7.45pm 5 August 2025
FA Cup, Extra Preliminary Round Replay
Benfleet 0 Leighton Town 1 (att 469)
Being in London for work put this midweek game within range. It was still an effort to make the rush hour journey by public transport, but the opportunity to recomplete the Essex Senior League was hard to resist.
Benfleet had been due to play a home league game, but a creditable draw at higher ranked Leighton at the weekend meant that game was rescheduled to make way for a n FA Cup replay.
Leighton Town made no mistake at the second attempt, but they did make hard work of seeing off Benfleet. It wasn't the greatest of games, and looked to be heading for extra time until the visitors scored from a corner with 12 minutes left.
The home side had chances late on, coming close to equalising in a lengthy period of stoppage time, but Leighton held on for a slightly fortunate win.
Benfleet have climbed the leagues in recent years, and last season saw them return to their home ground after a spell away while it was upgraded. It's a three sided venue, with just the near side and both ends accessible to spectators.
There's a small seated stand, flanked by two covered standing areas. The dugouts are out of the way on the far side. An impressive array of advertising banners is a positive sign of a club that seems to have tapped into a local community that tuned out in force to support the team.
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