fixtures and results | home page
Whyteleafe almost got something from a game that looked to be a hopeless case with a spirited finale but they left it too late and couldn't quite get back into the game. Leafe certainly missed Chris O'Flaherty who has left for Met Police and Lee Stripp who is injured and likely to be out for the season.
Burgess Hill should have taken a third minute lead when Danny Curd sent Will Berry clear down the right. His shot found Lloyd Cotton in the box but he fluffed his shot.
Fabian Batchelor went close for the hosts after 8 minutes, shooting just wide from a Ryan Thomas cross.
Burgess Hill took a 12th minute lead when Steve Harper found Cotton in the box and he shot low and hard past Michael Lidbury. After 23 minutes the lead was extended when a Berry free kick was not cleared properly and the ball fell to Sonny Cobbs who scored from close range. The rest of the first half was rather drab with the visitors happy to have the lead and Leafe apparently with few ideas on breaking them down.
Things got worse for Leafe early in the second half when a cross from Ollie Lockyear found Cotton unchallenged in the box and he headed firmly in to the back of the net. Danny Gainsford nearly made it four in the 59th minute when he headed just wide from a corner.
Leafe took off a tiring Thomas in the 77th minute and the introduction of Stephane Gnamore seemed to inspire Leafe who suddenly started to play the football that has featured so much in recent games. In the 79th minute a long through ball saw Batchelor outpace the defence and he was only denied by a brilliant save from Joel Harding. Two minutes later Leafe pulled one back when Bentley Graham floated a free kick into the box. Kwabena Agyei outjumped Harding to head the ball into the net.
Lidbury kept Leafe hopes alive with a great save from Sam Tucknott who had broken clear in the 83rd minute. The same player again broke clear in the 88th minute but his shot went across the face of goal with the advancing Lidbury narrowing the angle.
Leafe gave themselves hope of a late comeback when in the first minute of stoppage time, Gnamore was first to reach a long through ball, and chipped it over Harding and into the net off the underside of the bar. With 4 minutes of stoppage time signaled, Leafe threw everything at the visitors.
A Graham free kick found Dan Aldous in the box and his header was well blocked by Gainsford and went out for a corner. Leafe then forced three consecutive corners and could have snatched a last gasp equaliser from the final one when Graham found Dom Huell unmarked in the box but his header went way over the bar and the visitors held on for three valuable points to make their play off place look fairly secure.
Consolation for Leafe was that other results were generally in their favour, leaving them all but safe, in particular Chatham's loss to bottom side Horsham YMCA leaves them nine points clear of the relegation places with only 5 games remaining.
Whyteleafe:
Lidbury, Aldous, Huell, Fleming, Laud Anderson (Banton 82), Graham, Grant, Agyei, Batchelor, Thomas (Gnamore 77), Akokia. Subs not used Smith, Borrett.