Having inflicted the first home league defeat on league leaders Macclesfield this season Leek Town repeated the feat against playoff chasing Ilkeston Town with a deserved 2-0 win after another assured away performance, the goals coming from the Blues new deadly duo strike force of Louis Potts and Hayden Campbell.

The Leek starting line up showed three changes as Leek manager Josh Brehaut chose to freshen up the side after hard games against Macclesfield and Matlock. Billy Reeves, Adam Porter and Alex Hurst were rested with Tom Scully, George Miller and Ollie Shenton coming into the team and all contributing to the victory with good displays in their own rights to demonstrate the current strength of the Blues squad.

Leek started the game positively with Liam Buckley prominent in the early stages with a couple of surging runs down the right and Potts was already showing he would be a handful for the Robins defenders all afternoon beating his opponent with a neat turn on 4mins and drawing the foul as he was pulled back.Scully swung in the free kick and Potts got in front of his marker to meet the delivery but got too much on his flicked effort and was unable to get it on target.

Ilkeston boast having the leagues top scorer in their ranks, in the prolific Thomas Cursons, but the Leek central defensive three of Tom Curl, Liam Edward’s and Julius Ndene did really well to keep the marksman quiet for the majority of the game with his only effort on target being a 39th minute left footed effort that was a comfortable save for Blues goalkeeper Dino Visser.

Cursons did help to create a chance for Jamie Walker after 8mins with a neat flick inside the area but Walkers effort was into the side netting with Visser covering his near post well. Walker had another chance on 23mins when he was found with a pass inside the area following a good move down the right from the home side but side footed his effort wide when well placed in the middle of the Leek area.

Despite this the actual better chances of the first half came the way of Leek with Potts and Campbell continuing to deliver from the partnership they have forged together. Potts was again fouled after 20mins and when this free kick was delivered into the box he rose highest to win the header and nod it down for Campbell who hit a side footed volley that drew a great save from Ilkeston keeper Matthew Yates to tip the ball over the bar.

Campbell made no mistake 5mins later, however, when he put the Blues one up with a well taken finish. It was Scully who began the move as he advanced and played a pass for Potts to run onto down the Leek right. He crossed first time low into the box and Campbell used the pace of the ball to hit a low left footed effort beyond Yates into the net.

The striker nearly made it two in the Blues next attack after 28mins when Liam Buckley won a defensive challenge and immediately saw the space to drive forward down the right. After covering 40-50 yards the wing back saw his cross defended but was able to pick the ball up once more and find Scully in support. Scully’s whipped in cross was more successful and was met by Campbell with a flicked header but unfortunately for him it took a slight deflection resulting in the ball coming back off the crossbar.

The home side then had a spell of pressure using a combination of long throws and corners to test the Leek defence in the air but found the likes of Curl, Edwards, Ndene and Olly Haywood up to the task with Visser also producing a couple of commanding punches away.

And it was Heywood who switched from defender to creator for Leeks second goal a minute from half time when his overlapping run down the left flank was found by Scully and his low driven cross was neatly steered into the net by Potts for another good clinical finish; something the Blues had been lacking earlier in the season.

It could have been three during the added time played at the end of the half when Campbell had a hooked effort at goal after being found by Scullys header into the box but the Blues players could go into the break reflecting on a job well done up to that point.

ILKESTON TOWN 0 - LEEK TOWN 2 HT

It looked as if Leek would have to weather a bit of an early Ilkeston storm at the beginning of the second half as the home side immediately won a couple of corners down each flank but it was the Blues who actually created the first real opportunity of the half after 51mins. Again it came from a move down the right involving Buckley and when his low ball in was only half cleared by the Robins defence Shenton was onto it but could only fire wide of the post.

A couple of minutes later and Buckley was at it again after Potts had shown strength to win and hold up the ball before bringing the wing back into play. This time Buckleys cross was just behind Campbell and the forward improvised a hooked effort but did not get the connection he was looking for to trouble Yates.

At this point the Ilkeston manager had obviously seen enough and made a triple substitution to try and get some sort of impetus going from the home side and it did seem to have the desired effect as they started to see a little bit more of the ball and Leek were beginning to be pressed further back.

The Robins did have the ball in the net after 63mins after Visser had dropped the ball under a challenge but the referee had already blown for a foul on the Blues goalkeeper and the officials continued to be strong in the face of a vociferous home support behind Vissers goal that howled and appealed for everything that they could each time the ball was delivered into the area.

After putting in a dogged hard working shift for 70mins Miller was withdrawn by Josh Brehaut and Billy Reeves came on to make his 200th appearance in a Blues shirt, and provide some fresh legs in the middle of the park, followed shortly after by Adam Porter who replaced Scully.

The energy of the new players was required as the home side increased their efforts to try and retrieve the game although there was little elegance to the long balls that were continually pumped forward in the hope of creation. But they were up against a determined Leek defence intent on keeping a first clean sheet since the goalless draw at Whitby back in October demonstrated by the number of attempted shots that were closed down and blocked by a Blues player with Visser not really having to make any save of note.

And as the game entered the 90th minute, even though victory had been assured, there was still time for Leek to launch a counterattack and seek a third goal through Shenton and the tireless Buckley, resulting in Campbells header at the far post going narrowly wide. That would have been the icing on the cake but, in enabling the Blues to climb out of the bottom four in the league, the win was sweet enough anyway.

ILKESTON TOWN 0 - LEEK TOWN 2 FT

REPORT BY WINNERS LAD

Match Photo Gallery by Jim Booth HERE

So a full week of preparation before the away trip to Warrington Rylands and then two home games with the visit of Port Vale in the Staffordshire Senior Cup on Tuesday 14 January and Lancaster City on Saturday 18th January 2025.

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Attendance : 647
Unused substitutes : Hurst