Again it took a penalty to undo Rec, this time in the 83rd minute of normal time, losing 1-0 to South Leeds in the NCEL Division One.
James Law converted from the spot into the bottom left-hand
corner to separate the sides late on Saturday afternoon at Sheerien Park, reminiscent of the shoot-out
defeat in midweek.
Charlie Auty was promoted from the bench from Wednesday’s match
against Barnsley U21s, Luke Moorhouse returning alongside him. Harrison Landon,
Alfie Bakes & Finley Durkin were the further replacements.
It was end to end from the start and Durkin benefitted first,
stealing the ball high on the left in a one on one scenario to go at goal. On
his first sighting, the aims wayward, sliced high & wide.
William Harling’s then advanced out of South Leeds’ left
full-back position, into the box to fire against Ellis Pickard’s legs.
Coming from the opposite angle was Benjamin Agu with two
attempts at Pickard in goal, the initial powerful strike parried high for a follow-up
header but the ball wouldn’t drop quick enough for a clean connection.
Kyle Bingham was played through but chasing the ball into a tight angle inside the left channel of the box meaning there’s no space past Pickard at his near post who palmed away on twenty-two minutes.
Agu had a goal disallowed ten minutes later when his simple finish from just
yards out, after work from his wide man out left, was denied by the linesman who’d
spotted the ball had travelled out before the delivery.
Pickard’s clean-sheet was tested but maintained into
first-half added-time by the ‘keeper reaching to his bottom right-hand corner
to push away a header from James Law.
Rec starting the faster in the second-half was much to do
with their higher base position.
Thompson caught a bouncing ball with a clean connection inside the
box after five minutes of the restart, right-footed towards the inside of the alike
post, needing tipping wide by Paul Diamond. Auty had a free header from the
resulting corner, the effort dropping over the bar.
The winger's free down the left shortly after via strong hold-up
play from Perks, he himself almost enjoying success inside the
opposition’s box, just short of reaching several deliveries into the box. Thompson’s
delivery, with Perks still wide, failed to find a central target.
In the 83rd minute the clean-sheet was under serious threat
when South Leeds were awarded a penalty. It was to be the decider when James Law
converted into the bottom left-hand corner.
Twice Finley Durkin freed himself of the visiting defence,
now rotated onto the opposite channel and evidently frustrated by both
attempted final balls into the box with time already tight and eventually
running out for Rec.
A visit to Muglet Lane on Wednesday to face Maltby is the next opportunity for points in the league.
