Leek Town 3 Clitheroe 2

Clitheroe went toe to toe with second placed Leek in a scintillating game, but despite twice taking the lead, they fell to an injury time goal to leave Staffordshire empty handed.

With four first team regulars missing through suspension, illness and injury, Jamie Edwards, Charlie Russell and Billy Priestley started the game. The first half was possibly Clitheroe’s finest of the season as they moved the ball around comfortably on Leek’s excellent artificial surface. Max Cane was first to show and after he received a threaded pass from Richie Baker, he ran fully 40 yards, holding off defenders as he went, before expertly sliding the ball into the net without breaking his stride.

Minutes later, Baker had a shot headed off the line as he cushioned his shot from a corner. Leek continued to press and on 17 minutes scores were level as a home defender unmarked on the edge of the box powered in an unstoppable header from a corner into the bottom of Chris Thompson’s net. On 23 minutes Cane and Jack Burrows exchanged passes down the right and it took a desperate Leek tackle to dispossess Cane. Four minutes later, the Clitheroe lead was restored by Reece Webb-Foster as he drove a ball across the area into the far corner of the goal.

The ball uncannily bounced out from the goal, but the linesman correctly ruled that it had hit a recessed wheel in the frame of the net. This was a prompt for Leek to turn up the heat with Thompson making a good save at his near post before a succession of Leek corners and a goal bound shot, which bent away at the last moment. Back came Clitheroe with Jamie Edwards proving irresistible and another Clitheroe goal always looked on the cards.

In the second half, Leek were first out of the traps, heading a corner just wide within the first minute of the resumption. On 58 minutes the Leek left winger raced down the flank and his scudding cross only just eluded the sliding leg of a home forward. Minutes later, scores were level after pressure on the Leek right saw a cross controlled outside the box and a snap shot eluding a forest of legs as it went in.

Minutes later, Thompson made another fingertip save and Leek rang the changes with their substitutions and if anything turned up the pace another notch. Edwards had another smart shot saved and a driven corner almost paid dividends, but it was the home side who looked to be in the box seat.

Thompson saved a rasping close range shot on 83 minutes before a huge penalty shout was waved away by the excellent referee. As the clock ticked down, Lee Pugh earned a yellow for fouling the Leek right winger half way inside the Clitheroe half. The deep free kick eluded the Clitheroe defence and a stooping header saw Leek take the lead for the first time in the game.

Clitheroe still had time for a Callum Leigh drive to go whistling past the post, but in the end they had to settle for leaving pointless but with heads held very high.

Team : Chris Thompson, Jack Burrows, Lee Pugh, Richard Baker (c), Cameron Lancaster, Billy Priestley, Max Cane, Charlie Russell (Waqas Azam), Jamie Edwards (Malick Diakite), Callum Leigh, Reece Webb-Foster. Subs - Waqas Azam, Malick Diakite. Not used - Blessing Igharo, Harrison Hardisty-Blackwell.