Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

DROYLSDEN 2 - 2 LEIGH R. M. I.

Nationwide North, Saturday 3rd February 2007

Report by Gary Owen

Leigh striker Chris Simm capped a fine display with an added-time equaliser with just seconds remaining, as a pea-souper of a fog descended on the Butcher's Arms.

The goal robbed the Bloods of two vital additional points, but it was no more than the plucky Railwaymen had deserved, who worked hard all afternoon against their hosts from the summit of the table.

Leigh contained the Bloods for much of the game with an effective 4-5-1 formation, with Mark Jackson supporting lone striker Simm at every opportunity, but it is Droylsden who will be counting the cost of their missed opportunities, particularly in the first half.

In the opening quarter of an hour, Steve Daly set-up both Jamie Tandy and Chris Denham, but the former delayed his shot and the latter shot way over the target. Daly himself then missed a gilt-edged opportunity, as he bustled past the Leigh defence, only to hit a tame strike straight at John Lamb.

Droylsden missed a great opporunity to open the scoring just after the half hour mark, when Terry Fearns benefitted from a rare error of judgement by Mark Maddox, but his over-hit cross was kept alive by Denham, who cut the ball back to Daly, but Lamb made a fine point blank save.

Hence, it was somewhat against the run of play when Leigh took the lead. Kingsley Jones' deep corner was turned back into the danger area by Simm, and Jackson hooked home over his shoulder to open the scoring.

Simm then almost punished the Bloods further as Garry Burke and Paul Phillips seemed to be on different wavelengths, but Burke recovered to clear.

Tandy headed wide and a Gareth Morris free-kick was also wide of the mark, before the Bloods struck level on the stroke of half-time. Fearns again benefitted from a slip, this time by Steve Brockley, to cross for Daly to convert, despite appeals for a foul by the Droylsden striker on Maddox.

Nine minutes after the re-start, Tandy made inroads into the Leigh half and fed the ball to Steve Halford in an advanced position. He poked the ball accross the face of goal, where Daly was on hand to put the Bloods ahead.

On the hour mark, Phillips was lucky to escape when his mis-kicked clearance almost fell to both Simm and Neil Briscoe, but Droylsden cleared the danger.

Denham then pulled a shot wide of the mark after beating three players, before Ian Taylor outstripped Jamie Vaughan to cross for Steve Settle, but his header was off the mark.

With just minutes remaining, Owen Roberts' free kick struck the Droylsden wall and had Phillips scrambling accross the face of goal, but in added time the Bloods gifted possession to Leigh through Morris and Simm had the freedom of the box to take a touch and shoot low past Phillips.

The result, a carbon copy of the encounter at Hilton Park earlier in the season, gives Leigh a lift at the wrong end of the table whilst keeping matters very interesting at the top.

DROYLSDEN: Phillips 6, Vaughan 6, HALFORD 7, Robinson 7, Burke 6, Morris 6, Tandy 6, Jagielka 6, Fearns 5, Daly 6, Denham 7.

SUBS: Banim (not used), Lynch (not used), Rapley (not used), Norton 7 (for Tandy, 76), Warner (not used).

LEIGH R. M. I.: Lamb, Unsworth, Roberts, Porter, Maddox, Brockley, Settle, Hussin, Simm, Jackson, Jones.

SUBS: Owen (not used), Lugsden (for Settle, 85), Dunne (for Jones, 46), Briscoe (not used), Taylor (for Unsworth, 57).

SCORERS:

DROYLSDEN - Daly (45 and 54)

LEIGH R. M. I. - Jackson (40), Simm (92)

REFEREE: Mr. M. J. Denton (Todmorden, West Yorkshire)

ATTENDANCE: 431