Football matches are often described by commentators as a game of two halves. Well for Whyteleafe it has just been a month of two halves. The period started with a very difficult run of matches against teams in the top echelon of the division, which resulted in three straight losses; 5-1 to Bognor Regis, 2-1 to Whitehawk and 4-0 to Burgess Hill. These results saw Leafe drop into the relegation places and to compound matters we lost striker Agyei who returned to Leatherhead. Faced with a striking crisis Leafe manager Nicky English took the step of promoting youth team player Ryan Thomas to the starting line up, a move that signalled a remarkable upturn in form, with Leafe going on to win three of the next four games and Thomas scoring five goals in the process. First up was a remarkable 5-4 roller coaster of a victory over second placed Met Police, who had only lost two games all season. Thomas marked his starting debut with a brace of goals. There was a dip in the next fixture when Leafe lost at 5- 2 at home to Walton and Hersham though there were clear signs of improvement, and the scoreline definitely flattered the visitors. Back to back 2-1 wins followed, firstly at home to Godalming and then at Chatham, which pulled Leafe out of, but not clear of the relegation zone.

With two months to go a big effort is needed to pick up the points that will secure our divisional status. It promises to be a rocky ride and you can catch a part of the action at Church Road during March: on 8th v Fleet, 12th v Met Police and 26th v Walton Casuals. More action photos taken by Steve Ball can be viewed at http://sbphotography.foliopic. com.