LRFC win on the road again
Chelmsley Town 1 Leicester Road FC 4
HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC won well on the road again to remain top of Midland Football League Division 1 – emerging victorious 4-1 at East Birmingham side Chelmsley Town.
Despite a dominant opening it was only 1-1- at half time, via a Liam Read header, but the Road pulled away in the second half with a Matty Langham strike and brace from skipper Danny Jenno.
LRFC began sharply on the 4G surface and on 4 mins Langham latched onto a through ball at full stretch and when the keeper smothered Dom Brennan curled the rebound invitingly across the goal, but it drifted just wide. A minute later Jordan Burrows got down the right and his whipped in cross found Langham
at the far post - again at full stretch – and whilst he was able to stab it through the Chelmsley keeper Benton’s legs a defender got back to clear off the line.
On 8 mins, however, a lovely flowing move brought the opener – Brennan fed Jarred Acton down the right and his pinpoint cross was expertly glanced in by Read from the middle of the box. Two minutes later it could have been 0-2 when Jenno’s neat through ball set Simon Alcott free and although he lobbed the advancing Benton it grazed the top of the bar.
Nuno Gomes also went close on 12 mins and Brennan’s flying header from an Alcott cross was bound for the top corner before Benton’s fingertips intervened. But with LRFC having bossed the opening quarter, Chelmsley drew level on 20 mins with their first effort of the game.
Brennan tracking back was harshly judged to have fouled just outside the box and Chelmsley’s Brain got a fortunate deflection off the free kick and it crept in at the far post. LRFC retaliated immediately and Read and Alcott combined well to force a fine save from Benton, but the home side launched a swift counter attack and Road keeper Will Highland had to be out smartly to deny striker Dryden.
The game fizzled out for a short period until LRFC’s Callum Earls headed inches wide from a corner on 35 mins. Another corner on 42 mins caused further problems with Benton getting fingers on a powerful Jenno header, with Alcott hooking the rebound straight back at him.
Then right on the stroke of half time a lovely mazy run from Earls took him deep into the box and his fierce drive from five yards out was somehow kept out by Benton to keep it 1-1 at the break.
LRFC again began brightest and Gomes was only inches wide with a 20 yard snapshot. Shortly after Read teed up Langham but he was waved offside as he got set to pull the trigger. Then on 50 mins Read was felled inside the box with a thigh-high challenge, but the referee waved play on?
On 56 mins, however, LRFC got the decisive second goal when the overlapping Acton whipped in a cross that rose up and struck an outstretched Chelmsley hand. This time the referee would surely have blown for a penalty, but he played the advantage and Langham duly smashed it home.
The Road continued to dominate and on 60 mins a cute one-two between Read and Alcott saw the latter draw a fine fingertip save from Benton. Five minutes later though it was 3-1 as Jenno leapt like a salmon from the corner and powered his header into the top corner.
Some more neat interplay between Earls and Burrows saw Langham dink up an inviting ball for Alcott on the edge of the box and he smashed it against the bar with Benton well beaten. However, on 89 mins it was 1-4 when Jenno expertly curled a 25 yard free kick around the wall and it nestled into the bottom corner.
LRFC Starting X1: Highland (GK,) Acton, Jenno (C), Earls, Harrison, Read, Alcott, Gomes, Burrows, Brennan, Langham. SUBS: Perkins, (GK), Beasley, Hohn, Lyne, Charles.