Match Report

Leverstock Green’s up-and-down form continued as they followed up a 5-1 defeat and a 4-1 win with a 6-1 home defeat on Saturday to Tring Athletic. It was a close game for an hour, but once Tring’s potent and pacy forward line took control it was only a matter of how many they would get.

Tring should have taken the lead in the 5th minute as Dan Steadman came in unchallenged at a corner but flicked the ball over the bar. Four minutes later Leverstock had their first attack when a pass from Casey Linsell put Tremayne Charles away down the right, but his eventual cross was overhit.

On 15 minutes Kieran Turner hit a shot which went just over the bar via a deflection, and 24 minutes Lee Stobbs missed a good chance for Tring, shooting over the bar after Liam Jahn couldn’t gather a corner. Leverstock had a free kick in a good position on 27 minutes, but Charles’ effort went along the ground and was gathered by Tring keeper Jack Hopwood.

Jahn produced a save from Turner on 31 minutes, and had to produce another one seconds later after a poor throw out went straight to Stobbs. However, a minute later George Brinkman crossed to the far post and Chris Stapleton came in to head Tring into the lead.

Leverstock should have levelled in the 40th minute when a cross from Linsell went across the face of goal to Shane Wood, who put the ball back across goal, but nobody could get the finishing touch. In the last minute of the half Wood slid in at the far post but couldn’t quite connect with a cross from Linsell.

Leverstock had the slope in their favour in the second half and would have started with high hopes, but within 35 seconds of the restart they were two goals down as Turner had the time and space in the box to pick his spot and slot the ball into the corner of the net.

However, a fine move put them back in the game six minutes later. A pass from Ben Darby put Charles away on the right, and his low cross was slotted home at the far post by Ross Adams to reduce the arrears to 2-1. Jonathan Lacey came off the bench three minutes later, and almost made an impact within seconds of coming on as Danilson Vicente chipped a pass through to him, but his shot went just over the angle.

The game was in the balance at this point, but on 61 minutes Chris Vardy put Tring back in control as he latched onto a loose ball inside the box and thumped home a shot to put them 3-1 ahead. A rasping shot from Turner brought another save out of Jahn on 68 minutes, but there was nothing the Green keeper could do about Tring’s 4th goal on 73 minutes as former Leverstock player Stobbs nonchalantly curled a superb shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of the net.

A solo run and shot from Linsell forced a save out of Hopwood on 75 minutes, however the game was only going one way now. In the 83rd minute Turner was brought down by Kendall Allen on a run into the box, and netted the penalty himself to make it 5-1, and barely a minute later Turner got up at the far post for a header which went in off the post to complete his hat-trick and an emphatic 6-1 win.

Next up for Leverstock is a home tie against Stevenage in the second round of the Herts Senior Cup on Tuesday night.