fixtures and results | home page
A controversial stoppage time winner for the visitors denied Leafe a deserved point after an entertaining second-half comeback at a sunny Church Road.
Met Police are strong contenders for automatic promotion and justified their position with a dominant first-half display. In the 5th minute centre-forward Craig Watkins forced a fine close-range save at his near post from Leafe keeper Michael Lidbury, with the same player firing the rebound wide of the other upright.
At the other end, home captain Kwabena Agyei found space wide on the right, hitting a fierce shot from 25 yards, gathered by keeper Mo Maan at the second attempt.
The Met pressed harder and on 19 minutes centre-half Steve Sutherland met a corner with a fierce header, just inches over the bar. The breakthrough came two minutes later when a through ball from James Field was met by Watkins who crossed from the by-line and Rob Haworth had the space and time to tap the ball home.
Just after the half-hour the powerful Sutherland met another free-kick with his head, the ball rattling the post before being scrambled away once more. Just before the break Field curled a shot from distance just inches wide of the Leafe goal.
After the break the hosts rallied, taking on an attacking formation with three forwards, skipper Agyei in particular a constant threat. In the 53rd minute Dean Gunner met a trademark Chris O'Flaherty corner heading narrowly over the bar.
Ryan Thomas displayed his skill and trickery down the right, sending a magnificent cross over on 57 minutes, only an impressive finger-tipped intervention from Maan denying Agyei a certain goal. On the hour, Thomas himself burst into the box, firing narrowly wide. Agyei and Thomas combined once again shortly after, this time the latter meeting a cross with a firm header, nodded over by a Met defender.
The Leafe equaliser came on 86 minutes when an O'Flaherty free kick into a crowded box was not cleared and Agyei pounced to score.
With the game seemingly destined to end in a draw, a fair result given the "game of two halves" witnessed, a highly controversial stoppage time goal gifted the points to the Met. In a last-ditch attack the ball was played into the Leafe area and a defender was adjudged to have handballed, the referee Mr Baker blowing his whistle for a penalty. With both teams clearly stopping play, Met defender Steve Noakes stroked the ball home and to the amazement of all a goal was awarded, rather than the expected spot-kick.
It proved to be a decisive and hugely controversial moment, the final meaningful kick of the game and Leafe manager Nicky English must now pick his team up once more for a crucial visit on Tuesday evening to fellow relegation battlers Whitstable Town.
Whyteleafe: Lidbury, Brown, Huell, Laud-Anderson, Gunner, Agyei, Graham, Stripp (Grant 76), Batchelor, Thomas, O'Flaherty. Subs not used: Gnamore, Webster.