LYMINGTON & NEW MILTON F.C.


Match Report 2001/2002

Leigh's back....but then he's gone again!

Wednesday 13th March 2002 : Jewson Wessex League

Downton 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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