Leighton romp to commanding win in FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

The away side initially took the lead, before a barrage of goals saw two hattricks, a new man get off the mark and Leighton fans leaving happy following this eleven-strong goal fest.
Baldock actually started the day the brighter of the two sides and opened the scoring two minutes in. A long ball was floated over and Lawrence Ajong showed top skill to chip stand-in goalkeeper Carl Knox.
The early goal was clearly a shock to the system, but 20 minutes in, the hosts responded. Matty Cooper scored again to continue his brilliant early season form. Leon Lobjoit on the right lofted one over to the back post and Cooper was there to nod home. Twelve minutes later, the Reds would have another. Gary Connolly put in a signature deep freekick and Lewis Toomey rose to flick into the bottom left corner. It was a great goal that opened his competitive Leighton account.
Baldock answered through Ajong again on ’32 but Leighton had their heads down and were on the hunt for more. On ’40, Lewis Toomey grabbed his second, Joe Fitzgerald won a 50/50 on the edge of the box and Toomey ran in down the left before converting calmly past keeper David Archer.
Remarkably, Town would get another before the half time whistle sounded. On 46 minutes, a scrappy corner fell to Fitzgerald on the edge of the box. He hammered low to ping it off the left upright and make it 4-2.
Nothing changed in the second half and 48 minutes saw another goal. Leon Lobjoit was played through and executed an exquisite chip, the keeper caught in no man’s land. Six minutes later, Lewis Toomey would cap a personally memorable outing with his hattrick from the spot.
Lobjoit, perhaps inspired by his strike partner, was determined to get himself on the scoresheet again - and that he did on ’67. Jack Harvey worked the ball into the box well before some smart footwork from the forward enabled him to seal his brace. He drilled his effort low back across and found the bottom right with ease.
A great day for the strikers, it was to be another hattrick from the spot. Fitzgerald was taken down in the box on ’75 and the ball was rightly given to the Lobjoit. He slotted it away brilliantly, sending the keeper the wrong way. On ’82, Archie McClelland sealed the ninth goal, latching on to a parry from the keeper and finding the right corner well.
Admittedly, travelling goalie David Archer had spent more time picking the ball out of his net than making saves, but he did deny double figures on ’85. Gary Connolly received the ball on the edge and would’ve seen his shot bend into the top left had Archer not got a crucial acrobatic touch.
It was but one of few positives as a dominant Leighton Town progressed into the next round. With two hattricks, Lobjoit and Toomey shared the spoils for man of the match. Now, next up is London Colney away, back in the league on Saturday.

LTFC XI: Knox; Fitzgerald, Connolly, Connolly (C), Flanagan, Pyman, Cooper, Toomey, Lobjoit, Harvey.
Subs: Marsh, McClelland, Towell, Butler, Akinbobola, Silvestri.

Attendance: 283

Report by Max Bradfield

Photo Copyright Simon Gill Photography.