The Luffs take early lead but slip to away defeat

LEICESTERSHIRE SENIOR

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

BIRSTALL UNITED RES 4

LOUGHBOROUGH FC 2

THE Luffs were presented with sunshine and an excellent surface neatly trimmed grass to play on making it a joy to be away from home and within five minutes of the game beginning they found themselves in uncharted territory.

Earyl Atat burst into the Birstall penalty area and had his legs whipped from under him and promptly got up and dispatched the resulting penalty and The Luffs were in the lead.

It wasn’t all downhill from there on, Atat combined well with Wiktor Ako and the resulting shot went just wide. Birstall looked to be slow starters at this stage but they gradually worked their way back into the game with the Loughborough keeper Brandon Holgate having to punch the ball clear through a crowd of players.

The Luffs still had their say in this first half, captain Jack Godkin shot just wide and Atat was clear through and had the Birstall keeper Frazer Clarke at full stretch to tip the ball round the post, and a second appeal for a penalty went unanswered by the referee.

The tables turned towards the end of the half, Tom Langton went clear for the home side but Holgate had his angles right and the shot went past the post. A bit of dithering in defence and Birstall cashed in with Jake Robertson levelling the scores at 1-1.

On the strike of half time The Luffs were dealt a cruel blow with a dubious penalty decision and as Jogul Potter dispatched it it was 2-1 at half time.

The second half seemed to be camped in the Birstall half and as Loughborough committed to attack, Birstall’s James Pearce broke away and made it 3-1. At this stage The Luffs were still in with a shout and Atat hit a powerful shot into the bottom corner and it was 3-2 and game on again.

It had to be another dubious penalty to give Birstall breathing space and they certainly needed it and Potter made it 4-2 living up to his name.

Still not over Nathaniel Adeoye hit the bar for the Loughborough side and captain Jack warmed the hands of keeper Clarke.

A small step forward for the Luffs but still not quite enough for those first elusive points.