League Play-Off

Congleton
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Jacob Dale started the match with the kick off. Leek's Billie Burns got a good chance for a goal in the 4th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. An unexpectedly hard shot by Cliff Hehir in the 7th minute of play forced Congleton's goalkeeper Denis Rothwell to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Leon Lonsdale hit a great freekick 11 minutes into the match. A collision led to Congleton getting a freekick after 14 minutes play. Den Clarke hit a great ball. After a rather tough play, Leek's Leon Lonsdale got a free kick in the 18th minute. Congleton's Denis Rothwell played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Hugh Lewington in the 20th minute of play. If Cliff Hehir had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 25th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Phil Braithwaite didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Jacob Dale went, in the 27th minute, to the upper right corner, 1-0 was the resulting score. If Jacob Dale had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 33rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. When Walter Senior fell near the penalty area in the 35th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Congleton's protests and gave Walter Senior a yellow card for diving instead. In the 40th minute, Cliff Hehir ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Denis Rothwell was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-1. When Gareth Rowell fell near the penalty area in the 42nd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Leek's protests and gave Gareth Rowell a yellow card for diving instead. Gareth Rowell was shown his second yellow card after 45 minutes, following a rather ugly tackle on opponent. That was the end of his participation in the match. The supporters of Congleton booed when Leek was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 46 match minutes in a wonderful position. Gareth Rowell didn't get a good kick on the ball. If Damien Farrell had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 47th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead.

The hometeam waved at the audience when it was time for Cliff Hehir to strike the kick off in the second half. Samuel Coote hit a great freekick 56 minutes into the match. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Leon Lonsdale during the 58th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. The supporters of Congleton booed when Leek was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 58 match minutes in a wonderful position. Leon Lonsdale didn't get a good kick on the ball. Jacob Dale received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 59th minute. Phil Braithwaite tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. If Cliff Hehir had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 62nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The audience was convinced that Cliff Hehir's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Denis Rothwell was relentless in the 64th minute of the game. Hugh Lewington struck a weak shot in the 65th minute. Denis Rothwell didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Leek. A collision led to Congleton getting a freekick after 66 minutes play. Samuel Coote hit a great ball. After some fancy dribbling in the 70th minute, Cliff Hehir managed to get in a good position for a shot. Leek's supporters rose to their feet, but Cliff Hehir was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Denis Rothwell breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. With his leg Denis Rothwell managed to avoid a goal in the 74thth minute, when Leek's Cliff Hehir fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Cliff Hehir in the 77thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Denis Rothwell, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. Cliff Hehir could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 79th minute of the match, but Denis Rothwell made a huge save. After a rather tough play, Congleton's Marty Marsden got a free kick in the 82nd minute. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Billie Burns during the 84th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Billie Burns hit a great freekick 84 minutes into the match. After 89 minutes of play Leek's Billie Burns was too eager in his attempt to stop his opponent and brought him down. With that he got his second yellow card and was ordered off the ground. In the 90th match minute, Leek was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Billie Burns to maneuver through the defense. Leek's Phil Braithwaite played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Jacob Dale in the 92nd minute of play. When the referee blew the final whistle, you could see the dissatisfaction in the Leek players' eyes. They were disappointed they hadn't taken more from the game.