Match Report

It was another frustrating night for Leverstock Green, as they once again only came away with a point from a game where they should have collected all three. Leverstock missed a number of clear-cut chances that could have put the game away by half time on a wet night at Marlow.

However, home side Marlow could also have been three goals up within the opening five minutes. With just over a minute played a shot from Mitch Parker hit the bar, A minute later a shot from Calvin Gitiba was deflected across goal and wide, and in the 5th minute Naheer Nawaf went on a mazy run into the box and had only Harry Way to beat, but pulled his shot wide. Two minutes later Marlow had a free kick just outside the penalty area, but Parker’s shot went over the bar. Marlow did eventually take the lead in the 12th minute as the ball was pulled back from the byeline to find Parker with a low shot into the net from close range.

Leverstock eventually settled down, and had a very good spell from midway through the first half. In the 24th minute Joe McCarthy was through on goal, but at the moment he got his shot away, a defender’s boot came in to deflect it wide. From the resulting corner, Dan Pett’s cross was headed away, but only back to Pett, who at the second attempt delivered the perfect cross to the far post for Callum Neal to head home the equaliser.

Leverstock should have been in front in the 28th minute. A pass from Ryan Carruthers set McCarthy free down the left, and his cross found Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica right in front of goal, but his shot was straight at keeper James Sharlott. Stefanoaica made amends four minutes later, though, as a pass from Nat Connolly freed him down the right. As Stefanoaica was heading for goal, he could have shot himself but instead squared for Jeffrey Sekyere, who was coming in unmarked and hit a first time shot home to put Leverstock into a 2-1 lead.

There should have been another one two minutes later as Stefanoaica and Pett combined to set up Sekyere for an almost identical chance, but this time he shot wide of the target. Five minutes before the break Way pulled off a good save to turn away a shot from Nawaf ensuring that Leverstock took their lead into half time.

Another good chance was missed just over a minute into the second half as Stefanoaica was through on goal again and looked set to score, but his shot was saved by Sharlott and Sekyere couldn’t get the rebound under control. In the 50th minute Pett hit a free kick just over the bar, and Leverstock had to make a change at the back as the injured Tommy Boxer had to leave the game. He was replaced by George Mitchell-Gears, playing the first game of his second spell at the club after a move from Daventry Town this week. Marlow took advantage of the reorganised backline, as Nawaf shot home an equaliser to make it 2-2 in the 54th minute.

Leverstock continued to push forward, with McCarthy being flagged offside a number of times, some of which looked like harsh decisions. In the 63rd minute McCarthy got on the end of a cross from Neal with a shot that was saved by Sharlott.

Both sides could have won the game from corners in stoppage time. Firstly Jael Norville headed wide at the far post from a Leverstock corner, and then Marlow won a corner in the final minute which caused a goalmouth scramble as the ball was not cleared, but two shots from close range were somehow blocked by Leverstock defenders. In the end it was a 10th draw from 19 league games for Leverstock.

Marlow (1) 2 (Parker 12, Nawaf 54)
1. James Sharlott, 2. Abdallah Khalil, 3. Louie Carr, 4. Jacob Wilson (9. Shamar Moore 36 mins), 5. Sebastian D’Aversa (19. Enrique Tiamuna 66 mins), 6. Jack Empson (16. Kwesi Ntim 90+4 mins), 8. Chris Ovenden, 10. Mitch Parker, 11. Naheer Nawaf (18. Harvey Maudner 76 mins), 12. Flavio Gyawu-Kyem (17. Luqman Kassim 76 mins), 22. Calvin Gitiba.
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (Neal 25, Sekyere 32)
1. Harry Way, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Ethan Mooney (16. Aldo Petagine 55 mins), 4. Thomas Georgiou, 18. Tommy Boxer (12. George Mitchell-Gears 50 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Joe Mccarthy (15. Jael Norville 90+1 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Nat Connolly (17. Marcus Warren 86 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (14. Iker Noguera Leon 69 mins).