By Mark Blackman

A late Roscoe DSane equaliser earned hosts Whyteleafe a 2-2 draw in Saturday top of the table clash with Faversham Town, extending Leafe’s unbeaten run in Ryman Divison One South to eight matches.

Whyteleafe started the day in fourth spot, two places and three points behind Faversham.

The hosts welcomed back DSane and Louis Hollingsworth to the starting line up, with Sam Clayton on the bench.

The biggest surprise of the day was also to be found on the team-sheet as the captaincy was passed from regular skipper Jason Thompson to Dylan Merchant.

Leafe started brightly. In the eighth minute, an in-swinging Thompson corner from the right eluded the commanding Faversham keeper Simon Overland and had to be cleared away by a defender on the line.

Two minutes later, DSane put Ryan Fowler through on goal on the left, but his firm shot hit the near post.

Whyteleafe were having the better of the early play, but Faversham served a warning to the home side on 14 minutes when a long throw from the right caused confusion and found Josh Standford in space in the box on the left.

His scuffed shot went wide, but Standford would continue to give Leafe problems all afternoon.

The home side continued to impose themselves on the game, though, and several chances fell their way before the breakthrough.

On 16 minutes, the ball bounced off a Faversham defender to Greg Andrews near the penalty spot, but his shot ballooned wide.

DSane then had two good opportunities, first hitting the post from 12 yards after cutting inside his marker, then finding Overland’s imposing frame too much of an obstacle from closer range.

The goal seemed to be coming though, and on 30 minutes it did.

Fowler lofted a high ball towards the edge of the box, and with three Leafe players in advanced positions, Faversham arms were quick to go into the air calling for offside.

The flag stayed down, however, and Andrews brought the ball under control smartly before lashing a fierce shot inside Overland’s right-hand post.

On 41 minutes, Faversham again had Overland to thank for keeping them in the game.

DSane cut back from the right-hand byline to find Andrews, but his powerful shot was turned to safety by the keeper.

Leafe were unfortunate not to have gone into the break with a bigger lead.

Faversham came out with a different set-up for the second half, and immediately assumed dominance in terms of possession and territorial advantage.

Seven minutes after the break, the scores were level - a move that started on the left was not cleared by the Leafe defence, despite one or two opportunities to do so, and when the ball fell to Dave Botterill, he made no mistake in lashing the ball past Sheikh Ceesay.

Faversham continued to have the upper hand and produced further chances.

Midfielder and skipper Wayne Wilson was finding a regular outlet in left-winger Standford, whose crosses were a constant source of problems.

On two or three occasions, the Leafe were forced into some desperate last-ditch defending to block goal-bound efforts, in addition to which a corner clipped the Leafe crossbar and Ceesay was asked to make a sharp save to his right by Faversham striker Dean Grant.

Among it all, Leafe had a three-minute spell of their own around the hour mark when Andrews had a run on goal smothered by Overland and Tommy Smith’s low drive from an acute angle went just wide of the post.

It was brief respite, however, from Faversham’s relentless fitness and pursuit of the winner.

The visitors’ endeavour appeared to have been rewarded when they took the lead with eight minutes to go.

Inevitably it was Standford who scored it, finding himself in space on the left, bearing in on the box and lashing a hard, low shot past the outstretched Ceesay.

But in a reversal of Tuesday’s disappointments, it was Leafe who would have the final say in an entertaining encounter, as the Faversham lead did not even last two minutes.

Not for the first time this season, Shawn Lyle – introduced to the game after 75 minutes – came off the bench and caused problems for the opposition defence.

On 84 minutes, he drove past his marker to get to the right-hand byline and cut the ball back to DSane, who stabbed the ball home at the second attempt from the edge of the six-yard box.

With the minutes ticking down, Leafe pressed for a winner.

DSane had another chance thwarted by Overland, while an Alex Penfold free kick from 25 yards failed to threaten the goal.

However, deep in stoppage time, it was Faversham who went close to nicking all three points.

A free kick from the right was not cleared by Leafe, and yet another goalmouth scramble ensued.

The ball could have gone anywhere off anyone, but the last boot to connect was a Whyteleafe one and the danger was gone.

With that, the referee blew for the end of the game. Given Leafe’s superiority in the first half and Faversham’s dominance of large periods of the second, a draw was a fair result.

Faversham remained in second spot, while Whyteleafe dropped to fifth after Sittingbourne’s win advanced the Kent side up the table.

Whyteleafe: Ceesay , Smith, Penfold, Hollingsworth, Merchant, Thompson (Lyle), Fowler, Grant, DSane (Simpson), Andrews (Clayton), Graham. Unused sub: Pratt.

Next matches: Whyteleafe v Horsham, September 23 – 7.45pm (Ryman League South Division); Carshalton Athletic v Whyteleafe, September 27 – 3pm (Ryman League South Division)