Leyton 1 – 0 Wealdstone

1 - 0

This match was never going to be a classic from the early stages when a number of innocuous challenges saw free kicks awarded, and a few more were awarded to the mystery of both sides.
Stones were on the back foot in the early stages but the defence held strong, preventing the home side from having a shot, and as the half wore on, Stones pressed forward, the home defence too preventing any meaningful effort on goal.
Stones should have been awarded a penalty on twenty minutes when Williams was pushed in the penalty area, and six minutes later he was penalised when a through ball struck his arm – he questioned the decision and was immediately booked, yet some ten minutes later, and almost identical offence by a Leyton player went unpunished.
David Godfrey was injured on 31 minutes collecting a high cross, appearing to land awkwardly under a challenge and had to be replaced having damaged ankle ligaments, Dave Ryan taking over in goal.
he had little to do until just before half time, when Shaw was adjudged given away a corner when to most present a goal kick was the correct decision. Shaw questioned the decision and was booked for dissent, as was Martin Carter when he too asked why a corner had been given.
The corner was duly played into the box where Carter headed clear, though as both sides carried on, the Referee gave a penalty against Shaw for pulling on a forwards shirt. No-one other than the official appeared to have seen the incident, and Bajada stepped up to steer the penalty just out of Dave Ryan’s reach to give the home side a 1-0 lead at half time.
The second half was almost entirely Wealdstone attacking, the home side limited to very occasional breakaways, and after having had so little to do, Ryan must fancy playing in goal again, but despite long periods of possession and pressure, Stones could not find there way through a packed defence – Leyton had six behind the ball for most of the half – and the score remained at 1-0 to the home side.
Harrow Times
Leyton 1 – 0 Wealdstone
Feast of bookings, just one goal….
THE major talking point in this controversial match on Tuesday was the performance of the referee.
In a non-violent game, he took the names of six players, three from each side. The Wealdstone three, all booked in the first half for pointing out to the official an alleged mistake, were Tommy Williams, Martin Carter and Jason Shaw.
In seeming to want to even the score, he then proceeded to book three Leyton players in the second half for minor offences that would not have normally raised an eyebrow.
Goalkeeper David Godfrey had come into the Wealdstone side in place of the injured Andy Carter, but he lasted only half-an-hour before having to leave the field with an ankle injury contracted after falling awkwardly taking a cross a few minutes earlier.
David Ryan took over in goal but such was the lack of ambition of the home side after a bright opening ten minutes, that the stand-in keeper did not have a shot of note to save for the hour he was in goal.
The game itself would have been a banker goalless draw were it not for the referee’s intervention.
Wealdstone had only one shot on target all match, a 25-yard strike from Tommy Williams straight at goalkeeper Hasell, although Marvin Morgan did head wide and Robin Tucker make a hash of a second half chance when one-on-one with Hasell, slicing high and wide with his wrong foot.
For all the talk in the programme of scoring more goals, as an attacking force against a stand-in goalkeeper, Leyton were a big disappointment and continued to keep five players back at all times, even when in front.
The goal that decided the game was a penalty, awarded somewhat mysteriously in the sixth minute of first half injury time.
A cross from the right was headed away by Tucker, but the hawkeyed official had spotted something that no player or spectator had. It was rumoured at half time that Shaw had tugged on a Leyton player’s shirt but surely there would have been an appeal if so.
No sooner than Bajada put the ball past Ryan’s valiant dive than the half-time whistle went.
Stones tried their hardest to level after the break but had little to show apart from Tucker’s miss.
The only other opening that might have led to something was when Wealdstone had a three on one numerical advantage after a breakaway, but the referee halted the attack for a perceived head injury to a Leyton player, invoking another crescendo of booing at the final whistle to add to the one he had received at half time.
You must be logged in to post a comment.