Last-Gasp Goal Shatters North Leigh's Brave Effort

The only issue settled on Thursday night in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South was the end of North Leigh’s valiant effort to avoid a rapid return to Step 4 football.

Chris Allen’s side have battled really hard since December to attempt a `great escape` after looking dead and buried before then.

And they so nearly took the final relegation place to the final day at Bolitho Park against Plymouth Parkway.

It was, however, slightly against the run of play that the Millers took a 39th minute lead through loanee Conor McDonagh.

Parkway `keeper Jack Arthur produced a terrific save midway through the second half to keep the scoreline 1-0 and then, with 4 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game gone, the home side broke North Leigh hearts when Mikey Williams hooked the ball in after James Foster had saved the initial effort.

If the Millers had been able to hold on to that 1-0 scoreline, they would have taken the fight to stay up to the final day as the team occupying fifth-from-bottom spot, Hendon, lost 1-0 at Gosport Borough.

In front of a crowd of 539, Harvey Rew gave Boro an 11th minute lead

Home `keeper Pat O’Flaherty was called into action on several occasions to keep Hendon at bay, but in the end, it didn’t matter after news from Devon that North Leigh had drawn, meaning the Greens stay up for another season.

Bracknell Town returned to second spot after earning a 1-0 win at Imber Court against eighth-placed Metropolitan Police.

What turned out to be the decisive goal arrived after just 6 minutes when Jordan Esprit crossed for Joe Grant to slide in at the far post.

The Met came close to levelling just before the break when Herson Rodrigues-Alves` 30-yard free-kick came back off the crossbar.

The battle for runners-up spot between Bracknell and Truro goes to the final day with the Robins, now a point in front, travelling, ironically, to Truro’s landlords Plymouth Parkway and the White Tigers making the trip to Oxfordshire to play a now relegated North Leigh.

Thursday’s other game saw a weary Hayes & Yeading United side, playing just 24 hours after their Middlesex Senior Cup triumph, travel down to the Ian Moorcroft Stadium to take on mid-table Tiverton Town.

And the outcome was a 0-0 draw which means Paul Hughes` side are assured of seventh place and Tivvy 12th.