Match Report

Leverstock Green probably deserved the win on the balance of play and chances created, but they had to be content with a 1-1 draw from Wednesday night’s trip to Hadley for their penultimate SSML Premier Division game of the season. The result extended Leverstock’s unbeaten run to seven games, four of which have been drawn.

After a quiet opening to the game which produced little in the way of chances, the Green took the lead in the 17th minute. Curtis Donaldson won the ball and passed it to Jonathan Lacey, who shot home from the edge of the box for his 30th goal of a remarkable season.

However, Hadley were level three minutes later. A cross from the right found Laste Dombaxe in the box with his back to goal, but despite having defenders around him, he was able to feed the ball to David Martinez, who was wide open to slot home past Liam Jahn.

Leverstock almost went back in front immediately as Lacey was through on goal, but this time he was denied by keeper Charlie Mann. A minute later Oliseh Okwudi was in with a good shooting chance, but hit it over the bar. Hadley could have gone in front two minutes before the break when the Green defence was cut open by a pass that put Samuel Odusoga through on goal, but Jahn came off his line and was able to get a crucial partial block on the shot, and Karl Thomas cleared away the danger.

Hadley’s Connor Bolton brought a save out of Jahn with a shot in the 57th minute, but most of the chances in the second half were created by Leverstock. On 62 minutes Donaldson almost caught Mann out with a quickly-taken free kick that was heading for the top corner, but the keeper was able to get across and tip the ball over.

Four minutes later Brima Johnson made inroads into the Hadley half before finding Lacey, who juggled the ball a few times before lobbing it to the far post, where Donaldson headed over the bar. On 76 minutes a pass from Donaldson put Lacey away down the left to send a ball fizzing across the face of goal. Ross Adams came sliding in to meet it at the far post, but couldn’t keep it under the bar. A similarly presentable, but difficult chance was created two minutes from time as Lacey whipped another cross into the box. This time it was Donaldson who slid in but put the ball over the bar from six yards out. In the first minute of stoppage time a Dombaxe shot from distance along the ground could have caused problems, but Jahn gathered it safely.

Leverstock sit in 11th place in the table, and a draw from their final game at home to 12th placed Crawley Green on Saturday would be enough to confirm a top-half finish.