Match Report

Leverstock Green completed a clean sweep of their pre-season games with a 5-1 win over Broadfields United, who last season finished 4th in SSML Division One and won the Challenge Trophy. All of the Leverstock goals were scored in an impressive first half display.

Alex Witham followed up his hat-trick at Risborough on Tuesday with two more goals, the first of which opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Witham ran with the ball before unleashing a shot from just outside the penalty area into the top corner of the net. Leverstock’s second goal came in the 23rd minute as Tom Silford crossed from the left and Jonny Miller headed home.

It should have been 3-0 in the 28th minute when a misplaced pass in defence left Chris Blunden through on goal, but the visiting keeper pulled off a great save to turn Blunden’s shot round the post. Witham went close again in the 36th minute with a shot that took a deflection and was tipped onto the post by the keeper.

Two minutes later Jonathan Lacey had a run at goal before hitting a shot that was saved by the keeper, but Blunden followed up to net the third Leverstock goal. In the 41st minute a deflected cross dropped for Blunden on the edge of the penalty, and he curled a low shot into the bottom corner of the net for his second and Leverstock’s fourth goal. A minute before the break Witham scored his second, slotting past the keeper from a narrow angle.

An off-the-ball incident between Silford and a Broadfields player on the half-time whistle led to both players being absent from the second half. Broadfields hit the bar with a shot on 51 minutes and pulled a goal back ten minutes later. Leverstock made several changes during the second half, but couldn’t add any further goals, with the best effort being a long-range shot from Lacey which was saved on 65 minutes.

Join manager Peter Waller described the second half as “lacklustre” after an excellent first half, but said that there were many positives to take from the game.

Starting XI: Arvydus Kacinkevicius, Jonny Miller, Brima Johnson, Elliott Dobbs, Jude Bell, Seldyn Grant, Mark Smith, Alex Witham, Chris Blunden, Jonathan Lacey, Tom Silford. Subs used included: Sam Nair, Reynaldo Carbon, Luke Nugent and DJ Brown.

Next Saturday Leverstock begin their SSML Premier Division campaign with a visit to London Colney.

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