Leightons luck continues with late penalty

A minutes applause was held before the game in memory of the late Joyce Lathwell, who was a patron of the club for many years along with her husband George who attended todays game.

Leighton kicked off the first half but straight away it was Chalfont St Peter who took possession, 2 minutes in and Chalfont had their first shot on target thanks to Terrell Lewis but Matt Griggs saved it without too much trouble.

Leightons Gareth Chendlik was well aware that he needed to do something to win the ball upfront, so he pressured Michael Power-Simpson in the 7th minute who panicked and kicked it straight into Leightons possession. Once regaining the ball Leighton had a chance in the 10th minute to alter the scoreline when Enzo Silvestri played some brilliant football and managed to find Dom Marsala in the box, who was unfortunately offside.

The weather once again was playing a vital part in the game but not in Leightons favour. Warren Plowright managed to put a good ball through to Ben Gallant but the wind took the ball too far and nothing became of his excellent run. The 16th minute saw the notorious Silvestri square up to Anthony Lennon, who received a yellow card, after a foul had been committed.

The 22nd minute saw Chalfont come even closer to scoring when Terrell Lewis (the danger man) hit the bar, however the tables quickly turned 2 minutes later when Leighton also had a chance, Sean Bishop controlled the ball well in the air, finding Gallant and Marsala in the box but once again neither of them could put the ball in the net.

The next 15 minutes saw shots from Jake Bewley, Sam Chapman and Chendlik all of who were denied the chance of a goal. Unfortunately for Leighton no matter how many shots they took, it was a surprise when in the 44th minute Chalfonts' Danilson Vincente booted the ball into the back of the net, making the score at half time 1-0 to Chalfont St Peter.

The second half started with Chalfont and there was an appalling decision made by Griggs who crazily decided to pass the ball back to Warren Plowright who was unaware that Chalfont were hot on his tail, luckily Griggs made up for his mistake and saved the shot.

53 minutes in and there was a dispute between the referee and the away bench when they started moaning about a decision the officials had made, the Chalfont manager was extremely lucky not to have been sent to the stand. A second half substitution saw Chendlik replaced with Craig Maisiri where the game started to pick up pace with a fresh pair of legs on the pitch.

Chalfont seemed to be successfully time wasting when it came to throw ins and goal kicks but were caught out in the 70th minute when they were taking too long for the referees liking and he booked Ronanye Marsh-Brown. Shane Bush and Silvestri were fighting a constant battle in midfield struggling to keep possession of the ball, with it strategically seeming to bounce in favour of the opposition.

Some good defending took place between Kristian Stephens and Bewley to clear their lines and force the ball down the pitch. However their work was short lived when in the 72nd minute everyones hearts were in their mouths when there was a mad scramble around the goal and it looked like Chalfont would sneak the ball in the net but thankfully the referee blew his whistle for offside.

The game once again became out of hand with all the players rushing to one side of the pitch when Marsala committed a foul in the 75th minute and received a yellow card for doing so. Jack Downes came on in place of Bishop and it seemed like Leighton were struggling to keep in the game with no one seeming to want to win the ball.

The 85th minute saw Chapman get a clouting on his right shin and he was substituted to make way for Grant Fryer. The last few minutes saw all the action with 2 penalties being awarded to Leighton, one for a foul on Fryer who was supposedly pushed over in the box. Gallant stepped up to take both, his first was saved by Power-Simpson with ease, but thankfully Gallant hit the back of the net with the second, making it 1-1.

Griggs made a crucial save in the 93rd minute which could have seen Chalfont win the match but luckily it ended 1-1, giving Leighton a vital point to stay within reaching distance of mid-table.

Leightons next game is at home to Luton Town FC in the Beds Senior Challenge Cup on Tuesday 4th February, kick off 7:45pm.

By Hannah Sellman

Team lineup- Griggs, Stephens, Bewley, W Plowright, Chapman, Bishop, Gallant, Bush, Chendlik, Silvestri, Marsala

Subs- Kirkwood, Fryer, Downes, R Plowright, Maisiri

Attendance- 90