Met Police maintained their recent resurgence with a deserved 1-0 win over Whyteleafe.
The first half was a very dreary opening period with a lacklustre performance from two sides in mid-table who showed little interest in the game and made silly mistakes.
Gavin Dilley the Whyteleafe goal keeper had a few saves to make. One from Police striker Craig Carley from all of 22 yards.
Dilley was lucky soon afterwards coming at least 10 yards out of his area and missing a clearance only for one of his defenders to clear the ball for him.
Fortunately on 40 minutes the quiet spectators finally had something to get excited about. Police midfielder Craig Brown picked up a through ball cut inside and from all of 30 yards hit the ball with his right foot.
The ball hit the inside of the far post before bouncing back onto the near post and into the net. A goal deserving to win any match and the best goal scored at Imber Court so far this season.
It proved to be the incentive that both teams required resulting in a second half where plenty of chances were created to increase the score line.
Whyteleafe’s striker Kieron McCann seized on a quickly taken free kick but somehow from only 3 yards out volleyed the ball wide of an empty Police goal mouth.
The Police also were unlucky when a Rob Smith header from a corner hit the cross bar and rebounded out.
Phil Ruggles another Police striker did get the ball into the net only for it to be ruled offside. It was then the turn of Craig Carling and Craig Brown in quick succession to have two shots cleared off the Whyteleafe goal line.
Carley soon afterwards broke free of his defender but Gavin Dilley the Whyteleafe goal keeper timed his tackle just right plucking the ball off the feet of Carley inside the goal area.
Jason Goodchild a Whyteleafe defender had the best run of the day taking the ball all of 60 yards down the right flank before forcing a corner.
Fred Fleming unmarked in the area should have made better use of the opportunity to score from the corner, but his very weak volley from only 10 yards out went straight into the arms of Mo Maan the Police goal keeper. The Police deserved in the end to win.
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