Sheffield FC 1-2 Leek Town
FOR the second Saturday in a row Leek Town tested their promotion credentials against the team lying in second place in the league table when they travelled to the World's Oldest Football Club on Saturday.
Having beaten Belper Town the previous weekend, the Blues travelled to Sheffield needing to bounce back from their midweek derby disaster at Kidsgrove.
And the result was the same as the previous Saturday as, roared on by a large and very vocal army of travelling supporters, two goals from Ashley Miller sealed victory.
The travelling fans had barely taken their seats and begun their incessant singing when Leek almost took the lead when Paul Rutter headed Matty Johnson’s cross narrowly wide.
The Blues then took the lead after just 10 minutes after forcing a freekick that was taken quickly and played forward to Miller, who exchanged passes with Matty Johnson before picking his spot to drive home an angled shot that deceived home goalkeeper Leigh Walker.
Leek pushed on in search of a second, with Wayne Corden curling a shot around the post and Walker had to dive at full stretch on 20 minutes to push Miller’s firm shot around the post.
The corner was collected by Rutter, but he slammed his volley wide.
Three minutes later that second goal duly arrived with a bang as Miller unleashed a cracking, curling volley from 25 yards out that beat the keeper to slam into the top corner of the net and register Miller’s third goal in two games.
Such was the dominance at this point that Blues goalkeeper Steve Hodgson was a virtual spectator.
Rutter forced Walker to save at his near post just before the half-hour and Corden saw a shot deflect into the overworked ‘keepers arms.
A slip-up by Miller led to Sheffield having a go at goal on the stroke of half-time but Hodgson raced off his line to clear the danger before Brian Cusworth could get in a shot.
Sheffield started to look more threatening as they played down the slope and as the second half wore on, Jordan Eagers and Matt Roney both missed chances.
Ashman collected a good pass forward from Nick Ward to once again test Walker in the Sheffield goal on 53 minutes.
Hodgson pushed away a fierce shot on the hour but then Roney blasted his follow up shot wide of the exposed Leek goal.
The home side did pull a goal back on 72 minutes when leading goalscorer Brian Cusworth headed home a Rooney cross to bag his 14th goal of the campaign.
But Sheffield simply could not find an equalising goal as the Blues defended strongly.
Mark Ruddock headed a shot off the Leek goal-line on 83 minutes but Wayne Corden almost made it three for Leek at the death with a cheeky lobbed shot that skimmed over the crossbar with Walker beaten.
Leek sent their army of fans home happy but results elsewhere meant that none of the top 10 teams altered position in the table.
LEEK: Hodgson, P Johnson, P Taylor, Ward, Ruddock, Miller, M Johnson, Hawthorne, Ashman, Rutter (Crowe), Corden; subs not used: Cope, Allen, Macari, W Johnson.