Another trip to Surrey, another five-goal thriller

Leatherhead 2 Haringey Borough 3, BetVictor Isthmian Premier League, Tuesday 13^th August 2019

Having crossed the Sussex border to go and watch a match in Surrey only once during my entire maiden groundhopping campaign (and even then,barely), just over a week into my second non-league watching season I find myself heading up the M23 for my third visit to the county in seven days.

In truth, there were a plethora of games for me to choose from, with a full Isthmian League schedule and a smattering of FA Cup replays being played throughout my regular hunting (hopping?) grounds of Sussex, Kent and, increasingly, Surrey.

However, it was the match between Leatherhead and Haringey Borough in the newly (controversially) named BetVictor Isthmian Premier League (formerly the Bostik Premier League), which I ultimately settled upon.

Leatherhead’s Fetcham Grove was a ground that I’d planned to visit last season, but never quite got round to doing so. With my Saturday morning coaching commitments and my eldest son’s Tuesday night football training schedule during term-time, it’s a ground that would be tricky (albeit not impossible) to get to outside of the school holidays.

The main reason why I picked this particular game, though, had less to do with the fact that I could reach Leatherhead without having to rush about like a blue-arse fly, and more to do with the opposition.

Twenty years ago (20! Seriously how did that happen?), during my first year at Middlesex University, I was based at Halls of Residence located on White Hart Lane. On one of my first bus trips into nearby Wood Green, I passed by what I now know to be Coles Park, the home of Haringey Borough. (Interestingly, Coles Park is actually located on White Hart Lane, unlike the far more famous ground belonging to the winners of the prestigious 2019 Audi Cup, Tottenham Hotspur, which until recently took that name).

Despite my proximity to the ground (it was literally half-a-mile walk from my dwelling), not once did I pay Coles Park a visit. There were three reasons for this.

1. Being a student, I didn’t have a lot of disposable income.

2. Being a student, what disposable income I did possess I tended to spend in the Student Union bar.

3. (and most importantly) During our orientation week, all students who were based on campus were warned not to travel around the local area by themselves after dark. Back then, Tottenham was not a particularly salubrious area (not sure what it's like now, I've never been back there since graduating). In fact, we were informed that it was actually the murder capital of London at the time and that certain parts of it were considered off-limits. Well they didn’t put that in the bloody prospectus, did they?

However, I’ve always regretted not once getting myself down to Coles Park to watch Borough in action, and their match away at Leatherhead gave me a chance to right this wrong (at least until I visit the ground itself, which I'm planning to later this season).

I arrived at Fetcham Grove around half-an-hour before kick-off, parking in one of the many available parking spaces at the adjacent Leatherhead Leisure Centre. Entrance was £12, while it was £2 for a cracking programme. Well produced and packed with information, not just about Leatherhead and their visitors but the Isthmian League in general, it continued the trend for the really good programmes at this level that I encountered on numerous occasions last season.

The ground itself is utterly pleasant. The entire width of one side of the pitch is dominated by a mixture of covered terraced and seated stands, while there are also covered terraced stands located directly behind both goals. There’s a wide selection of food and drinks on offer at a few different stalls, a decent little club shop and a well-appointed clubhouse. The pitch was also immaculate. Upon first entering the stadium, I mistakenly believed it was a 3G playing surface, before realising at closer inspection that it was in fact grass. All in all, it was a very impressive set-up.

Leatherhead flew out of the traps and spent much of the first 15 minutes on the front foot. A couple of early penalty appeals were waved away, much to the obvious disgust of the Tanners’ manager, Nikki Bull, who certainly wasn’t backward about letting the official know exactly what he thought about the decisions, as the hosts continued to threaten without managing to create any clear opportunities.

 That fast start was undone in the seventeenth minute when the visitors were awarded a penalty for a handball, much to Bull’s obvious chagrin. In fairness, from where I was standing (which admittedly was a long way from the incident) it looked no different to a couple of the appeals the ref had waved away at the other end. If only there was some kind of video system that could clear these controversial incidents up? Or maybe not, hey!

From the spot, Chiduben Onokwai coolly placed the ball into what my kids’ like to refer as ‘top bins’. It was a totally faultless penalty, as you can see by the video below.

The Tanner’s didn’t seem to let this setback affect them. For the rest of the half, they continued to pose the visitors problems, although were often guilty of not getting their shots away early enough or occasionally getting in each other’s way at vital times.

As the half wore-on, Borough began to show more threat on the break, with Romoluwa Akinola, in particular, showing a few glimpses of what the visitors were capable of.

With half-time approaching, Leatherhead were finally awarded a penalty of their own at what must have been about the fourth, maybe even the fifth, time of asking. There was no way the ref wasn’t going to award this one, though, it was as stonewall as they come. While Eddie Dsane’s spot kick may not have been ‘top bins’ it was equally as effective; hit hard and low into the bottom corner, just as my Dad used to tell me they should be (see video below).

If the Tanners had hoped that scoring right on half-time would have an adverse effect on their visitors, then they were to be sorely disappointed. Borough looked a completely different side after the break, threatening every time they went forward and causing constant problems for the Leatherhead backline.

Just five minutes into the second half this increased tempo was rewarded with a goal. The up till then solid Will Salmon made a hash of a clearance, and ball fell invitingly for Akinola who dispatched his effort with aplomb into the back of the net.

The goal sent the small, but very vocal – and impeccably behaved (one chant celebrated their need not to swear) – Borough supporters wild and the songs began to flow even more readily then they had in the first half. See the below videos for a couple of their ditties. Even a couple of home supporters who were standing near me admitted they had to force themselves to stop joining in with the chanting. It was slightly hypnotic.

When Jorge Djassi-Sambu powerfully headed home a third goal for Borough with just over 20 minutes remaining, the game seemed to be over as a contest. The hosts had barely threatened in the second half and the visitors looked utterly comfortable. Another clear chance came the visitors way, but Onokwai was unlucky to see his effort strike the bar.

Then, with ten minutes remaining, the Tanners seemed to recover the verve with which they had attacked in the first half. Suddenly, it was their turn to put the visitors under pressure. When the impressive Daniel Gallagher smashed a shot in off the post with just under five minutes left to reduce the arrears to one, a grandstand finish was on.

As the clock ticked past the 90-minute-mark, Borough were becoming increasingly desperate in their bid to hold on to their lead and Coby Rowe was perhaps lucky to escape a red card as a wild lunge left a leatherhead player sprawled on the grass as the hosts threatened a quick breakaway. Fortunately for him, the ref deemed the challenge only worthy of a yellow (not sure the Leatherhead supporters near me agreed with the decision).

Then with time almost up, Leatherhead had a great chance to snatch an equaliser, but the attacker could only send his shot high and wide when well placed inside the area. It was to be their last chance with an enthralling game drawing to a close mere moments later.

My three visits to Surrey have yielded an impressive total of 14 goals, so you can be sure I’ll be heading north of the Sussex border on plenty more occasions this season. Not this weekend, though. I’m going away for a few days so this weekend’s match will be coming from a slightly different area of the country (for me).

Bring it on!

Enjoyed this blog post? Then you may be interested in reading my kindle book which recounts my 2018/19 groundhopping journey (take a look, it’s only 99p).