Match Report

It was a seventh draw from twelve league games for Leverstock Green on Saturday, but they came away wondering how they did not win the game from a series of chances late in the game, even hitting the bar with the last kick of the game.

Rio Beach was missing through suspension after his red card last Saturday, but Leverstock welcomed back their talismanic forward Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, who has returned from a short spell in his native Romania and started on the bench today.

Leverstock were chasing the game after conceding a soft goal in the 11th minute. Harry Way did well to turn a shot from Dan Williams round the post, but the resulting corner found Reece Price-Placid unmarked to put Northwood in front.

They were unlucky not to equalise seven minutes later. Juan Pablo Velasco spotted keeper Hafed Al-Droubi off his line and launched an audacious chip from 40 yards that flew over the stranded keeper but agonisingly hit the bar as it dipped towards the goal. In the 22nd minute Nat Connolly struck a shot from the edge of the box which took a deflection and went just wide. Five minutes before the break a defensive slip left Joe McCarthy through on goal, but McCarthy’s square ball across goal missed everyone.

Leverstock had much more of the possession in the second half, but with an hour played they were still trailing as Stefanoaica came off the bench to resume his Leverstock career. They began to put more pressure on the Northwood goal, and eventually that pressure told in the 77th minute. Several players were involved in the buildup as Northwood missed several chances to clear the ball from their area, but eventually it broke for Sekyere, whose shot took a deflection off a defender that left Al-Droubi wrong-footed and found the net for the equaliser.

Leverstock were very much on top now and it looked like just a question of whether they could go on to win the game. In the 82nd minute Dan Pett set up Stefanoaica to send a lob over Al-Droubi, but the keeper back-pedalled and just tipped it over the bar. They had three great chances to win the game in a lengthy period of stoppage time. Two minutes into stoppage time Jack Allen was clean through on goal but opted to play a square ball instead of shooting himself and it was cleared. A minute later Sekyere set up a chance for Pett but that was missed. A series of corners and long throws ensued, and in the 7th minute of stoppage time, in the scramble following another Dan Casey long throw, the ball dropped for Callum Neal a yard out, but his shot came back off the bar when it looked easier to score.

The final whistle was blown immediately after the chance and Leverstock had to settle for yet another draw.

Northwood (1) 1 (Price-Placid 11)
1. Hafed Al-Droubi, 2. Ademide Baruwa, 3. Mack Miskin, 4. Manny Folarin, 5. Bryan Mankumbani, 6. Carl Stewart, 7. Reece Price-Placid (14. Hicham Bouchareb 88 mins), 8. Omar Rowe (16. Jamie Kennedy 79 mins), 9. Devonte Totesaut, 10. Jon-Jo Bates (12. Nasir Sharif 79 mins), 11. Dan Williams. Subs not used: 15. Jack Smith, 17. Harry McKenna.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Sekyere 77)
1. Harry Way, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Aldo Petagine (14. Dan Casey 65 mins), 20. Tommy Boxer, 5. Thomas Georgiou, 6. Nat Connolly (19. Jack Allen 74 mins), 7. Joe Mccarthy (15. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica 61 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Juan Pablo Velasco, 11. Iker Noguera Leon (12. Ryan Carruthers 80 mins). Sub not used: 16. Marcus Warren.