Tanners left Stompond Lane pointless on Tuesday night, in a game that saw youngster Adam Goodwell dismissed late on.

After an early exchange of corners which came to nothing, the game quickly descended into an attritional midfield battle with few moments of quality from either team.

For the Tanners, Tommy Hutchings tried his luck from 35 yards with a free kick which was comfortably held by the experienced Delroy Preddie in the home goal, whilst a couple of long range efforts from the hosts failed to even hit the target.

Walton did however come close on 17 minutes when an attack down the left wing brought a fine save from Tanner’s Craig Bradshaw, with the subsequent clearance almost ricocheting back into the net off a Walton player but just flying past the post.

On 29 minutes Tanners had their best chance when Josh Smith outpaced the Walton right back and cut back a low cross which found Julian Usuwu-Bekoe at the far post but he disappointing skied the over the bar from 4 yards out.

Hassan Nyang was then booked for the Greens when a Walton player seemed to over react to an innocuous challenge.

Shortly before the interval the returning Marc Elston suffered a reaction to his injury forcing Micky Sullivan to bring on Zak Graham and reshuffle a midfield already depleted by non-availability.

Walton nearly snatched a half-time lead when a corner kick from the right drifted across the face of the goal with no one able to apply a finishing touch.

The hosts scored what turned out to be the winning goal two minutes into the second half when the prolific loanee David Tarpey went on a mazy run and saw his scuffed shot somehow evade Craig Bradshaw and roll agonisingly into the far corner.

Bradshaw then redeemed himself with a fine point blank save from a header as Walton took control with the Tanners struggling to make an impression.

Tanners' best chance of salvaging anything from the game came with 10 minutes remaining when a deep free kick was headed back across goal by Chris Boulter but Osuwu- Bekoe’s weak shot from 8 yard was comfortably held by Preddie.

Craig Bradshaw, who had been limping for much of the second half was replaced near the end by reserve team keeper Dean Guiney, and then right at the death fellow substitute Michael Corbett saw his looping header drift wide, with Preddie caught off his line.

Leatherhead: Bradshaw (Guiney), Coke, Dean, Hendry, Boulter, Goodwell, Nyang, Elston (Graham), Smith (Corbett), Osuwu – Bekoe, Hutchings.