Leverstock Green's promising pre-season build-up continued as they defeated a Wingate and Finchley side 2-0 in Saturday's friendly at Pancake Lane.

It wasn't the full Wingate first team, as they were also playing a friendly at Chesham United, but it was still a strong side put out by the Ryman Premier new boys.

Steve Heath's side played some good football from the start, and took a deserved lead on 22 minutes. Paul Insley, one of several players from last year's Youth team being given a chance in the first team, made a determined run down the right touchline and delivered a superb cross. Lewis Pritchard came in to meet it and headed home another goal in what is proving to be a prolific pre-season for the Green striker.

Leverstock added a second goal two minutes before the break, which owed a lot to the work of Joel Norris, who got past a defender near the corner flag and ran along the bye-line before pulling back for Insley, whose ball across goal was turned in from close range by Adam Hallissey.

Five changes were made at half-time to the Green side, but they continued to play well and create more chances. Early in the half Norris played Pritchard in, but his shot was turned into the side netting by the keeper. On 65 minutes Max Farrelly headed just over from a corner. Five minutes later Norris played a great ball to Insley, but his early shot was turned wide by the keeper. On 73 minutes there was some good interplay between Norris and Pritchard before Norris' shot was saved. Nine minutes from time Pritchard burst through the middle but again his shot was saved.

At the other end the reshuffled defence came under more pressure than in the first half, but coped with it well, and Carl Tasker made a couple of good saves to maintain the clean sheet.

Leverstock have one more friendly to play on Tuesday night against SWR Garage Doors, before opening their league season next Saturday with a home game against Hillingdon Borough.