Match Report

Leverstock Green earned an excellent point from a pulsating Dacorum Derby as they drew 2-2 with Berkhamsted in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division match at Broadwater. It would not have been undeserved had the Green side won the game, and the result was all the more remarkable given that they lost three key players to injury early in the game.

Leverstock made a bright start to the game, with Jonathan Lacey bursting through with just over a minute played, but his shot was deflected wide by Berko keeper Carl Tasker. Lewis Bowers got his head to the resulting corner, but it was just wide. At the other end Liam Jahn was brought into action in the 5th minute, producing a good save to turn away a rasping shot from Adam Mead. Berko had another chance in the 9th minute but Ashley Lewis headed wide from Alex Campana’s cross.

The first injury blow for Leverstock came in the 18th minute when Bowers had to leave the game with a hamstring injury, to be replaced by former Berko player Jordan Gilbert. Berko went close again in the 21st minute when Lewis got on the end of a Dan Weeks cross with a header which came back off the base of the post with a Green defender clearing the rebound. Within a minute Leverstock almost took the lead when Curtis Donaldson threaded a pass to Lacey, whose shot beat Tasker but drifted inches wide of the far post.

In the 25th minute Leverstock suffered their second injury when skipper Shane Wood was unable to continue due to a hamstring injury, being replaced by under-18 player Louis Smith. Within a minute of the substitution Jahn pulled off another great save to tip over a free kick from Mead.

Jahn saved again in the 28th minute when Campana resisted a tackle from George Biggadike to get through for a shot. However, seconds later Berko had the lead in controversial circumstances. George Carbery appeared to push a Green defender out of the way as he won the ball, but he was allowed to continue his run and hit a low shot past Jahn from the edge of the box.

Leverstock ended the half well, and in the last minute Gilbert had a good opportunity to level the scores, but hit his shot over the bar. They also made a good start to the second half, going close on 49 minutes from a corner when Ross Adams hit a shot across goal and Biggadike just failed to connect as he slid in at the far post.

Five minutes later at the other end Berko put together a good passing move which put Steve Hawes through on goal. Biggadike came in with a tackle which brought the former Green player down, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Adam Mead stepped up for the spot kick which would probably have put the game out of Leverstock’s reach, but for the third time Mead was denied by man-of-the-match Jahn as the Green keeper dived to his right to turn it round the post.

Just before the hour mark Leverstock had to make their third change. Donaldson had been playing with an injury all game and was finally replaced by Karl Davidson, making his first appearance in a Green shirt for seven years. Within seconds of the substitution the scores were level as Jonathan Lacey added another to his impressive portfolio of goals, running at the Berko box before curling a shot from the edge of the box out of Tasker’s reach and into the bottom corner of the net.

The goal proved a great boost to the Leverstock side, who were well on top during the next phase of the game. On 62 minutes Brima Johnson made a great run from his own half into the Berko box but just failed to find Davidson with his cross. On 68 minutes Adams hit a shot which was goalbound but was blocked in the six yard box by teammate Biggadike, who himself was denied a minute later when his header was deflected wide by a defender. There was increasing irritation on the Leverstock bench at some of the decisions being given by the officials, which resulted in manager Paul Hunt being sent to the stand mid way through the half.

In the 72nd minute Leverstock broke away again with Lacey running clear down the left before squaring for Davidson, whose first touch was a little too heavy, allowing Tasker to come out and block his shot. However, two minutes later Davidson produced an astonishing moment as he won the ball from a Berko defender inside the centre circle, and in the same movement looked up, saw Tasker off his line and sent a lob flying over the Berko keeper’s head into the net to give Leverstock a sensational 2-1 lead.

It was almost 3-1 in the 76th minute as Louis Smith went on a determined solo run and hit a shot which Tasker did well to tip over the bar. However, the Berko side was always going to be a danger, and ten minutes from time they won a free kick just outside the box. The ball was floated in and Lewis came in with a diving header to level the scores at 2-2. They could have gone in front two minutes later when Dan Edwards, who had only just come off the subs bench, was clean through but hit his shot just wide of the post.

Either side could have won the game in a frantic finale, but in the end a draw was a fair enough result, and anything less would have been a travesty for the Green side who worked tirelessly throughout the game against top-class opposition in wet and windy conditions. Paul Hunt was hugely proud of his side, their work rate and the way they came back into the game in the second half.

Next up for Leverstock is a home game against Wembley on Tuesday night.