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Match report: Old Headingley AFC v Robin Hood
A depleted Old Headingley AFC were edged out in a five goal thriller against Robin Hood.
Old Headingley AFC 2
Robin Hood 3
The result condemned means Richard Hamilton's men to a third consecutive home defeat.
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Up against a Robin Hood side who had fortuitously taken the three points with a last minute goal in their encounter earlier in the season, many of Headingley's players were a yard off the pace against opponents who seemed quicker around the pitch and whose victory had a worrying air of inevitability about it once they had regained the lead 15 minutes into the second half.
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Starting with the untested combination of Lenny Miller and Andy Hallam in attack and with Pete Gillick and Ollie Hubbard returning from a long spells out of the team to strengthen the lineup, Headingley initially struggled to cope with the lively movement and interchanging of Robin Hood's central midfielders.
However, with the visitors only deploying one lone frontman against Headingley's back three, the threat to Leigh Fearn's goal was only sporadic in the opening spell.
After a disjointed beginning, characterised by misplaced passes and indecisiveness from several players, Headingley did begin to find their feet once they had worked out the areas where they could expose their opponents, and frequently found space behind the opposition defence.
A sighter from Miller which bent past the far post and a drive from Gillick which rebounded out from the underside of the crossbar appeared to signal that a goal was imminent, but it was Fearn and not his opposite number who found himself picking the ball out of his net within minutes, Headingley's defence failing to clear their lines on more than one occasion and allowing the forward far too much time to give Robin Hood the lead.
This setback spurred Headingley into action and prompted heir best spell of the game. As halftime approached, Andy Hallam chased a fine ball into the inside left channel and from a seemingly impossible angle looped the ball over the 'keeper and into the top corner. Whether the product of luck or genius, the equaliser was merited based on the vast improvement Hamilton's side had begun to show, and although Sean Tyers had departed due to a leg injury, the industry shown by substitute Joe Kinchin suggested Headingley could kick on and earn all three points in the second half.
Unfortunately, the second forty five minutes proved to be one of the more disappointing of this season's campaign. The competitive nature of the game had threatened to boil over on more than one occasion in the opening period and once they fell behind, Headingley appeared to have lost the mental edge to their opponents. With the referee proving erratic in his decision making, Robin Hood took advantage to spring Headingley's offside trap on two occasions and with Fearn hopelessly exposed by his backline, two simple finishes in the space of five minutes seemed to put the home side's hopes to bed.
Struggling to get their forwards into the game, Headingley were handed a lifeline when the opposition's attempts to play offside failed and Adrian Shields coolly lobbed the stranded goalkeeper with fifteen minutes to go. Beginning to win more threatening corners and set pieces, the home side pinned Robin Hood back inside their own half, but a glancing header from a corner which fell agonisingly wide of the far post was the nearest that they came to sneaking a point. Only a point-blank save from Leigh Fearn in the closing moments prevented Robin Hood further extending their advantage and with the full time whistle came an end to Headingley's afternoon of torment.
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Weather for Leeds
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
