League Play-Off

Lovedean
Spectators: 39 (Terracing: 30, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) Leroy Leightons short, quick shot in the 6thth minute got Frankie Whitford to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. Frankie Whitford had great luck who in the 10thth minute grab hold of the ball when Scott Lonsdale from a short distance tried to put the ball inside the right post. After a rather tough play, Lovedean FC's Denny Steed got a free kick in the 11th minute. Helsby's Alfie Grantham couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 12th minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Lovedean FC. 15 minutes into the match, Leroy Leighton had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Frankie Whitford. Helsby's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Leroy Leighton was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-0. Scott Lonsdale might have been able to make a better finish in the 24th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Frankie Whitford. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Scott Lonsdale ran back to his position shaking his head. Scott Lonsdale received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 26th minute. Frankie Whitford tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Leroy Leighton took the ball and in the 27 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Frankie Whitford. Frankie Whitford dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 2-0. 37 minutes into the game, Leroy Leighton cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 4-0. Frankie Whitford was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Mitch Fairfax fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 47th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Frankie Whitford having to interfere. The home fans were very happy to see their team leading 4-0 at half-time.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Mike Fleetham was the one to do the kick off. Scott Lonsdale struck a weak shot in the 52nd minute. Frankie Whitford didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Lovedean FC. When Ged Nethercoat fell near the penalty area in the 54th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Lovedean FC's protests and gave Ged Nethercoat a yellow card for diving instead. In the 57th minute, Kristopher Maloney hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. In the 60th minute, Leroy Leighton got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Frankie Whitford didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Leroy Leighton went, in the 64th minute, to the upper right corner, 5-0 was the resulting score. Scott Lonsdale's late challenge caught a Helsby's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Scott Lonsdale helped the player get up and apologised. In the 69th minute, Scott Lonsdale hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. In the 71st match minute, Lovedean FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Ged Nethercoat to maneuver through the defense. With 76 minutes on the clock, Denny Steed commited a dangerous tackle. The referee had no choice but to show him the red card. After 75 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Lovedean FC! In the 78th minute, the referee gave Helsby a penalty. Alfie Grantham looked confident and blasted the ball into goal by the left post, totally unstoppable for Jonathan Gray. After 80 minutes, Mitch Fairfax mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Lovedean FC and the Helsby players grew even worse after the yellow card. Mitch Fairfax hit a great freekick 81 minutes into the match. After recieving a nice pass, Helsby's Alfie Grantham tried to score from far away in the 82nd minute, but the ball went over the crossbar. In the 83rd match minute, Lovedean FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Guy Lester to maneuver through the defense. Leroy Leighton sent away a hard shot on goal in the 85th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Ethan Buckley hit a great freekick 86 minutes into the match. After having played for 88 minutes, Mitch Fairfax managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Lovedean FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Mitch Fairfax was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 92 minutes, Leroy Leighton made it 6-1 with a short kick to the right side. Helsby's Frankie Whitford tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. With his leg Jonathan Gray managed to avoid a goal in the 95thth minute, when Helsby's Brandon Laycock fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Leroy Leighton fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 99th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Frankie Whitford having to interfere. When the referee ended the match the Lovedean FC players were able to celebrate. They had won a fair victory and recieved the ovations of their fans.