This was a game between two teams with no relegation fears and no promotion hopes. Yet, with seemingly nothing to play for this was no easy going stroll as both sides contrived to play a game that through a slow burning fuse, built to an exciting climax. Eight bookings (four a-piece) suggests there were some short fuses too but there was only one flair up in a game played in a generally good if competitive spirit.
Ware, fielding exactly the same starting line up as two days earlier at Welwyn Garden City, had struggled to contain Leighton’s approach in the first half and were behind going into the break but, after what proved to be a judicious triple substitution, they might have won the game in the dying minutes.
There’s become a pattern to many home games in recent seasons in which the opposition seem to have the better of things in the first half only for Ware to come back strongly in the second. It seemed to be happening here as the visitors carved out more and better opportunities than their hosts in the opening 45 minutes.
Just five minutes into the game Leighton’s Fabio Silvestri went through the centre of Ware’s defence chasing a long ball. With just Fred Burbidge to beat Silvestri could only shoot tamely straight at the keeper who clasped the ball to his chest.
It was a warning that Leighton, after three consecutive league defeats, were not going to let their season end tamely. Twice Burbidge needed to make more substantial saves to keep his team level.
Just when it seemed that Ware would reach the end of a half, lengthened by an unusual delay as the visiting physio was required to change his footwear, Leighton took the lead. Godlove Opong came through on goal in a situation reminiscent of Silvestri 45 minutes before.
No tame shot this time and as Opong took the ball wide of Burbidge the keeper brought him down in an attempt to get the ball. Kyal Williams made scoring look easy by converting the spot kick, giving Burbidge no chance.
Ware made the expected brighter start to the second half and Joe Dearman (later to find himself in receipt of both the supporters’ and chairman’s player of the year awards) was at this point finding gaps in the Leighton defence. But Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo couldn’t convert his cross as he struggled to get the ball from under his feet.
And with that the game returned to an end to end stalemate with Ware playing a controlled game at the back but offering little sign of a breakthrough up front. So it was that with 25 minutes to go Paul Halsey made changes with Theo Ofori, not as involved as we might have expected, replaced by Johnny Allotey. Josh Okotcha replaced by Mitch Hahn with Max Granville dropping to full back and George Ironton giving way to Sami Moutawafiq who had only arrived back in the country twelve hours before.
There was a noticeable difference with Allotey in particular more willing to take on the Leighton defence. But time was slipping by with half chances coming and going until, with thirteen minutes left, Soulya-Osekanongo’s cross found Allotey racing in to the six yard box to convert for the equaliser.
If the substitutions had made a difference the goal doubled the effect. More of the game was now taking place in the Leighton half and in front of their goal. Six minutes after the equaliser Dearman’s shot from the edge of the penalty area came back off the cross bar and the pressure mounted with Ware forcing a number of corners in the closing minutes.
One corner was only partially cleared with Granville’s cross back into the eighteen yard area reaching Allotey whose instinctive left foot shot hit almost the same spot on the cross bar. Finally, George Rose make a fine one handed save to deny Ware a winner from Jay Rolfe’s shot on the turn. There was barely time for the resulting corner as the near ten minutes of added time came to an end.
Leighton might have won this game by half time whilst Ware could have won it in those last pulsating minutes. In the end both sides had to settle for a draw which in Ware’s case was a record breaking seventeenth of the season.
Ware: Fred Burbidge, Chukuma Okotcha (Mitch Hahn 65mins), Joe Dearman, George Ironton (Sami Moutawafiq 65mins), Jay Rolfe, Mackye Townsend-West, Theo Ofori (Johnny Allotey 65mins), Max Granville, Jon Clements (Garbriel Chapps 70mins), Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo, Sam Mayuma. Unused sub: Ike Okwusogu.
