At half time it looked like Leverstock Green FC were set to continue their five game winning streak in the league. They had played well and were a goal up, but a dreadful start to the second half saw Harpenden Town turn the game around and end Leverstock’s winning run.

Leverstock were playing for the first time on Harpenden’s new 3G surface, which ensured there was never any doubt of the game going ahead despite all of the rain over the previous few days, and were also wearing a new away strip of pink and black for the first time.

After an even start to the game, Ryan Carruthers hit Leverstock’s first shot at goal in the 8th minute, but it was comfortably gathered by keeper Emmanuel Olajide. Four minutes later at the other end James Ewington was through on goal for Harpenden but hit his shot across goal and wide. In the 18th minute Jayden Newman ran down the left before cutting in and hitting a decent shot, which was gathered by Olajide. A good move in the 26th minute saw a pass from Dan Pett put Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica in behind the defence. Stefanoaica cuoldn’t get a shot away, but set up Newman for a shot which was deflected into the side netting.

Leverstock’s promising build-up play was finally rewarded with a goal on the break in the 32nd minute. A great pass from his own half by Luke Beckwith put Stefanoaica away down the right touchline, and Stefanoaica delivered a cross which found Newman with a clipped finish that went in off the post.

There was almost a second goal in the 37th minute when a cross from Mikey Havill-Tierney took a big deflection off defender Lewis Williams, but luckily for him it looped up just over the bar. Leverstock Green FC took their slender lead into the break and were good value for it.

However, the lead did not survive long into the second half. Harpenden attacked straight from the kick-off, and when Leverstock couldn’t clear the ball from their own six-yard box, a cross from the right was netted from close range by Ewington with just 24 seconds on the clock.

It got worse for Leverstock Green FC in the 52nd minute. They were caught on the break from their own corner, and only an intervention from Stefanoaica prevented them from being clean through on goal. However, from the resulting corner Archie Locke had a free header to put Harpenden 2-1 ahead.

The home side were well on top at this stage, and only a great save from Josh Bowler kept the score down to two as he tipped a shot from Archie McClelland over the bar in the 63rd minute. Leverstock showed occasional signs of getting back into the game. In the 75th minute Stefanoaica set up Beckwith for a shot but it was hit straight at Olajide. Three minutes later Stefanoaica did well get to the bye-line and pull the ball back but it just eluded the oncoming Nat Connolly.

A third Harpenden goal in the 83rd minute just about killed off any chances of a Leverstock revival, and it was a self-inflicted wound as a cross from the left was headed into his own net by Rio Beach. Harpenden thus gained revenge for their 2-0 defeat at Leverstock earlier in the season.

Harpenden Town FC (0) 3 (Ewington 46, Locke 52, Beach og 83)
1. Emmanuel Olajide, 2. Conor Clarke, 3. Lewis Williams, 4. Ryan Plowright (12. Ben Spranger 79 mins), 5. Archie Locke, 6. Josh Rodrigues, 7. Hadley Gleeson (16. Josh Kassaye 88 mins), 8. Dave Keenleyside, 9. James Ewington (15. Elliot Bailey 80 mins), 10. Harry Andic (17. Spencer O’Leary 70 mins), 11. Archie McClelland. Sub not used: 14. Dan Palmer.
Leverstock Green FC (1) 1 (Newman 32)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Mikey Havill-Tierney, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 6. Callum Neal, 18. Ryan Carruthers (12. Ademide Baruwa 82 mins), 7. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jayden Newman (14. George Mitchell-Gears 75 mins), 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Luke Beckwith (15. Morgan Grout 90 mins). Subs not used: 16. Brad Robinson, 17. Joe Sadler.

After six postponements due to weather and 26 days without a game Leverstock Green finally returned to action, and they hit the ground running as they recorded an impressive 3-0 win at Harpenden Town. On a difficult sticky pitch freshly defrosted from the cold weather of the last two weeks, Leverstock showed their attacking prowess in the first half as they led 3-0 at the break, and defended superbly under pressure in the second half to maintain the win and the clean sheet. Skipper Dan Weeks returned to the side after a long injury layoff for his first game since September 6th.

Leverstock took an early lead, and it was something of a gift from the home side. Their defence unwisely tried to play the ball across the face of their own box, and as it held up on the sticky surface, Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica nipped in to stab the ball home in for a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute.

In the 13th minute Leverstock were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box for a foul on Ibrahim Nagheeb, who got up to take the free kick himself, but couldn’t keep his effort under the bar. There was another great chance in the 18th minute. Stefanoaica chased a forward pass from Luke Durnin, while home keeper Alex Desmond came racing out of his goal, but missed the ball. Stefanoaica continued his run towards the empty net, but by the time he caught up with the ball the angle was narrow and his shot went into the side netting. Two minutes later Stefanoaica was denied again by a point blank save from Desmond.

16 year old Kurainashe Musanhi was in the starting lineup in place of the injured Rio Beach, and he brought a save out of Desmond with a cross from the left touchline that was drifting towards the top corner of the net until Desmond tipped it over. Nagheeb took the resulting corner, which was headed up in the air by Stefanoaica. As it came down, the Harpenden defenders were slow to react and Ethan Mooney nipped in to nod the ball home and put Leverstock 2-0 up in the 31st minute.

