Blues promoted after stunning second half
Marlow FC: Bartley's side score three times in 10 minutes to turn tide their way
Marlow 3, Leatherhead 1
(Marlow are promoted to step 3). Marlow secured promotion to step three on Sunday afternoon after scoring three times in 10 stunning second half minutes to get the better of Leatherhead in the Isthmian League South Central play-off final.
In front of more than 1,500 fans at Oak Tree Road, Marlow recovered from a hesitant first half display to put their visitors to the sword with three almost identical goals from left-wing corners.
Joshua Masters provided the assists for all three, sending over inch-perfect, out swinging corners for Marlow's players to attack.
The first goal, from the head of Jordi Ndozid in the 56th minute, turned the tide in Marlow's favour and knocked the stuffing out of Leatherhead - who'd been the better side up to that point.
He was a late runner into the box, but he met Masters' corner perfectly and directed a header down into the ground and into the far corner of the net. The Blues fans behind the goal let off a flare to celebrate and there was a sense that momentum had swung the home side's way.
The shell-shocked visitors were then caught by another couple of hammer blows as Louis Rogers and Dawid Rogalski scored within a couple of minutes of each other to give the Blues a firm stranglehold on the final.
Now looking tired and weary after punching themselves into submission in the first period, Leatherhead simply fell apart. Masters set up the Blues second in the 62nd minute, this time his cross meeting the head of Rogers who powered a brilliant header back across the keeper Amadou Tangara and into the back of the net.
Momentum continued to flow Marlow's way and in the 66th minute, Rogalski - who'd had a quiet goal up to that point - got his customary goal when he swept home another corner from Masters on the volley.
Three-nil and this final was done and dusted bar the shouting.
Marlow took the sting out of the game in the final 20 minutes. Dave Tarpey came close to flicking home a fourth at the near post, but the Leatherhead players were spared any further punishment.
In fact, instead of just putting up the white flag, they showed spirit and character in the final 10 minutes to give themselves a glimmer of hope.
First Brandon Curtis made a fantastic diving block to divert a goal-bound shot behind for a corner. Then, with four minutes to play, a slip from Chris Ovenden allowed the visitors to get to the byline and pull the ball back for Trevan Robinson to score a consolation via the underside of the bar.
It might have been more than that had Ollie Cook's hooked effort in second half stoppagetime found the net and not flashed just wide of the post, but the defender turned attacker wasn't able to set up the grandstand finish.
The final whistle sounded a few minutes later and the Marlow manager Mark Bartley celebrated joyously with his coaching staff and players on the field. Supporters from all four sides of the ground made their way onto the pitch to celebrate with the players.
In his 12th season in charge and after coming so close to promotion in recent seasons Bartley had finally achieved promotion to step 3 with this Marlow team.
Having initially guided the Blues up from step 5, he's turned the team from perennial relegation battlers into a side that's looked capable of promotion for the past few seasons. Now, they've finally achieved it and will look to be just as competitive in the league above.
However, for the first 45 minutes, Marlow were a pale imitation of the team that had been so consistent all season and had finished second to champions Chertsey Town.
Their impressive attacking play was virtually non-existent in the first half as they struggled to get their foot on the ball let alone create chances.
Leatherhead played their part in that, hassling and harrying them off the ball and never giving their players a moment's rest. However, despite being by far the better side in the first half, the visitors created little to truly worry Marlow keeper Aaron Watkins.
He was forced to make a couple of routine saves from Fikayo Atewologun's back post header and Jamie Splatt's piledriver, in the opening 20 minutes.
And Splatt probably had the chance that could have turned the tie Leatherhead's way, when his close-range flick from a corner was hacked off the line by Elijah Oladunjoye in the 36th minute, with Wakins well beaten. Had that gone in the script could have had a very different ending, however, as it was, there was a sense that they'd live to regret those missed opportunities in the second half and so it proved.
They never reached the same levels of intensity after the break and Marlow also came out a more composed and confident outfit.
The first goal from Ndozid in the 56th minute turned the tide Marlow's way and Leatherhead never really looked like altering the outcome of the final from that moment on.