Match Report

Leverstock Green suffered their biggest league defeat of the season at fourth-placed Dunstable Town, but it wasn’t for the want of trying by Fergus Moore’s patched-up squad.

There were further absences due to injury or unavailability from Tuesday’s game, where there were already nine players missing, so three further players were brought in on dual registrations for their debuts. Centre-backs Tom Smith and Jeremy Stewart came from Berkhamsted and Hanwell Town respectively, while midfielder Jedediah Brown-Johnson came from Welwyn Garden City.

In addition to the unfamiliar look to the side, the first half was made more difficult by the strong wind. The home side had more of the early pressure, with Austin Byfield saving a close-range header from Danny Webb in the 4th minute, and Smith heading off the line from a corner in the 17th minute.

Leverstock were holding their own until the half-hour mark where there was a flurry of goals. In the 30th minute Byfield did well to parry away a shot from Webb, but Tolu Ikuyinminu followed up to smash home the rebound.

Within two minutes there was a highly controversial second goal for Dunstable. Ikuyinminu hit a shot across goal which was put into the net by Joe Sellers-West, who was laying next to the goalline at the time it hit him and clearly in an offside position, but neither referee or assistant saw the need to disallow the goal.

Leverstock got themselves back into the game in the 37th minute. Luke Beckwith’s corner was not cleared from the six-yard box and John Shamalo applied the decisive touch to head into the net.

However, the two-goal cushion was restored within a minute from a long throw at the other end. It was another controversial goal as Ikuyinminu finished at the far post, but Smith was clearly being held and went down as the ball came over.

Leverstock could have got themselves back in at again on the stroke of half time as Chris Blunden got to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Shamalo, but his shot went over the bar.

Early in the second half Byfield pulled off two good saves to keep out shots from Webb, but in the 60th minute he had no chance as Webb took advantage of some suicidal passing around their own box by the Green defence to shoot home the fourth goal.

Leverstock kept on pushing to get a goal back, and their effort could not be faulted, but with their makeshift side against full-strength opposition it was always going to be an uphill battle and Dunstable held onto their lead comfortably for the rest of the game.

Dunstable Town (3) 4 (Ikuyinminu 30, 38, Sellers-Est 32, Webb 60)
1. Connor Coulson, 2. Benji Crilley, 3. Kyle Davison-Gordon, 4. John Smith (15. Remell Stirling 79 mins), 5. Robbie Goodman, 6. Alfie Osborne, 7. Ruairi Mills, 8. Luke Dunstan, 9. Joe Sellers-West (19. Kelvin Osei-Addo), 10. Danny Webb (14. Harry Beaumont 68 mins), 11. Tolu Ikuyinminu (12. Ethan Creary 85 mins). Sub not used: 16. Dyman Baker.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Shamalo 37)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Kurainashe Musanhi, 4. Tom Smith, 5. Jeremy Stewart, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Luke Beckwith, 8. Jedidiah Brown-Johnson (15. Ayomide Oke 85 mins), 9. Chris Blunden, 10. John Shamalo, 11. Elgeniy Daalberg (14. Raheem Khan 73 mins). Subs not used: 16. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 20. Scott McGleish.