On a freezing night at Pancake Lane Leverstock Green reached the final of the Herts Charity Cup for the first time in their history. The current holders of the Herts Charity Shield, the Green came from behind to record a 2-1 semi-final win over St Albans City that takes them through to a final against Bishop's Stortford, 1-0 winners at Hemel Hempstead Town in the night's other semi-final.

With St Albans also having an Evo-Stik League match at Redditch United on the same night, it certainly wasn't a full-strength Saints side that faced Leverstock, but it included five players with first team experience. It was an excellent match with both sides playing well on a surface that became increasingly hard during the game.

The Green started with Louis West up front with Junior Owusu-Akonor, and they could have opened the scoring within 30 seconds of the start. West chased down a back pass and got there first to knock the ball past keeper Nick Hardy, but with Owusu-Akonor following in to finish, defender Moussa Diarra got in ahead of him to clear the ball.

On 12 minutes Owusu-Akonor went on a mazy run into the box, but his eventual shot went into the side-netting. Seldyn Grant tried his luck on 16 minutes with a shot from all of 30 yards that Hardy did well to tip over the bar.

The visitors also had their chances in the first half, with Gareth Tinsley having to turn away a shot from Sean Shields on 41 minutes, and in stoppage time Diarra slid in to meet a free kick from Shields but could only put the ball across the face of goal.

The impressive Shields had to be replaced at half-time by Tremayne Charles, and the substitute brought a save out of Tinsley in the 47th minute with a cross that was heading for the top corner until it was tipped over the bar.

St Albans were forced into a change of keeper early in the half as Hardy suffered a broken finger in a challenge with West. At the same time Leverstock also made a change with Lewis Pritchard replacing Ben Butler. Pritchard went up front with Owusu-Akonor while West went back into defence.

Despite their problems it was the visitors who took the lead in the 54th minute. Joe Ehni floated in a cross from distance and James Bent came round the back to shoot home with the Green defence protesting for an offside flag that never came.

Leverstock went in search of an equaliser. On 62 minutes sub keeper Josh Davies was slow to come out for a ball forward from Mark Shadbolt and lost out to Pritchard, but Pritchard's shot at goal was cleared off the line by Tobi Jinaidu. Two minutes later Pritchard flicked on a free kick from Lee Bircham but Grant headed over the bar.

Finally on 70 minutes Dan Griggs played a pass through the middle that put Grant through on the keeper. Rather than finish himself, Grant laid off to Pritchard, and seemed to have put too much weight on the pass, but Pritchard chased it and smashed a first-time shot past Davies for the equaliser before the angle got too narrow.

Green were looking the better side now, and five minutes later they were in front. Griggs' cross from the right touchline found Pritchard, whose side-footed shot came back off the post, however Owusu-Akonor followed in to net the rebound for a 2-1 lead.

More goals could have been added. On 80 minutes Owusu-Akonor was clean through, but Davies saved with his legs and Pritchard's effort from the rebound was cleared off the line by Diarra. From the resulting corner Steve Hatch had a free header but put it over the bar. Three minutes from time a cross from Bekim Culaj somehow eluded Adam Hallissey at the far post but ran through to Griggs, who shot across goal and wide.

Pritchard went close a couple more times in the closing minutes but Leverstock's efforts proved to be enough. They return to league action on Saturday with a visit to St Margaretsbury and must now try to reproduce their cup form to arrest a run of four straight league defeats.