Leicester St Andrews V Coton Green (Division One, play off final)

Leicester St Andrews were looking to return to step five for the first time since 2018 with a statement result against Coton Green in the division one play off final. The Drews have been one of the standout teams this season and went on an unbelievable run of 14 matches unbeaten with 11 wins from January to April.      

It’s been a successful season for the Leicester side who have been a brilliant addition to the MFL since joining last summer from the UCL (Division One). They have built on last season’s 11th place finish to be competing near the top of division one. The summer additions of Josh Crossley and Greg Mills have helped them up front with 104 goals scored from 42 league games.    

Coton were looking to build on last weekend’s eye catching 2-0 win against Heather St John’s with another upset against Leicester St Andrews. The Green Army have been competing near the top of division one this season following some clever signings to boost the squad.

The Tamworth side have been on an upward trajectory since manager Nic Oakley joined the club sixteen months ago following a tough start to the 23/24 season.

One of the keys to their success has been their consistency with only 10 losses from 42 league matches to finish in 5th. The visitors have one of the best defensive records in the league with only 55 goals conceded. Cameron Lee and Matt Hunt have had impressive seasons at the back and there a tough side to break down. 

​Starting line ups

The starting line up for Leicester St Andrews included Luke McAdam starting in goal and Tom Hill captaining the team from central midfield. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with a front two of Josh Crossley and Greg Mills being supported by Jorrin John in the number ten role.

There were no changes from their semi final match against Cradley Town last weekend.

Coton’s starting line up included Lewis Landers starting in goal and Matt Hunt captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 3-4-3 with a front two of Ollie Roome and James Henry being supported by Bashir Mohammed in the number ten role.

There was one change from their semi final match against Heather St Johns last weekend with Luke Fox coming into the team and playing in central midfield alongside Dean Morris.  

​First Half           

Coton started the match on the front foot and were taking the game to Leicester in the opening fifteen minutes. They settled into the play off final well and had an early chance when Ollie Roome found some space in the box before having a shot instinctively saved by Luke McAdam to keep it at 0-0 after eight minutes.

​Leicester gradually grew into the match as the first half went on and did a good job of dealing with the early pressure from Coton. Justin Peace was reading the danger well at centre back and helping the Drews settle into the match.

The first notable chance for Leicester came on 22 minutes when Greg Mills made a promising run on the edge of the box before having a shot comfortably saved by Lewis Landers.

Leicester capitalised on a goalkeeping mistake from Lewis Landers who missed his goal kick on 23 minutes. The Coton keeper tried to kick the ball forward but missed it and Josh Crossley finished into an open net to make it 1-0.

The Drews were well organised off the ball throughout the first half and did a good job of breaking up promising Coton attacks. Liam Canavan and Tom Hill were working hard and constantly tracking back to stop the visitors from building momentum in the opening 45 minutes.

Greg Mills was leading the line well for Leicester in the first half and made another promising run into the box. He found some space before playing a low ball to the back post where Matt Hunt diverted it into his own net for 2-0. It was a bit unlucky from a Coton perspective, but Leicester offered a genuine threat up front and were pressing for a third near the end of the first half.  

Corey Bucalossi took a free kick from the edge of the box that sailed just wide of the top left corner for Leicester on 40 minutes.

Coton showed character and were searching for a way back into the match before half time. Dean Morris struck a free kick that hit the crossbar on 42 minutes in one of the visitor’s best chances of the first half.

​Second Half

Leicester had a good chance in the early stages of the second half when Greg Mills played an intricate ball to Liam Canavan who fired over the bar on 50 minutes.

Coton found a way back into the match on 54 minutes when Ollie Roome put a clinical header into the top left corner to pull a goal back. He’s been brilliant in division one this season and produced when it mattered for the Green Army in the second half.

The visitors did a good job of closing down the midfield more in the second half with Dean Morris impressing in central midfield. He did well to break up the play and start off attacks for Coton and helped them build some momentum on the ball to trouble the Leicester goal.

Coton were pressing for the equaliser and found it when a quality ball into the back post found Ollie Roome who produced a classy finish for 2-2 on the hour mark.

The Tamworth side looked a bit more cohesive up front in the second half and were constantly pressing Leicester high up the pitch to stop them playing out from the back.

James Henry was also making some inspired runs with the ball down the right-hand side and helping Coton get up the pitch.

Luke McAdam had a good game in goal for Leicester yesterday and was reading the danger well to take the pressure off them in the second half. He was claiming balls from dangerous set pieces and kept the Drews in the game at 2-2.  

The best chance of a winner for Coton came when a good ball into the box by Tyrike Richards-Burke found Corey Powell who headed marginally wide of the right-hand post on 80 minutes.

Leicester applied some late pressure on the Coton goal in the final fifteen minutes and had some momentum in front of goal. Greg Mills looked a threat in the box, and the Drews were committing players forward. They were just missing that final ball into the box to stretch the Coton defence.

The second half finished with both sides level after ninety minutes and the play off final went to a penalty shootout.

The quality of the shootout should get plaudits with both sides producing brilliant spot kicks into the top corners. It came down to fine margins with Archie Wood having his effort saved by Lewis Landers who went the right way. The kick was on target, and the Coton keeper did well to save it.

Coton substitute Luke Keen stepped up to take the play off winning penalty. He took a brilliant spot kick into the top left corner to win the shootout 5-3 and seal promotion.

Full Time

The play-off loss was heartbreaking from a Leicester St Andrews perspective following an impressive season in division one. They gave it everything yesterday and just came up short in an evenly contested match.  

It’s been an impressive season overall and they will be looking to go again next year in step six.

Coton have been brilliant over the last few weeks. The Green Army have beaten the likes of Heather St John’s and Leicester St Andrews on their way to play off success.

Full credit to Nic Oakley, the coaching staff and the players for turning Coton into a promotion contender this season and getting it over the line for a historic promotion into step five.

FT score: Leicester St Andrews 2-2 Coton Green (Coton win 5-3 on penalties)

Man of the match: Ollie Roome (Coton Green)

Attendance: 923

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League