League Cup Round Three
Whyteleafe 6 East Grinstead Town 2
GREG ANDREWS scored a hat-trick as Whyteleafe knocked East Grinstead Town out of the League Cup tonight [Tuesday], but it might have been a different story had the visitors not seen keeper Seb Bos sent off in the second half.
Leafe were clinical going forward in the first half, capitalising on some poor decision-making at the back from the Wasps and racing to a 3-0 lead. But the Wasps came back into the game in the second half, bringing the game to 3-2 and Leafe looked like they might throw away a comfortable lead for the third time in less than a week.
However the game changed again when keeper Bos received a straight red for bringing down striker Shawn Lyle. Leafe scored the resulting penalty before adding another two late goals, the last from the penalty spot again.
It was a frenetic start to the game, with pace-aplenty, but neither goalkeeper was called into action as the teams struggled to settle on Leafe's artificial pitch.
However, after 15 minutes the home side opened the scoring when Greg Andrews capitalised on some sloppy passing from the Wasps defence and slotted the ball past a helpless Bos.
And eight minutes later it was 2-0 after Andrews once again exploited East Grinstead's lack of concentration, with the striker having time and space to plant his header beyond Bos after a perfectly weighed cross from Sam Clayton.
With half an hour played, the Wasps should have pulled a goal back when Freddie Barker raced through on goal but Sheikh Ceesay did just enough to put the forward off and his shot hit the woodwork.
Leafe took the ball straight down the other end and Tom Pratt, who had already been unlucky with a few earlier chances, let an opportunity go begging after a cross from the left by Andrews.
But the Leafe number nine made up for his earlier misses by scoring the home side's third after 39 minutes, slotting the ball home with little pressure from the defence.
East Grinstead weren't without their chances, including a penalty shout that was turned down by referee Graeme Ions. The Wasps were hampered by the woodwork again after 42 minutes when Marc Pelling got on the end of a Matt Geard free-kick, only to see his header hit the post before bouncing out.
East Grinstead came out for the second half and look immediately more positive with Stefan Joseph causing trouble from the off and it didn't take long for him to get a reward, the ball going in off the far post after a shot from the left.
After throwing away two goal leads in their last two games, drawing 4-4 at Chipstead and losing 3-2 to Sittingbourne, Leafe were in danger of slipping up again when the Wasps' Emiliano Liyrst finished well for 3-2 after 61 minutes.
However, the game turned back in the Surrey side's favour on 78 minutes when Bos rushed out to close down the run of Lyle, only to bring down the substitute. Referee Ions went straight for the red card and full-back Kristian Campbell's first job as stand-in keeper was to pick the ball out of his net after Andrews converted the resulting penalty for 4-2, also completing his hat-trick.
And on 83 minutes Lyle restored Whyteleafe's three goal cushion to make it 5-2.
And there was further drama before the final whistle after stand-in keeper Campbell fouled Lyle to the right-hand side of the penalty area. Referee Ions again pointed to spot but did not brandish any cards, perhaps believing Leafe were unlikely to score from the attack or perhaps, with the game clearly already won, a moment of sympathy. Clayton, however, had no such sympathy and thumped the resulting penalty past Campbell for 6-2.
