Match Report | Leighton Town (H)
The Yeltz make it two in two with comfortable win against Leighton Town to back up cup progression
Brief Overview
It was a swift start to the game, just like the one against Basford, expect this time, we took the lead. Inside the opening two minutes, a Lewis Ison cross from down the right, seemed to have gone all the way in, but our dubious goal panel has judged Vanylson Silva got the last touch at the back post. Our second followed just over 15 minutes later, as a cross from Dan Meredith, and a missed clearance from Reds captain Luke Pyman saw Milan Butterfield poke the ball slowly into the net.
Despite a slow start to the second 45, Jason Cowley got in on the act and scored his first league goal from open play, three minutes before the hour mark, heading in a corner from Samson Hewett. The fourth, and Butterfield’s second arrived on 69 minutes, as a long ball forward from Ben Cassidy, on his 100th club appearance, reached the midfielder, who ran through and slotted home. The away side were able to add two consolations. The first on five minutes before the 90, as Tolu Ikuyinminu’s cross found Avan Jones to finish, and the second three minutes before the 90, when Tiago Cerqueira’s cross was powered in by Stefan Vukoje.
Match Report
Despite, the early goal, the game started with very few chances, and in fact, the first two goals were very nearly the only action of the first 20 minutes. Less than a minute before our second, a shot from Samson Hewett on the volley went just wide of the post. A dominant opening 18 minutes. The first time we had scored two goals in the first half hour of a home game since February 2025.
After the second, we were rampant, and had three big chances in four minutes. A Milan Butterfield pass to Hewett almost saw the loanee find the bottom left, before Ison nearly found the top right for a stunner, and a Cowley lob was only just pushed away from goal by Carlos Simeon. It took the visitors almost 30 minutes to get a shot away at goal, but when they did a minute prior to that mark, Sam King’s strike whistled just wide of the left post from the right of the penalty area.
They started to find a spring in their step, and just have halved the deficit on 33 minutes. A run down the left from Sydney Ibie, saw him reach the by-line and whip a cross into the box. Unable to reach the ball, Platt watched the ball glide past him, and fall to the feet of Sam King, whose goal bound shot was blocked by Matt Preston. Two chances in a minute at either end ended the successful first half for Penn’s Yeltz. An effort from Euan Warlow, on his first league start for the Reds, in the centre for the visitors flashed wide, shortly before a Cowley shot at the opposite end sailed wide of the right post.
The second half started with a shot three minutes after the break, as Silva’s shot was watched past the left post of Simeon’s goal. Other than an eight minute period after the hour mark, and besides the four goals scored in the second 45 across the two sides, chances were limited. A pass from midfield in the 63rd minute sent Cowley though down the left. His cross looked overhit, but still managed to find Hewett at an angle, whose shot hit the side netting. Five minutes later, the visitors nearly got a goal back, as Tolu Ikuyinminu nicked the ball, spun past Hewett, and put a cross into the box. The ball went across the goal, but wasn’t turned in by new Reds man Tyler Winters.
It was our fourth goal that followed a minute after Winters’ chance for the away side. Despite overly testing our defense across the contest, the visitors two goals put a little damper on what was an almost perfect display, denying us a third clean sheet in six league games. Still, a win after two league defeats is crucial, particularly with three of our next four league games being on the road. Our final Saturday afternoon at home in the league for five weeks ends in sweet success, but bigger challenges lie ahead.
Attendance: 1,027
MOTM: Todd Parker (chosen by Keith McKenna)
Teams
Yeltz: Dan Platt (GK), Ben Cassidy, Matt Preston (Ryan Wollacott 89’), Ryan Wynter (C), Todd Parker (Rob Evans 83’), Lewis Ison, Jason Cowley (Ty Barnett 81’), Vanylson Silva (Ethan Sephton 78’), Milan Butterfield, Samson Hewett (Jim Kellermann 70’), Dan Meredith
Unused Subs: None
Leighton: Carlos Simeon (GK), Avan Jones, Tolu Ikuyinminu, Charlie Pattison, Luke Pyman (C) (J’Ardell Stirling 46’), Josh Flanagan (Ethan Creary 76’), Sam King (Tiago Cerqueira 79’), Dara Dada, Sydney Ibie (Stefan Vukoje 52’), Euan Warlow (Jack Sayell 57’), Tyler WintersUnused Subs: None
Unused Subs: None