League

Maldon Stadium
Spectators: 7500 (Terracing: 5625, Seating: 1725, VIP seats: 150) Maldon's Simon Elwick started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. 2 minutes into the game, Brad Deaconsfield was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Leigh's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Maldon the free kick. Tod Jennings sent away a hard shot on goal in the 9th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Victor Oates took a chance and fired a shot far from the goal in the 16th minute, but it turned out to be a dangerous situation for Duncan Haigh. Maldon's goalkeeper really had to stretch himself to stop the ball from crossing the goal line. 17 minutes into the match, Trevor Featherstone had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Duncan Haigh. Maldon's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Trevor Featherstone was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-1. When Trevor Featherstone came up free with the goalie in the 20th minute, the Leigh fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Trevor Featherstone couldn't finish the play. Duncan Haigh took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Trevor Featherstone, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Trevor Featherstone received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 25th minute. Duncan Haigh tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Tod Jennings received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 26th minute. Duncan Haigh tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. An unexpectedly hard shot by Tod Jennings in the 34th minute of play forced Maldon's goalkeeper Duncan Haigh to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. When Trevor Featherstone came up free with the goalie in the 37th minute, the Leigh fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Trevor Featherstone couldn't finish the play. If Trevor Featherstone had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 44th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 46 minutes into the game, Leigh's Tod Jennings nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Duncan Haigh made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-2. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-2.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Tod Jennings was the one to do the kick off. Trevor Featherstone received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 55th minute. Duncan Haigh tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Duncan Haigh showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Tod Jennings in the 57th minute of the match. The supporters of Maldon booed when Leigh was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 64 match minutes in a wonderful position. Barry Dobson didn't get a good kick on the ball. Trevor Featherstones short, quick shot in the 71stth minute got Duncan Haigh to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. Micheal Hartley charged in rather forcefully in the 75th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Micheal Hartley the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In a very dangerous position, a player in Leigh fell when an opponent tried to get the ball from him in the 74th minute. Penalty! Leigh's Dennis Baker played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Reuben Shaw in the 78th minute of play. Trevor Featherstone sent away a hard shot on goal in the 80th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. 88 minutes into the match, Maldon's goal looked a bit too open when Tod Jennings came free, but Duncan Haigh reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Trevor Featherstone fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 91st minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Duncan Haigh having to interfere. After some fancy dribbling in the 94th minute, Trevor Featherstone managed to get in a good position for a shot. Leigh's supporters rose to their feet, but Trevor Featherstone was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Duncan Haigh breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Tod Jennings struck a weak shot in the 96th minute. Duncan Haigh didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Leigh. When the match was over Leigh could go home with a victory in their luggage, having controlled the game far better than Maldon throughout the match.