot into the keeper’s bottom right hand corner.

The Blues, though, came again, and a bit of pressure on the Peterborough goal for a couple of minutes paid off in the second minute of injury time at the end of the half. Alexander’s corner was put into a dangerous area and Jackson beat both home defenders and goalkeeper Wilks to the ball to slot home Leiston’s second goal.

Early in the second period, Marriott got away from the home defence and got into the box to pull a cross back but Peterborough cleared upfield. At the other end, Jackson did well to cut out a home cross and set up Sayer for a counter attack but the Blues players cross went out of play for a goal kick.

Rayworth then initially did well to cut out a ball but lost possession and Lobjoit took advantage of this to drive into the box and smash the ball home past Robinson. Peterborough had a good ten minute spell and Harvey Williams curled wide of Robinson’s upright at an angle just outside the box on 54 minutes.

The home side got into the Blues area again on 65 minutes but Batho did well to block the ball.

The Blues, playing in pink on the night, took the lead again on 69 minutes as after a corner was initially cleared, Alexander’s ball found the head of Aitkens who nodded home into Wilks’ bottom right hand corner for his second and Leiston’s third goal.

Alexander became the third Blues player to be shown a yellow card on 71 minutes while Leiston made changes to personnel with Clemons, Sayer and Marriott replaced by Frostick, Joao Rangel and Long respectively within seven minutes of each other.

Robinson did well to save a shot at his near post to save from substitute Ben Beresford while Rayworth did well to deflect over a strike from close range shortly after on 80 minutes.

Leiston made the game safe when Long, on for his debut for only two minutes, headed home from Aitkens’ cross to make it 4-2. There was time for Lobjoit to force Robinson into a smart save before Rayworth was fouled in the area and Mills sent Wilks the wrong way from the penalty spot to score his 14th goal in all competitions this season.

In stoppage time, Liam Shaw replaced man of the match Noel Aitkens as Leiston deservedly won the game on the night.

FT: Peterborough Sports 2 Leiston 5

The Blues play their first Saturday league fixture at the Flannery Stadium for nine weeks this weekend when they host Alvechurch.

On-line tickets are now available here...

Line-ups:
Peterborough Sports: Wilks, Keeble (Wood 46 mins), Burgess (Cadogan 57 mins), Lobjoit, Brown (Miller 46 mins), Vince, Hart, Williams, Watkins, Ibie (Beresford 60 mins), Green. Substitute not used: Jackson.

Blues: - Robinson, Hill, Batho, Jackson, Alexander, Marriott (Long 83 mins), Sayer (Rangel 81 mins), Mills, Rayworth, Aitkens (Shaw 90+1 mins), Clemons (Frostick 76 mins). Substitute not used: Jarvis.

Blues Man Of The Match: Noel Aitkens

Attendance: 175