Evo-Stik Southern Premier Leiston 3 Biggleswade Town 0 The new Leiston management team of Stuart Boardley and David Head presided over the perfect start following their appointment on Thursday, a smooth transition following the departure of former boss Glen Driver and assistant Tony Kinsella.
The team performed admirably to inflict the first league defeat of the season on the visiting Bedfordshire side, who were boasting the meanest of defensive records, having conceded a meagre seven goals, from their opening 11 matches.
In consequence, Leiston leapfrogged the visitors, who started in fourth position but have now dropped to fifth, as the home side moved smoothly into the play-off positions with 23 points, in front of 252 spectators at Victory Road.
Leiston were without defenders Seb Dunbar through suspension, and skipper Tom Bullard through injury. It mattered not, as young Harry Wales and Patrick Brothers more than adequately compensated in a defence ably lead by Joe Jefford, that gave Lee Allison’s side very little scope to stretch their unbeaten record to 12 games.
Their only blemish was the straight red card shown to Kyle Hammond, seconds before the final whistle.
The first 20 minutes saw the defences on top, but then the first chance fell to the visitors when Peter Clark forced Marcus Garnham into a fine full length save.
However, it was Leiston who took a 26th minute lead following good work down the left from Dominic Docherty, culminating in Jake Reed finding space to fire past Sam Donkin.
The visitors went close through Martel Powell and a Joe White overhead kick, but at the interval Leiston went in with a deserved lead.
That lead was almost extended when the impressive Reed set up Christy Finch, who ran through and dispatched a fine shot, but Donkin made the block.
Garnham then made a point blank save to deny Jonny McNamara, but a moment later Hammond made an incisive run down the right cutting in forcing Donkin to save a powerful shot at the expense of a corner. From the resultant set-piece Jake Reed drove home to make it 2-0.
Joshua Moore then struck a brilliant effort tipped over by Donkin, but the league’s only unbeaten record was in tatters when Reed, on 82 minutes, set up substitute Matt Blake to volley home the third.
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