Match Report

Leverstock Green got back to winning ways in the league as they turned in a superb performance to win a difficult away game 3-0 at Milton Keynes Irish. Fergus Moore’s side dominated the game with a tough, hard-working performance and it was a fully-deserved win capped by three goals of the highest quality.

Leverstock started the game strongly, and in the 8th minute Paplamin Jawara floated in a free kick which found Dan Weeks, but his header went over the bar. On 11 minutes Lewis Collins pulled out a cross which was met by Rawn Seale with a glancing header that was heading for the corner of the net until home keeper Jack Taylor pulled off a great save. Taylor saved well again in the 20th minute to prevent an own goal deflecting in off one of his defenders.

In the 27th minute Leverstock finally got the goal their football had deserved. Ryan Carruthers, who only started the game due to Kian Wilkes felling unwell during the warm-up, threaded a superb pass which put Collins in behind the last defender, and Collins finished confidently with a first-time shot past Taylor.

The home side came into the game more during the later stages of the first half. On 33 minutes Alfie Bonfield saved with his legs to deny George Boland, who turned and shot from close range, and five minutes later Bonfield again kept out a close range effort from Boland. On 39 minutes Taylor was almost embarrassed as a long-range effort from Jawara slipped out of his hands and bounced behind him, but he just about recovered to grab the ball before it crossed the line.

Leverstock took their slender lead into the second half where, if anything they were even more dominant than the first half. The Green defence did not allow the home side a single effort at goal during the half.

The second goal arrived in the 62nd minute after a run at goal by Seale was ended by a foul challenge five yards outside the box. Jawara stepped up to take the free kick and, not for the first time this season, delivered the goods as he floated the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the net for a superb strike.

Irish were reduced to ten men in the 72nd minute as Scott Belgrove received a straight red card for downing Paul Marks in an off-the-ball incident that was spotted by the linesman.

With three minutes to go Dan Pett was the victim of a foul challenge a few yards outside the left edge of the penalty area. Jawara stepped up again, and although this one was a much narrower angle than the first one, he produced another outstanding strike to curl the ball over Taylor into the corner of the net for a third Green goal.

There should have been a fourth goal in the 90th minute when a pass from Seale set up a very presentable chance for Ollie Cox on the edge of the box, but he couldn’t keep his shot under the bar. The game was already won anyway, and the final whistle heralded another impressive three points for this Leverstock side.

Milton Keynes Irish (0) 0
Team: 1. Jack Taylor, 6. Steve Brooks, 3. Keelan Shand, 4. Liam Smyth (17. Oliver Coleman 54 mins), 5. Muzaffar Amoako, 9. Michael Lyons, 10. George Boland, 7. Andre Olukanmi, 12. Dominic Lawless (16. Scott Belgrove 57 mins), 11. Robert McDonald, 20. Mason Spence. Subs not used: 2. Ryan Coyle, GK. Benjamin Agyemang.
Leverstock Green (1) 3 (Collins 27, Jawara 62, 87)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks (17. Scott McGleish 82 mins), 14. Ryan Carruthers (15. Ollie Cox 75 mins), 7. Lewis Collins (16. Elgeniy Daalberg 87 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Paplamin Jawara, 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Harry Bonner.