It was then the turn of Green keeper Austin Byfield to show his quality, firstly tipping a shot from Daniel Westmore onto the bar in the 37th minute, and then getting down low at his post to turn away a shot from Jake Anthony a minute later. The game was still finely poised, but Leverstock added an important third a minute before the break. A pass from Elginey Daalberg found Stefanoaica out wide, and as he headed on a run into the box, he was brought down by a challenge just inside the box. The referee initially waved play on, but his assistant raised his flag. After a consultation between the two, the penalty was awarded and Stefanoaica took it himself to make it 3-0 in the 44th minute.

The second half was a different story as Harpenden came out looking more determined and had the Leverstock goal under heavy pressure at times. In the 55th minute Byfield impressed again as he palmed a corner away and then instantly recovered to turn away an incoming header. Two minutes later Musanhi cleared off the line from one of the home side’s many corners.

Leverstock still had chances themselves to increase their lead on the break, with Stefanoaica twice being denied by Desmond after being put through by Dan Pett in the 61st minutes and by Mooney in the 80th minute. Mooney had a chance himself in the 84th minute after a great pass from Nagheeb, but curled his shot just wide of the post.

The game ended with Harpenden applying further pressure from yet more corners, but the Leverstock defence held firm thanks to a number of superb performances, none more so than MOM Luke Durnin – recently returned after a long injury break and playing his first full game since August.

Harpenden Town (0) 0
1. Alex Desmond, 2. Andrew Simmons, 3. Daniel Westmore (17. Hugo Bennett 64 mins), 4. Josh Rodrigues, 5. Miles Habashi (15. Spencer O’Leary H/T), 6. Lawrence Whiffin, 7. Isiaih Hilaire, 8. Ryan Plowright, 9. Jake Anthony, 10. Joe Devaney (14. James Younger 60 mins), 11. Josh Setchell. Subs not used: 12. George Robinson, 16. Lewis Croucher.
Leverstock Green (3) 3 (Stefanoaica 4, 44 pen, Mooney 31)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Brad Robinson (14. Alvin Kyeremeh 60 mins), 3. Kurainashe Musanhi, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Luke Durnin, 6. Ryan Carruthers (16. Callum Moore 88 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (15. Raheem Khan 82 mins), 10. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 11. Elgeniy Daalberg. Sub not used: 20. Scott McGleish.

After starting 2022 with two defeats, Leverstock Green got back to winning ways with a very impressive performance against the side immediately below them in the SSML Premier Division table. Fergus Moore’s side dominated the game with some tidy attacking football and had the chances to have made this a much more comfortable win.

Leverstock started the game strongly, with Ollie Cox having their first effort on goal in the 4th minute, going just wide of the post. Cox had another couple of efforts off target in the early stages, before the Green side took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute. Rawn Seale battled his way to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Elgeniy Daalberg, who controlled it before placing an angled shot into the corner of the net.

The home side produced little in the first half, with only a deflected shot from Mulik Rickman in the 31st minute causing Alfie Bonfield any concerns. Leverstock then had a series of chances to pad their lead before the break. On 34 minutes Dan Pett had a chance to shoot, but laid off to Rio Beach, whose shot was blocked on the line, as was a rebound effort from Daalberg. Two minutes later Cox pounced on some hesitant defending to win the ball and put over a great cross for Seale to run onto, but Seale’s shot went just over the bar. In the 41st minute Seale ran onto a pass from man-of-the-match Kian Wilkes and slipped the ball over the keeper, but there wasn’t quite enough strength on it and a defender got back to clear off the line.

Leverstock took just a one-goal lead into the break, and in the early stages it was Harpenden who started to put more pressure on. However, they made little headway against a determined Green defence, and Bonfield only had to make a save in the 55th minute to turn a shot wide at the near post. Leverstock continued to look dangerous going forward, with Beach being denied in the 61st minute when his shot was turned round the post by keeper Alex Desmond.

There was another chance for a second goal in the 73rd minute as Seale made a great solo run into the box, but his eventual shot was hit straight at Desmond. However, a minute later Daalberg played in a ball from the left which found Seale on the edge of the box. Seale controlled the ball with a great first touch, sidestepped a defender, then sidefooted a shot into the corner of the net to finally give his side a two-goal lead.

Harpenden had another period of pressure following the second goal, with an effort which went only inches wide of the goal, and a good save from Bonfield to prevent an own goal from skipper Dan Weeks. Harpenden pressed strongly again over the closing minutes, winning a series of corners, but the Green side were in no mood to give up their clean sheet, and held out for a very much deserved win.

Harpenden Town (0) 0
Team: 1. Alex Desmond, 2. Toby Syme (12. Josh Rodrigues 73 mins), 3. Dan Westmore, 4. Jamie Riley, 5. Daniel Palmer, 6. Sam Doolan, 7. Ivan Machado (14. Jake Collins H/T), 8. Mulik Rickman, 9. Jake Anthony, 10. Joe Devaney (15. Ryan Plowright 68 mins), 11. Josh Setchell. Sub not used: GK. Connor Sansom.
Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Daalberg 23, Seale 74)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Brad Robinson, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks (12. Jack Allen 68 mins), 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Elgeniy Daalberg, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Paplamin Jawara, 11. Ollie Cox (16. Scott McGleish 65 mins). Subs not used: 14. Ollie Lawford, 17. Kyle Williams, 18. Fergus Moore.