Luca Colville sparkles as Scarborough Athletic earn 1-1 draw at National League North play-off rivals Leamington
Boro returned from Leamington with a point from a 1-1 draw, to extend their unbeaten run to seven games, as the hosts equalised with a wonder goal to cancel out the excellent Luca Colville’s first goal of the season for Boro.
Jono Greening’s side were on top for much of the first half, and created some decent chances, but the second half was evenly contested, and neither side could snatch a winner, writes Steve Adamson.
Boro started on the front foot, both Colville and Alex Brown firing straight at keeper Callum Hawkins in the opening five minutes.
Brown was a constant threat down the left, and his low cross into the area was scrambled clear by Rob Evans, Dom Tear surged forward, and squared to Colville, who was fouled, before taking the free-kick and curling his shot over the wall, onto the roof of the net. Then a Colville corner was volleyed inches wide by Alex Wiles.
It had been all Boro, but the first save of the game came from Ryan Whitley, who did brilliantly at full stretch to parry a thunderous 20-yard strike from Callum Stewart that was heading for the top left corner.
Dan Meredith dipped a cross over the Boro bar, and a ball into the goalmouth from Stewart just evaded Tim Berridge who couldn’t tap in at the back post, then Henry Landers sidefooted narrowly wide.
Kieran Weledji burst down the right for Boro, and laid off to Colville, who smashed his shot against the bar on 28 minutes, then an Alex Purver corner was bundled wide by Richie Bennett.
Boro remained on top, Brown raced into the box but was halted by a Landers tackle, Kieran Glynn passed forward to Tear, but Josh Quaynor hacked clear, then Tear intercepted a poor back pass, and lifted his shot just over.
On the stroke of half-time Colville set up Bennett, who shot wide.
The second half was rather frenetic, neither side getting the upper hand, but Boro broke the deadlock on 56 minutes when the hard-working Purver won possession and passed wide to Brown, whose ball into a crowded goalmouth was poked home from close range by man of the match Colville.
Leamington fought back, Meredith charged forward but was stopped by a superb tackle from Tear, before the hosts equalised with a stunning ‘goal of the season’ contender, when a Landers cross was headed across the area by Jack Edwards, and George Ward netted with a brilliantly executed overhead scissors kick.
It was end to end for the remainder of the game. For the hosts, Berridge had a shot deflected wide by Mackenzie Maltby, Bailey Gooda headed clear a couple of times, a tame Adam Walker shot trickled into the arms of Whitley, and a Landers strike was blocked by Weledji.
Boro went close when a Lewis Maloney free-kick wide on the left, was superbly tipped over by Hawkins, then a Weledji cross was headed wide by Harry Green, and Green teed up Purver, whose shot was blocked by Quaynor. Frank Mulhern headed a Green cross over, and in stoppage time Cam Wilson went on a mazy dribble and passed to Green, but Hawkins got down to save his shot.
LEAMINGTON - Hawkins, Meredith, Quaynor, Evans, Landers (Shorrock 78), Walker (c), Stewart, Edwards, Berridge (Lynn 76), Ward, Williams
BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Maltby, Gooda (c), Purver, Tear (Wilson 78), Glynn (Maloney 64), Bennett (Mulhern 71), Wiles (Green 64), Colville
REFEREE - Harry Warner
GOALS - BORO - Luca Colville 56; LEAMINGTON - George Ward 65
GOAL ATTEMPTS - LEAMINGTON 8 (3 on target) BORO 13 (5 on target)
CORNERS - LEAMINGTON 2 BORO 4
OFFSIDES - LEAMINGTON 1 BORO 3
YELLOW CARDS - LEAMINGTON - Ewan Williams; BORO- Alex Purver
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Luca Colville
ATTENDANCE - 902 (135 away)