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WHYTELEAFE 4 - 3 NORTH GREENFORD
Saturday 8th October 2011
FA Trophy - Preliminary Round

MATCH PHOTOS (thanks to Stuart Fuller)

An open and entertaining match was won by a stunning late hat trick by Whyteleafe striker Scott Simpson. All the goals came in the last 35 minutes with the visitors still being two goals ahead with 11 minutes to go.

In sharp contrast to the previous week there was an autumnal chill, with one home player even wearing gloves. For Leafe Alec Brown returned to right back, with Dan Aldous in an unaccustomed midfield role. Jay Garrick remained suspended.

The home side started strongly but the first real chance came to the West Londoners when a fierce drive by Danny Bennell struck a defender, forcing a sharp save by keeper Paul Smith. When Zak Joseph was chopped down on the edge of the penalty area, another Bennell shot was only just clear of the top right hand corner of the goal.

A Fabian Batchelor free kick found Ryan Thomas clear with the goalkeeper committed, but he fired narrowly wide.

At the other end a long corner from Peter Martin forced Smith to palm the ball away under pressure. Soon after, a long ball from Martin found Danny Bennell on the opposite wing, who centred for Zak Joseph to shoot narrowly wide.

Both sides were creating chances, but NGU were playing the more concerted football and Smith was the busier keeper.

A speculative ground shot by Dan Aldous was only just wide. Soon afterwards a long run by Scott Simpson, he was baulked by Nathan Fearon in the penalty area but the blatant bodycheck went unpenalised. When Ryan Thomas, on the right wing was pulled by Charlie McCarthy the free kick was awarded but neat ballwork by Simpson and Thomas came to nothing.

At the other end Henry-Brown seemed to bring Joseph down in the penalty area, but nothing was given.

The pattern continued of both sides creating openings, but movements were breaking down on the edge of the penalty areas. At a goalless halftime the visitors had had slightly more of the possession but had been unable to do anything with it.

Leafe started the second half the more composed and a flowing movement that started with Henry-Brown via Simpson found Fred Fleming at the far post, but he shot narrowly wide.

The deadlock was broken in the 56th minute, when Ricky Pither hit a low shot to the left of keeper Smith to put the visitors ahead. At the time this was against the flow of the match.

Curtis Williams was fouled but was allowed to go on. When the move broke down, the referee pulled the players back for a Leafe free kick. This very late free kick was much to the annoyance of the away side, but in the event nothing came of it.

After 61 minutes Leafe equalised in the best move of the match so far. Fabian Batchelor found Kwabena Agyei in midfield He moved it sharply to Scott Simpson, who found the net with a fierce well-directed shot.

Almost immediately NGU missed their best chance of the match. Paul Smith made a magnificent double save, the first with his feet, from Joseph and Martin, but the ball fell again to Martin who missed a virtually open goal.

The visitors were more in the game at this stage but had a tendency to over-hit free kicks and corners.

After 70 minutes they took the lead. Martin made a run down the wing and centred to an unmarked Joseph who, this time, made no mistake.

United now had their tails up. Five minutes later Smith was lured out off his goal, wide to the left wing and never regained position. The ball was passed across the Leafe goal where it eventually found an unmarked Joseph who scored from a narrow angle coming in from the right.

Leafe then made a double substitution, with midfielder Lee Stripp and young striker Greg Clare replacing Williams and Thomas. At the same time Brown and Aldous went back to their more accustomed roles as midfielder and defender respectively.

It paid off almost immediately. On 79 minutes, a centre from Clare found Gnamore, only just onside, and the score was 2-3. One minute later, it was Gnamore’s turn to be the provider and Scott Simpson eagerly grabbed the chance of an equaliser.

Both sides were now throwing men forward in search of the winner. Leafe captain Fred Fleming was forced to head off the line, but only after NGU claims that Smith had pulled Joseph down.

But it was Leafe who got the decisive blow in the last minute. Scott Simpson’s hard centre struck Charlie McCarthy on the arm in the penalty area. According to the referee those arms were raised, and so it was a penalty. McCarthy was keen to show red marks on his chest to the referee, the linesman and anyone else who cared to look It was to no avail and he merely talked himself into a yellow card.

Simpson took the penalty himself, securing himself a hat trick and Leafe a place in the next round where they have a home tie with either Grays Athletic or Waltham Abbey.

The visitors left feeling somewhat aggrieved, but it had been an entertaining game for home supporters and neutrals alike.

Whyteleafe: Smith, Brown, Henry-Brown, Fleming, Aldous, Dudley, Williams (Stripp 78), Batchelor, Simpson, Agyei (Gnamore 65), Thomas (Clare 78)

Unused Sub: Marks.