A Tommy Hutchings penalty after 61 minutes was all that separated Leatherhead and Chipstead in this drab Championship Manager Cup tie played in front of a sparse crowd.

In contrast to the great expectations preceding the previous first team match against Horsham YMCA, a near-empty Fetcham Grove was a bleak house on Tuesday night. The low key performance on the pitch was matched by an equally subdued atmosphere in the thinly scattered crowd.

Leatherhead kept to the same starting eleven as Saturday, with the exception of Liam Pestle returning to the side at right back while Dan Dean went into midfield to replace a cup-tied Des Boateng.

Tommy Hutchings returned to the Tanners squad on the bench, having served a three match suspension after having been sent off in the last round against Maidstone United.

Leatherhead got their first real break following a very quiet 15 minute period. Greg Andrews created an opening for Pestle by lofting the ball over a line of Chipstead defenders. But the Leatherhead full back was unable to get in a shot as goalkeeper Martin Grant rushed out to clear. Ten minutes later Pestle fed the ball to Mark Simmons who tested Grant with a shot from outside the box. Grant fumbled the ball but gathered safely at the second attempt before Simmons could latch on to his error.

Chips best chance of the half came when AJ Morrison put Ray Freeman through on goal, but Freeman fired wide without testing Leatherhead keeper Chico Ramos.

Tanners had two further chances to break the deadlock before half time. Jack Macleod forced a smart save from Grant after 40 minutes, before defender Louis Hollingsworth nearly scored a spectacular own goal, heading the ball beyond Grant and then having to race back to clear off the line.

Hutchings replaced Andrews at the start of the second half and injected some much needed sparkle into a lacklustre performance.

Ramos was kept the busier of the goalkeepers, making two good saves in quick succession from Denver McKenzie.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 61st minute when Leatherhead were awarded a penalty after Macleod was clearly pushed in the back by a Chips defender in front of the referee.

Hutchings slammed the spot kick past Grant and that was that. Marc Elston and Gabriel Odiunaike made substitute appearances for Leatherhead midway through the second half. Elston added extra pace to the right side of attack, while Odunaike was responsible for an astonishing miss in front of an open goal after Grant failed to make a sound clearance.

Referee Robert Smith frequently held up proceedings, denying both sides clear advantage during open play, but otherwise had little to do in an even-tempered match. Five minutes of added time were played before our mutual friend decided to blow the final whistle.

Hard times now lie ahead for Chipstead as they attempt to pull away from the relegation zone while Leatherhead can now move on to the next round.

Leatherhead: Ramos, Pestle, Hill, Boulter, Boswell, Thompson, Macleod, Simmons, Andrews (Hutchings), Dean (Elston), Terry (Odunaike) Chipstead: Grant, Conroy (Gardiner), Thompson, Coburn (Davenport), Hollingsworth, Harding, Bedford, Grizzle (James), McKenzie, Freeman, Morrison