The fourth is with Blues after easing to home win
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LEEK Town continued their march to at least the playoffs with a 2-0 home win over Colne – their eighth win in the last nine games, writes LUKE REYNOLDS.
Will Saxon and Billy Reeves both went close as the Blues started the game brightly, and they took the lead in the 24th minute.
Scott Wara strode forward from defence and hit a shot from 25 yards that gave Hakan Burton no chance in the visitors’ goal. Elliot Rokka hit back for Colne with a shot that was well held by Danny Roberts.
Leek almost doubled their lead on the hour mark when an Ollie Harrison cross was headed past Burton by Tim Grice only for Tom Dean to clear it off the line.
Club record goalscorer Grice was not to be denied though, as two minutes later he headed home a Reeves free kick for his 19th goal of the season and his sixth in the last six games.
Colne went close when Jez Uchegbulam saw a shot tipped on to the bar by Roberts.
The result leaves Leek still in fourth place, nine points behind the one automatic promotion place with nine games to play.
The Blues welcomed the visitors knowing this would be a challenging game, with Colne lying 16th in the league table but recently getting a battling draw with play-off chasing Runcorn Linnets.
A crowd of 505 saw an endto-end game which was a very good advertisement for both teams, but the Blues’ win was probably a fair result on the day.
Leek manager Neil Baker had to deal with a number of key injuries and mixed his squad for this league match.
He started with the experience of Reeves, Keenan, Grice and again began with Crewe Alexandra youth loanee Joel Tabiner.
Both teams started brightly with Blues forward Will Saxon having an early half chance with a header and on five minutes Reeves almost grazed the post with a strong header, following a fine Keenan cross.
In an end-to-end first 20 minutes, Leek continued to move the ball quickly and gradually dominate play and knocked several longer balls over the top in an effort to expose the Colne back line.
The Blues midfield were now dominant throughout with a high press and this paid off in the 24th minute when defender Scott Wara drilled a right footed shot past Colne keeper Burton from 30
yards. Colne then had some chances of their own with Danny Edwards showing up well and on the 35th minute, home keeper Roberts made a sound save to deny visiting forward Louis Myers.
In the final minutes of the first period, it was Leek that threatened but Blues winger Saxon had his half chance cleared by Colne defender Jack Worrall.
Leek immediately went on the attack from the restart, with Saxon and Wara combining well and a cross flashed across the box just eluding Grice.
Minutes later it was Colne who threatened after they had made substitutions.
The visitors were now having some possession and threatening the home side but the strong Blues defence held firm, with Harrison, Ryder and Bavanganga looking confident.
The game ebbed from
end to end and Leek tested the visitors further, on 60 minutes a Harrison cross was delivered to just outside the Colne area where Grice connected cleanly and saw keeper Burton beaten, but defender Dean cleared off the line superbly, and somehow the score was still 1-0.
Then the match finally turned as a fine free-kick from Leek’s Reeves was met with a bullet header from Grice, that rocketed into the visitor’s goal as the Colne defence dithered.
There was no let up from either team in the final minutes of the second half with Tabiner, Davidson and Reeves at the centre of Leeks’ attacking creativity but it was Colne who were denied by the woodwork when substitute and Matlock loanee Jesurem Ughebulam saw a fine shot crash off the home crossbar.
In the final minutes, Reeves threatened the Colne goal but keeper Burton made a strong save.
When the referee Nolan blew the final whistle Leek Town cheered loudly by the home supporters.
This was a game with two evenly matched teams producing competitive football but the Blues showed the quality of finishing to take all the points with another promising win in front of the home crowd.
Leek Town now move on to their next league match at home to Glossop North End FC on Saturday in good spirits after this promising result.
BLUES: Roberts, Bavanganga, Keenan, Davidson, Harrison, Ryder, Wara, Reeves, Grice, Tabiner (Short 89), Saxon (Glover 89). Subs not used: Booth, Dyer, Bailey
ATTENDANCE: 505