Chaos theory talks about the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings in the Amazon changing events half way round the world. At Leek, Clitheroe invented their own derivative when one petulant moment minutes before the end of the first half set in train a series of events which ruined a finely balanced game and saw Clitheroe end the game with nine men and Chris Thompson stoically manning the barricades as the last line of defence.

The new artificial surface at Leek certainly lent itself to a passing game and Clitheroe adapted well to its demands, although they were perhaps not quite as adept at measuring the pace of the final pass, but that was slowly coming. Leek had a snap shot turned over by Thompson in the first minute, but in return Sefton Gonzales almost immediately went on a 40 yard run and flashed a shot across the face of goal. The game settled into an attractive but even period, with few chances but with the home side always capable to bursting into the attack.

From one such attack, a sprint down the Leek left saw a firm cross and a stupendous save from Thompson, with Bailey Sloane then clearing the follow up. When Leek did take the lead, it was again from the left wing and whilst there was a hint of offside as the ball was squared across the face of the 18 yard box, the finish was clinical as it arrowed into the bottom corner of the goal. However, Clitheroe were very much in the game and their own passing game was getting crisper and there was little between the sides. That changed on 43 minutes.

Danny Wilkins and an opposing player innocuously went shoulder to shoulder and as Wilkins moved on with the ball, the Leek player collapsed clutching his face. Once the move had ended and with the player still prone on the floor, as Wilkins tracked back, rather than delivering a time honoured volley of Anglo Saxon for the home player’s play acting, he grabbed him by the shirt and started to haul him up from the ground.

From the ensuing mayhem, Wilkins got a yellow for his trouble and Jack Burrows was given a yellow for protecting Wilkins. As the clock ticked down, the subsequent free kick was taken and as it came to nothing, the half time whistle went. However, there then followed the spectacle of the referee and his assistants deep in conversation with Clitheroe player/manager Billy Priestley for several minutes, before a red card was produced. The crowd was mystified, although it subsequently transpired that Priestley had been seen raising his hands at the free kick towards a player’s neck by the nearest assistant, and the theatrical fall to the floor had clearly amplified the incident.

Clitheroe came out for the second half with Max Cane as an extra striker up front and with three centre backs in a bold move. Cane’s pace caused early problems, but soon Leek were toying with the Clitheroe defence with waves of attacks. Their second goal was a scruffy conversion from a low cross to the near post, where the home player forced the ball home despite close attention from a Clitheroe defender. Things got worse when Burrows was harshly given a second yellow card to match the one received in the earlier melee, so Clitheroe went down to nine men for the last half hour. Clitheroe valiantly tried to take the game still to Leek, but even with Thompson offering a superb last line of defence, after three further soft goals, the visitors shut up shop and waited for the final whistle.

When it came, the players acknowledged the impressive travelling support, but as they licked their wounds in the dressing room, they will have reflected on how a lack of discipline undermined an excellent start to the game and put a serious dent in their play off aspirations.

Team : Chris Thompson, Jack Burrows, Bailey Sloane, Danny Wilkins (Max Cane), Louis Jeanne, Billy Priestley, Ben McKenna, Alex Turner, Sefton Gonzales (c) (Richard Baker), Joel Byrom, Cole Lonsdale (Terry Cummings). Subs - Max Cane, Terry Cummings, Richard Baker. Not used - Jamie Edwards, Matthew Hodds.