Match Report

Leverstock Green finally reached the Preliminary Round of the Emirates FA Cup at the third time of asking as they overcame Edgware Town 5-3 in a thrilling Extra Preliminary Round replay on Tuesday night, the tie replayed after last week’s replay was abandoned in stoppage time. Leverstock finally found their scoring boots, but it wasn’t until late in the game that their passage into the next round looked assured.

The Green side could have taken the lead in the 7th minute when Jonathan Lacey was put through on goal, but hit his eventual shot across goal and wide. A second chance was missed in the 18th minute when a Chris Marsh free kick was headed up in the air, and came down for David Lawrence a couple of yards out, but he headed over the bar. Lacey was denied twice by saves from Edgware keeper Taylor Montgomery in the 21st and 23rd minutes, but Leverstock’s pressure was about to finally pay off.

In the 24th minute Lacey had another run at goal and took the ball round Montgomery, but was forced wide. Lacey still managed to put the ball across goal, where Ross Adams was waiting for a close-range tap-in to put his side 1-0 up. It got even better a minute later when, after some neat build-up play around the box, Adams set up Luca DeMare to fire home a quickfire second Leverstock goal.

Although Leverstock have signed three goalkeepers over the last week, none of them were eligible to play in this game, so Luke Preedy had to stand in between the sticks again. Preedy pulled off a good save to tip over a shot from Dan Pett in the 27th minute, however five minutes later Pett hit another shot which Preedy got both hands to but couldn’t keep out to put Edgware back in the game at 2-1. Five minutes before the break Leverstock carelessly gave away possession on the edge of their own box, and Omololu Omabolu fired a shot past Preedy to put the tie back to square one at 2-2.

Leverstock were lucky to survive a goalmouth scramble in the opening minute of the second half in which the ball was cleared off the line, but they broke away quickly from the danger with Lacey moving the ball forward, and Sam Nair set up Lawrence to hit a great strike from 20 yards into the bottom corner to put the Green back in front at 3-2.

Once again, though, they couldn’t hold on to the lead as their defence was split open by a couple of passes to leave Pett through to shoot home the equaliser for 3-3. In the 59th minute Omabolu looked to be clean through, but he was denied by a great tackle from DeMare.

Two minutes later Leverstock were back in front again as some more neat build-up play resulted in Nair shooting home the goal that made it 4-3. The lead was threatened again in the 64th minute but Preedy did well to save at the feet of Omabolu.

Edgware were fortunate not to be reduced to ten men in the 72nd minute when veteran defender Fergus Moore appeared to kick out at Green substitute Mason Tunbridge, but the referee only showed a yellow card, after which Moore was immediately substituted. In the 78th minute Leverstock finally gave themselves some more breathing room. Marsh floated in a free kick, and substitute Alex McCarthy got a glancing header on the ball to divert it past Montgomery for a 5-3 lead.

The tension continued into another long period of stoppage time, but Leverstock held out to secure a home tie against Southern League side Aylesbury United in the Preliminary Round, to be played on Saturday. Green skipper Shane Wood is expected to return from injury to face his brother Jack in the Ducks side.