Weather puts a dampener on Leightons' game

With Leighton winning away from home in the week at North Greenford United, this afternoon they looked to continue their winning ways against Uxbridge who are currently 16th in the league.

Leighton kicked off the match but the ball was kicked straight out seeing Uxbridge gain possession in the form of a throw in. The first shot for Uxbridge came in the 6th minute when the Leighton defence seemed to be asleep allowing Uxbridge to slip through but thankfully Matt Griggs was able to gather the ball safely in his hands. Some good play from Ben Gallant and Ryan Plowright allowed Jack Downes to have Leightons first shot at goal in the 9th minute but nothing became of it.

The tables turned quickly and once again Griggs had to make a save to deny Uxbridge the chance of scoring. The flow of play was disrupted when Ryan Plowright gave away a silly free kick just in front of the dug outs, luckily the ball was cleared by Leightons defence before it had chance to hit the ground.

The 20th minute saw Sam Chapman foul Uxbridge in the box and they were awarded a penalty which Craige Tomkins scored even with Griggs managing to go the right way. Leighton filled with anger after seeing Uxbridge score from the penalty took charge and Dom Marsala managed to make head way down the pitch before falling into the hands of the Uxbridge defence. Jack Downes had the chance to score from a free kick in the 25th minute but his shot was just off target and skimmed over the bar.

Uxbridge had the chance to make it 2-0 in the 30th minute from a corner and with Griggs no where near the ball it looked like it was all over, but thankfully Ryan Plowright managed to clear the ball off the line keeping the score at 1-0.

It became apparent as the game went on that Leighton weren't communicating enough, they were making mistakes and just not wanting the ball, although the bounce of the pitch seemed to be in Uxbridges' favour, making it even easier for Uxbridge to slip through the defence and take numerous shots that Griggs easily saved.

Uxbridge kicked off the second half and straight away there was a dispute with the referee who booked Jake Bewley for throwing the ball away from the opposition. The 51st minute brought even more disappointment for Leighton when obviously Chapman didn't learn his lesson from the first half, as yet again he gave away a penalty which Craige Tomkins scored making it 2-0 to Uxbridge.

The 64th minute saw the heavens open and gale force winds begin to blow, this horrific weather saw the game paused while the players made their way to shelter. The officials then made the decision, once the rain had past, that the match be abandoned due to the pitch being waterlogged.

Leighton will therefore travel to replay this match against Uxbridge on Tuesday 4th March.

By Hannah Sellman

Team line up- Griggs, Fryer, Bewley, W Plowright, Chapman, Bishop, Gallant, Downes, Bush, R Plowright, Marsala

Subs- Chendlik, Maisiri, Silvestri

Attendance- N/A

Photographs from this game can be found on Uxbridges website- please follow the link below

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/uxbridge/photos/uxbridge-v-leighton-25-1-2014-454671.html