DEFEAT CAN TURN OVER HELP DREAMERS NEW LEAFE!

AFC WHYTELEAFE captain Helge Orome admits his side came back down to earth with a bump after reaching the last four but says that might just be a blessing in disguise.

- Matthew Nash

The FA Vase semi-finalists lost 4-3 at Sandhurst in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South three days after defeating Bourne Town 1-0 at Church Road to move closer to the Wembley final.

That loss ended a 12-match winning run in all competitions that stretched back to their last reverse in the league at Tooting & Mitcham in December and, with the first leg of their tie against Andover New Street to come on Saturday, Orome feels Leafe may have just got their off-day out of their system.

“We had that high on the Saturday but it then affected our next league game three days later, the end result being we’ve lost a match we shouldn’t have,” the midfielder told The NLP.