Leicester Road New Year table-toppers
HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC remained top of Midland Football League 1 going into 2018 after a mixed bag of festive fixtures.
A disappointing 0-2 home defeat to local rivals Nuneaton Griff was followed by a good footballing performance on a pudding of a pitch that saw the Road triumph 2-4 at Heath Hayes – and then a frustrating 3-3 home draw with Uttoxeter Town after being 3-0 up.
Striker Matt Langham bagged himself a well-deserved hat trick in the first 53 minutes against Uttoxeter last Saturday, but the visitors hung on in there and having clawed two goals back eventually nicked a point with a stoppage time header.
Langham fired home his first from the edge of the six yard box following a pinpoint cross from Nuno Gomes and finished his second with aplomb after again making some space in the penalty area.
But crucially a Greg Downes pile driver was superbly saved to keep Town in the game and the Road also missed some other chances, so despite going 3-0 up shortly after the restart when the canny striker kept calm to steer home for a welldeserved hat trick, Uttoxeter were looking dangerous.
Midway through the half a thunderbolt of a strike from their number 10 gave LRFC keeper Will Highland no chance.
It was nip and tuck, end to end, but on 86 minutes Town pulled back a second from the penalty spot after Callum Rudd was adjudged to have tripped an advancing Town player.
The Road seemed to be weathering the late storm until deep into injury time when a searching cross was well headed home for the cruellest of equalisers.
The hard fought 2-4 Boxing Day win at Heath Hayes saw the Road prevail with well taken goals from skipper Greg Downes, Jake Holt, Joseph Lyne and Sam Munton.
LRFC dominated proceedings from the off, playing like the home team, but after a period of sustained pressure and some superb stops from the home keeper, Heath Hayes took the lead on 22 minutes with their first effort. It was a classic sucker punch but the Road’s immediate and positive response will have pleased manager Neil Lyne.
The Heath Hayes dam eventually broke on 39 minutes when good work down the left between Munton and Jordan Burrows resulted in a teasing low cross which wen uncleared and Downes was on hand to head home.
LRFC also got a well-deserved second with the last kick of the half when a weak clearance by the host’s keeper fell to Holt who hit a superb strike from just inside the Heath Hayes half straight in.
On 62 minutes another fabulous strike from Jake Holt was too hot to handle for the keeper and Lyne was on hand to calmly stroke home the rebound. Credit to Heath Hayes, they struck back almost immediately to make it 2-3, but on 71 minutes their mini revival was effectively ended when Downes was taken out in the box by their keeper, who was shown a straight red.
Unusually for the Road skipper he hit the bar with his spot kick and although he put in the rebound the referee rightly disallowed the goal as no other player had touched the ball - and would need to have done so for it to stand.
LRFC soon made the extra man count and on 75 minutes Munton tried his luck from 20 yards with his left foot and the keeper failed to deal with it. LRFC made amends on Boxing Day, but the derby defeat on the Saturday before Christmas saw an uncharacteristically sluggish performance.
They dominated territory and possession, but were off their game enough – their finishing most of all - for the dogged visitors to take the three points with two set piece goals and some resolute defending. A free kick just outside the box on 13 minutes was expertly curled over the wall into the top corner for a 0-1 scoreline.
LRFC responded with a sustained period of pressure, but couldn’t force and equalizer, and a rare Griff attack on 41 minutes saw a free kick blocked – and with Highland wrong footed from the ricochet it looped back across goal for an easy nod in.
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