Wycombe 6 0 - 8 Leighton 3s

The first thing to say about this match is this was a great team performance. Leighton had a game plan, stuck to it and it worked, as a result Leighton dominated most of the match. For the first ten minutes of the match it was a fairly even contest as both sides probed the other's defences. Then in the 12th minute following the taking of a short corner a penalty was awarded following a foul on the line by a Wycombe defender. This was successfully converted by Stuart Hart. Leighton's pressure began to build and following the award of another short corner Hart converted with a run across the goal mouth following a return ball by Oli Parren. The dominance continued as Wycombe were taken apart by the midfield combination of Nick Marshall and Hart whose passes were causing havoc in the opposition's defence. Leighton's third goal, and Oli Parren's first, came from a move down the right and a pass by Steve Fuller for Parren to hit home. Leighton's pressure was unremitting with very few Wycombe moves by now getting to Leighton's penalty area. With some four minutes to go to half time Hart and Marshall fed the ball into the top of Wycombe's penalty area where Parren was lurking for him to score his second.

The second half started much as the first ended with unrelenting Leighton pressure. Within ten minutes of the start Leighton had increased their score by two more goals with Parren scoring both, taking his tally to four. The first of these came from a drive just inside Leighton's half and a drive down the right again by Fuller, his pass into the area was latched onto by Parren for him to stroke home. Parren's fourth came from a defence splitting pass by Hart which found Parren just inside the area for him to hit home a thunderous shot into the top of the net. The dominance continued. By this time the only Leighton players in their own half were the Goal Keeper and one centre back with the rest of the defence joining the midfield in pressurising Wycombe. With the pressure continuing Parren repaid the debt to Fuller by becoming the provider for Fuller who sped into the area from the right to hit home his first and Leighton's seventh. With about 6 minute to go a pass from Marshall found Fuller who was patrolling the edge of Wycombe's area who received the ball turned a defender to slot home Leighton's eighth. With the few minutes left the priority became the defence of Leighton's clean sheet but by this time Wycombe had more or less surrendered and posed no threat to Leighton's goal.

This was, as mentioned above, a great team performance with excellent individual performances through out the team from the midfield dominance of Marshall and Hart to the running of Chris Bourne and Hugh Lipscomb on the wings and the goal scoring attributes of Parren and Fuller. This has given the team a real boost in their promotion hopes.

MoM: Chris Bourne - who had a great debut.