FOOTBALL: North Leigh see off rivals to take local derby honours (From The Oxford Times)

FOOTBALL: North Leigh see off rivals to take local derby honours

11:00am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in Football

North Leigh deservedly took the spoils in their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West local derby with a 2-0 win at Abingdon United.

It was their first victory in ten league games, while Abingdon have now lost their last four without scoring.

The best chance of the first half fell to United’s Toby Nowell in a one-on-one with Sam Warrell, but the keeper saved.

After the break, North Lei-gh’s Brian Bowles missed an open goal when his effort hit both posts before being cleared.

The visitors got the breakthrough on 58 minutes when Conor McDonough beat James Foster, and they continued to call the shots in the closing stages.

Warrell denied Shane Kingston when he tried to catch the keeper off his line, but as United threw men forward in search of an equaliser they were caught on the break by Jon Else three minutes from time.

Abingdon Utd: Foster, Baker, Taplin, Halliday, Thomas, Melledew, Nowell (Biddle), Tucker, Riccio (Self 70), Kingston, Whitehead. Subs not used: Bourne, Young.

North Leigh: Warrell, Hole, Organ, Turk, Franklin, Caton, Walcott (Else 45), Bowles (Mills 87), McDonough (Brooks 80), Sanders, Hopkins. Subs not used: Westlake, Coyle Attendance: 118.

Didcot Town’s battle to beat the drop took a knock with a 6-1 hammering at leaders Hungerford – their heaviest league defeat in more than ten years It looked all over after 15 minutes when Hungerford raced into a two-goal lead via Jon Boardman and Ian Herring.

However, Pablo Haysham gave them hope when he netted on 31 minutes.

Two former Didcot players, Mark Draycott and James Clark, scored just before the break to make it 4-1.

The home side added two further goals late in the second half through Draycott again and Alan O’Brien.

Banbury United’s Premier Division fixture away to Redditch United was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.