Willie Clemons teammate Fraser Alexander struck with the final kick of the game to rescue a dramatic 3-3 draw for Leiston FC against Alvechurch, on a night where Jenson Kilroy’s heroics nearly denied Clemons and his teammates.
The encounter at Victory Road appeared destined to end in frustration for the home side as Alvechurch goalkeeper Jenson Kilroy produced a series of stunning saves to keep the visitors in the hunt. However, in a breathless finale, Alexander found the net to ensure a share of the spoils in a six-goal thriller.
Bermuda international Clemons was heavily involved in the Leiston engine room, helping to drive the offensive pressure that eventually cracked the Alvechurch resolve. The result keeps Leiston firmly in the mid-table mix of the Southern League Premier Division Central, though they will feel they did enough to secure all three points if not for Kilroy’s inspired display.
In one of the most remarkable results of the Isthmian League season, Coleridge Fubler Jr, Remi Coddington, and their Binfield FC teammates overturned a three-goal deficit to defeat Leatherhead 5-4 at Fetcham Grove.
Binfield looked dead and buried at the interval, trailing 3-0 after a dominant first half from the league leaders. Leatherhead’s Jacob Breckon, Nathan Hogan, and Anas Igozouln all found the net to seemingly put the game out of reach.
However, Binfield emerged for the second half a transformed side. Two goals from Amari Fashanu and strikes from Nathanael Boakye and Kickie Dzimba turned the tide in a chaotic 20-minute spell. Coddington’s introduction in the 76th minute added fresh impetus to the Binfield attack, and despite a late George Hedley goal for Leatherhead, Boakye held his nerve to slot home an 87th-minute penalty to seal the win, after Coddington was brought down in the box. Fubler, in goal for Binfield, had to be at his sharpest in the dying moments to preserve the one-goal lead and complete the "Miracle at Fetcham Grove."
Elsewhere, Rahzir Smith-Jones’ Welwyn Garden City teammates stepped away from competitive league action for a midweek friendly against Concord Rangers.
The fixture at the Parkside Stadium served as a vital tune-up for both sides as they navigate the mid-season schedule. In a tightly contested affair with few clear-cut chances, it was Concord who managed to find the breakthrough, securing a narrow 1-0 victory.
For Welwyn Garden City, the focus now pivots back to the Southern Football League, where they will look to translate the fitness gains from the friendly into points as they face Biggleswade Town this weekend.
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