Ryman League Division One South

Worthing 1 Leatherhead 2

DIMINUTIVE winger Jack Macleod scored a late winner as Leatherhead snatched an opening day victory in a match full of drama.

Worthing went a goal up but despite Liam Pestle being sent off, the Tanners were able to collect the points thanks to goals from Gabriel Odunaike and Macleod after Worthing had Terry Dodd dismissed to even up the numbers.

Leatherhead manager Mick Sullivan felt Pestle was unlucky to see red in the first game of the Ryman season.

"It was a win but we didn't play very well and we will have to have a play a lot better to get the results in the future," he said.

"The sending off was a bit harsh I thought. The first yellow Liam got was cheap; the referee let them take the free-kick before he had a chance to move away and from them on Liam was on tender hooks."

However the Tanners boss was pleased to see the normally goal shy Macleod put away the winner.

"Jack is quality on the ball but doesn't score many goals," Sullivan explained.

"I'm hoping this season he will start to score more, especially after scoring such an early goal early in the season. We can't just rely on the goals from Tommy Hutchings so we could do with Jack popping up with a few.

"Jack always performs well, but I'm really looking for him to be scoring more to add to that."

Worthing, having appointed former Horsham YMCA manager Chris White in the close season, featured a completely different team from that which had finished third last season, and surprisingly they looked the more cohesive, dominating the early exchanges as the Tanner's midfield failed to fire.

Terry Dodd should have put the Rebels one up when being put through by Mark Pulling's flick in the 14 minute, but keeper Chico Ramos was quickly off his line and did well to smother the striker's low effort.

The writing may have on the wall, but the message was not heeded by the visitors and they were duly made to pay when in the 26th minute Luke Gedling slotted home after a well worked free-kick routine had found him in space 12 yards out to give the hosts a well deserved lead.

Leatherhead's Liam Pestle, having already been shown yellow several minutes earlier was perhaps fortunate not to see a second card for conceding the free kick, though doubtless Worthing saw it as justice done with the resultant goal.

Tanners had barely tested home keeper Michael Hunter, but he certainly had to be at his best 10 minutes before half-time when he superbly tipped over a spanking shot from Leatherhead's lone striker Tommy Hutchings who had cut in from the right wing onto his trusty left foot. A minute before half-time Leatherhead substitute Bentley Graham entered the fray to replace Greg Andrews who was forced to leave the field having suffered a nasty cut following accidental clash of heads.

If the first 45 minutes were fairly nondescript the second half was a the exact opposite as the game burst into life in dramatic fashion.

It all started on the hour mark when another strong challenge from Pestle saw the Worthing number 11 Tom Lawley left writhing on the ground, and after the officials had restored order following a large scale pushing match involving most of the players, Pestle was not surprisingly shown a second yellow followed by obligatory red.

Just three minutes later it could have got even worse for the Tanners as Lawley went theatrically crashing to the floor again following a late challenge by Hutchings, but the referee opted for a yellow card.

At this point Tanners were looking all at sea, and with 25 minutes remaining manager Mick Sullivan boldly replaced full-backs Jon Coke and Adam Goodwell with Jon Boswell and Gabriel Odunaike, switching to a more attacking formation in a desperate attempt to salvage something from the game.

However, Worthing's Terry Dodd was the surprise element in the Tanner's change of fortune when he needlessly threw his hands in Chris Boulter's face and was immediately red carded to level the numbers up once more.

Suddenly the visitors sensed their host's unease and with 15 minutes remaining Odunaike capitalised on hesitation in the home defence to athletically flick the ball over the stranded Hunter, and put Tanners back on level terms.

Just as it was looking set to finish in stalemate, with five minutes on the clock Hutchings brilliantly split the home defence to send Macleod racing clear on the left and after steadying himself he coolly finished from 20 yards.

A far from convincing performance from the promotion favourites and one that will give boss Sullivan plenty to ponder, but he can do so with the three points in the bag.

Leatherhead: Ramos, Coke (Odunaike), Dean, Boulter, Goodwell (Boswell), Macleod, Thompson, Pestle, Simmons, Andrews (Graham), Hutchings.