Three-cornered Marlow take the plaudits!

The Alfred Davis Ground sat under an overcast sky, the old 1930’s grandstand looking rather splendid as, high above it, the red kites swooped and soared. It was a decent day for football, dry and warm enough to leave your big coat at home, and perhaps felt all the better for the absence of such days over the past six months. Isthmian Play Off weekend always seems to defeat the weather demons, and the victories of Chichester City and Bowers & Pitsea over the previous two days had been achieved without a need for waterproofs - indeed had allowed shirt sleeves at the Len Salmon yesterday. Our first two Finals had also delivered lots of entertainment (unless of course you are a supporter of the defeated side on Friday night, and if so we’re sorry for the reminder), and we had high hopes for a third fabulous feast of fine football as we awaited Marlow and Leatherhead.

On Friday we described the prospect of a Three Bridges v Chichester City Final as the Irresistible Force versus the Immovable Object, such was the attacking prowess of the hosts and the defensive solidity of the visitors. Given how that turned out, we suspect Marlow fans would want us not to make that comparison again, whilst the Tanners faithful- fans of a side who, like City, also play in green- would delight in it. In truth, it would only take a quick look at the table to see that such a label would fit once more. Marlow had scored one hundred and six goals during the regular season- a total only matched across the League by Ramsgate; whilst Leatherhead had conceded only thirty two- a record equalled only by the side that beat the Rams to the South East title, Cray Valley PM, and which included nineteen clean sheets.

Perhaps we’ll just call this the ‘Dave Tarpey Final’ and be done with it?

Tarpey has been a big part of Marlow’s success this season, with twenty four goals in twenty nine appearances- and, of course, last season was a Tanner, scoring eighteen in thirty eight. Leatherhead have struggled a little for goals in his absence- only one side in the top nine, Raynes Park Vale, scored fewer goals- but have made up for it by being rather parsimonious at the other end. At Marlow, even Tarpey’s largess in front of goal takes second fiddle to that of Dawid Rogalski, who came into today’s match having scored a rather incredible forty four goals in forty six appearances. Joe Taylor of Ramsgate rightly gets the plaudits for his fifty three goals in fifty matches, but that perhaps means that the efforts of the Marlow number nine get overlooked, and he deserves enormous credit and acclaim. He has scored in thirty of his forty six matches, whilst Taylor found the net in thirty three of his fifty, so the comparison most certainly stands scrutiny.

Two of those Rogalski goals came against the Tanners, and both of them arrived in victory. At home, Marlow defeated Leatherhead four-nil in October. At Fetcham Grove in February the margin of victory was half that, but the outcome was very much the same. Did that give Marlow the advantage? We were about to find out, Marlow in their traditional blue, the visitors in a change strip of white.

As the preliminaries got underway, the massed ranks of Tanners fans changed ends, despite nobody having tossed a coin yet. Perhaps they knew something we didn’t? As it turned out, they were right. Marlow got us underway, and within ninety seconds Rogalski was hitting the ground in the box and claiming a penalty. The referee hardly even glanced in his direction, and play continued.

Marlow dominated the early exchanges, and it took until the seventh minute for the Tanners to look threatening, a cross from Tyler Cox just needing someone to gamble at the back post, a shot from Fabio Saraiva going wide. That was the key for a period of Leatherhead dominance, and perhaps Omarr Lawson should have done better when receiving the ball eight yards out, but he contrived only to fall on it and the chance was gone.

The first corner of the game arrived on sixteen minutes, and the head of Fikayo Atewologun forced the first save of the game from Aaron Watkins. A minute later the visitors had another chance to get the ball in the box, from a free kick just right of the box, and a combination of Watkins and a defender managed to send it out for a throw. Jamie Splatt then created his own shooting opportunity, and Watkins had to parry it at full stretch before diving on it. We reached the half way mark of the first half without a goal, but with the visitors having by far the better chances.

