Leatherhead 0 Walton & Hersham 1

Walton & Hersham ended Leatherhead’s run of eight straight Ryman Division One South wins, as the Swans picked up three points with a solitary second-half goal from Michael Charles.

Leatherhead dominated the opening half but, as so often happens in football, they failed to take their chances in front of goal and were punished by a break away sucker punch at the other end.

Aside from several near misses in the opening half, the match will be chiefly remembered for a horrific clash of heads late in the game between Leatherhead’s Steve Barilli and Walton & Hersham’s former Tanner Will Jenkins.

The match was held up for several minutes while the two players received treatment in the visitors’ goalmouth.

Much to the relief of everyone in the ground, both players were able to walk from the pitch to receive further attention in an ambulance that had been summoned to Fetcham Grove.

Greg Andrews had Leatherhead’s first opening after three minutes but saw his tight-angled shot go scurrying away into the side netting.

For long periods in the first half, the Tanners were able to play the kind of attractive, free-flowing football that had seen them mount a serious challenge for the play-offs in recent weeks, but they were unable to get past a resolute Swans defence and their goalkeeper Delroy Preddie.

Leatherhead should have taken the lead after 27 minutes, when a series of passes in the Swans half saw the ball played to the feet of Kev Terry in front of goal.

But Terry slipped before he could get in his shot and the Swans cleared the ball away from danger.

Tanners kept up the pressure and a long-range Andrews free-kick after 32 minutes was neatly tipped over the bar by Preddie.

Five minutes later, a succession of passes involving Rob Hill, Luke Pigden and Jack Macleod should have been finished off by Andrews, but the young forward was unable to find the target.

Six minutes into the second half, Leatherhead won a corner.

The ball was floated into the box and Chris Boulter saw his effort at the far post cleared off the line.

In the 65th minute Leatherhead were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the visitors’ box.

Pigden struck the ball sweetly but, again, Preddie tipped a dipping shot over the bar for another Tanners corner. It was one of those nights.

With no reward for dominating the first hour of play Leatherhead were caught on the break after 69 minutes, as Walton & Hersham exploited a gaping hole in the Tanners’ defence.

The ball was played to Adam Broomhead in the box, who found an unmarked Charles to head home at the far post.

The Swans should have sealed their win two minutes later with another goal.

The Tanners defence froze as Charles had only Colin Harris to beat in the Leatherhead goal but this time the striker fired wide.

Barilli replaced Elliott Thompson after 80 minutes but was on the field for less than ten minutes before the horrific clash with Jenkins brought a premature end to the evening for both players. Walton & Hersham held out for the long period of injury time that followed without giving the Tanners a sniff of a chance to a rescue a point but, with none of the other top seven sides managing a win, it was a good night for the Swans and not such a bad night for the Tanners.

Leatherhead: Harris, Coke, Hill, Boulter, Dean, Pigden, MacLeod, Simmons, Terry (O’Shea), Andrews, Thompson ((Barilli), (Hendry))