Match Report 2001/2002Leigh's back....but then he's gone again!Wednesday 13th March 2002 : Jewson Wessex LeagueDownton 1, Lymington & New Milton 3 |
Prolific goalscorer Leigh Phillips made his first
appearance for Lymington & New Milton after serving a 42-day suspension and
promptly got sent off again in the Linnets' 3-1 victory at Downton. The
suspension-prone striker was dismissed for two bookable offences, but manager
Graham Kemp believes Phillips is a marked man and complained: "They were awful
decisions. Leigh made two tackles all game and got booked for both, yet on the
second one their player didn't even appeal for a free-kick. I can't believe
that he was given two yellow cards for two such innocuous challenges. He's
waited so long to get back, but now he's really despondent and feels like
jacking it all in."
Phillips' dismissal rather overshadowed the events
of the match but for the record, L&NM passed their century of goals for the
season during the game. However, this will be of small account for Kemp who
reflected afterwards: "I'd rather have sacrificed the three points than had
Leigh sent off." Given that his side's title chances have been virtually
extinguished, one can only believe that he means it.
At the start,
Graham Kemp had reinstated himself in the L&NM defence in the absence of
Paul Morris and Paul Liddon started his first game for several weeks at right
wing-back. Still missing from the line-up, however, was leading scorer Richie
Glenister, so Steve Tate partnered Leigh Phillips up front.
Downton
surprised their visitors by taking a first-half lead through Walters but
Steve Tate equalised for the Linnets from a free kick. Phillips then
received his marching orders and with ten men Kemp's side rose to the
challenge. A header apiece for Steve Strong, a half-time substitute for
Liam Green and Nigel Mottashed, settled the match for the New Foresters.
Encouragingly, Matt Town continues his recovery from injury and came on for
Tate for the last twenty minutes of the game.
Lymington & New
Milton: Kearn, Liddon, B. Phillips, Kemp, Mottashed, Drew, Sheppard, Smith,
L. Phillips, Tate [Town 70], Green [Strong 45]. Unused sub: Gazzard.
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Match reports on this site are based on those appearing in the New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times (except where separately credited) with additional material from my own resources where relevant.
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