On twenty three minutes, another Leatherhead corner, and this time the ball ended up in the net- but the referee had already blown for a foul against a defender and the hosts escaped. Their fans tried to rouse their side, and the game started to become rather heated, Jordi Ndozid the first in the book for a lunge which made no contact with man nor ball, but which the referee deemed dangerous.

On the half hour mark, a long straight free kick from Josh Masters was headed behind to give Marlow their first corner, and when the ball was cleared the visitors were momentarily two on two, only for Ibrahim Olutade to get the next pass entirely wrong and allow the hosts to recover. Fine work from Splatt down the right earned another Tanners corner, which was delayed whilst the referee gave Olutade and Louis Rogers a talking to, but when it was finally delivered a shot from was cleared off the line as the hosts lived dangerously.

We reached half time with the match goalless. The visitors had dominated all but the first five minutes, but had nothing to show for it. Would they regret that in the second half?

Half time: Marlow 0 Leatherhead 0

We spent half time watching a large number of rather small Marlow players show us how to score a penalty. We hoped we wouldn’t get to see any more spot kicks later. And then Leatherhead got us underway, and Marlow went on the attack- but it was the visitors who had the first chance, a pinpoint cross to Splatt at the back post rather ruined by the finish, which was more likely to down a red kite than damage the hosts hopes.

The visiting fans, their sound suddenly magnified by being under a roof, loudly began to serenade us, whilst the hosts had their best spell of the game so far, albeit without really testing Amadou Tangara- but then they broke the deadlock. A corner found Ndozid unmarked, and his header was perfect.

Goal: Marlow 1 Leatherhead 0, Jordi Ndozid, 56 minutes

Of came Splatt, on went Alpha Diallo, as the Tanners tried to respond, but the blues were most definitely having a purple patch. Another corner, another goal, Louis Rogers, and the game was turned on its head.

Goal: Marlow 2 Leatherhead 0, Louis Rogers, 61 minutes

More from Marlow, and Tangara had to be smartly out to deny Tarpey, but conceded another corner, and for the third time in a row the hosts scored from it. The ball fell straight on the right foot of Rogalski, and he did what he does best. Each corner had found the same area of the box, each player meeting it had been virtually unchallenged. If the marking was zonal, that was apparently the dead zone.

Goal: Marlow 3 Leatherhead 0, Dawid Rogalski, 66 minutes

We took a drinks break. Leatherhead got together for a pow-wow. “It’s too late for all of that,” shouted a voice from the back of the stand. It certainly looked that way. They certainly couldn’t afford to concede another corner!

Tarpey should have added a fourth with twenty minutes to go, foiled by Tangara diving at his feet. That was Tarpey’s last action, as he came off, applauded by supporters from both clubs (although it must be said, a fairly small number of Tanners).

Leatherhead pressed, but their hearts looked no longer in it. Marlow sat deep and looked to break. The away fans, so noisy earlier, were quiet as church mice. With ten minutes to go, over to our left, a steady stream of people began to leave, although there also seemed to be a fair number arriving, perhaps locals who had seen the score and wanted to party.

A shot from Dan Hector tested Watkins with five minutes to go, and in the eight seventh minute the visitors got one back, fine work from Ghas Sow rewarded with a goal from Trevan Robinson.

Goal: Marlow 3 Leatherhead 1, Trevan Robinson

Marlow responded, and Nzodid brought a good save from Tangara. For once, the hosts didn’t score from the resulting corner.

We moved into SEVEN added minutes, and Marlow announced an attendance of one thousand, five hundred and eighty nine. In the third of them, the visitors found Ollie Cook, by this time playing up front, and he turned and shot wide. That was the last chance of the match.

Final Score: Marlow 3 Leatherhead 1

At half time, nobody would have expected that Marlow would be three goals up within twenty one minutes of the second half. Nobody would have expected that three identical corners would cause such damage to a previously untroubled Leatherhead defence. But Marlow have proved all season that they can score, and score they did.

Many congratulations to Marlow. Many commiserations to the Tanners. But on their second half showing, and indeed on their performance over the season, there’s no doubt they deserved their promotion.

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