Tanners leaves trouble behind with comfortable win

10:31am Monday 22nd October 2007

By Steve Dennis

After the trauma of the past week, a good performance was a must as the Tanners entertained their Bedfordshire opponents at the Grove.

Bob Langford, holding the fort after the departure of Dave Harlow drafted in Aaron Murphy to replace the suspended Jamie Beer, while skipper Neil Baker made a welcome return to the heart of the defence.

Arlesey came to the Grove with a good reputation in the Trophy, having previously beaten Waltham Forest by seven goals in the previous round. Leatherhead went into the game on the back of two league defeats.

The home side could not have had a better start. Just two minutes into the game, Stewart Holmes broke from midfield and unleashed a fierce shot that beat Arlesey keeper Like Bliss for pace and dipped under the bar.

Holmes scores precious few goals and this , his second in a week, gave the Tanners just the lift they needed.

The visitors showed few signs of their previous goalscoring records as they created no real chances in a first half that saw the Tanners take control of the game and start to play the passing moves that suit them - and entertain the fans.

Steve Sargent has not been on top form this season but started to show signs of what he is capable of with some clever footwork and astute passing.

He also could have made the score sheet with a shot that Bliss pushed over the bar.

The Tanners second goal came in that important psychological time just before the break. Sargent clipped the ball in to the near post and Scott Forrester's merest touch was enough to put off Bliss.

With the ball goalbound, Iain Hendry blasted it into the net from fully two feet.

Just before that, James Greenaway should have extended the lead further when his close range header - again from a Sargent inspired move and a Forrester cross - hit the post when hitting the net seemed to be the easier option.

This time, although they were guilty at times of sitting back and allowing Arlesey to come at them, they took the field all guns blazing. Holmes who was deservedly man of the match, again burst through a retreating defence turning his marker and creating enough space to hit a superb far post cross only for Ben Shannon to mis head, the ball spinning away for a goal kick.

Scott Forrester had strained all afternoon to increase his goal tally with little luck.

His chance came with 20 minutes left on the clock when Billy Marshall broke down the left flank and fed him with a low cross.

Although Luke Bliss half stopped the cross-shot, it found its way into an empty net. Forrester's relief was obvious.

With the game won - Arlesey had no answer in attack despite bringing on ex-Woking man (and their manager) Darren Hay.

The Tanners had the ball in the net for a fourth time when a Julian Thompson break saw him caught fractionally offside.

For the first time in a few weeks the home crowd (a disappointing 121) were able to applaud their team from the pitch on the back of a fine performance and a well deserved three-goal victory.

As for Arlesey, they created precious little and did not have one shot on goal until well into the second half.

Whoever takes over the Tanners managerial position, inherits the nucleus of a side that is capable of much better than their recent history shows.

The players have not performed for the old management team and a change at this stage - together with the uncertainty that a new manager will bring may just be enough to kick start the season at a time when the clubs expectations have hardly started to be met.

Tanners: McCarthy, Murphy, Shannon, Duncan, Hendry, Holmes, Sargent, Greenaway (Bolger), Marshall (Thompson), Forrester, Baker