Match Report

In the classic “game of two halves”, Leverstock Green produced a great comeback to overturn a 2-0 half time deficit and add another three points to their tally with a 3-2 win over Oxhey Jets at Pancake Lane on Saturday. Whilst going out of three cups with some heavy defeats over the last couple of weeks, things have been brighter in the league where Leverstock have now won two straight games and are unbeaten in three.

With manager Scott Dash away for the weekend, assistant Mark Royal was in charge today, and it was a more experienced line-up than in recent games, with Shane Wood back in central defence alongside new signing Scott Bonner, previously with Sun Sports.

The first half was largely uneventful other than the visitors scoring two goals. Oxhey were passing the ball around much the better of the two teams, and eventually it paid dividends in the 22nd minute as Nick Kerley threaded a pass to put Josh Noyes through on goal to slot neatly past Reuben Rabstein for the opener.

Two minutes later Kerley almost added a second but Rabstein did well to tip his shot over the bar. Leverstock came close to a penalty on 27 minutes when David Lawrence ran onto a pass from Chris Marsh and was brought down by Vass Mandeville, but the referee awarded a free kick just outside the box, and Marsh blasted the free kick straight into the wall.

The second goal came as a result of a misunderstanding between Rabstein and Wood as Kerley chased down a long kick from Oxhey keeper Rob Partington. Rabstein came out of his goal, but he and Wood seemed to leave it to each other while Kerley nipped inbetween them to take the ball and run on to slot into the empty net.

Two goals down at half time, Leverstock needed an early response in the second half and duly got one. With three minutes gone they were awarded another free kick just outside the box. Lawrence hit a shot which Partington should have held onto, but the ball came out. In the ensuing scramble both Jonathan Lacey and Ross Adams were chasing the loose ball, but it was Adams who eventually bundled it over the line to put Leverstock back in the game.

The momentum of the game had changed, with Leverstock now doing all the attacking down the slope. They could have equalised on 61 minutes when Lacey picked up the ball after an Adams shot had been blocked and ran through on goal, but his shot was straight at Partington. Sam Nair came off the bench to replace Marsh on 64 minutes, and he was to play a big part in the comeback.

On 64 minutes Leverstock again came close to a penalty when Chris Golding was brought down on the edge of the box, but again the referee awarded a free kick inches outside the box. This time, however, Nair stepped up to take the kick, and drilled a shot straight into the bottom corner of the net to level the scores at 2-2.

It was anyone’s game now, but it was Leverstock who went on to take it with an excellent team goal in the 79th minute. Brima Johnson and Adams started the move which went out to Reynaldo Carbon on the left touchline, and Carbon played a superb pass to put Nair in behind a defender, where he fizzed a low ball across the six yard box for Matt Bateman to come in and sidefoot home from close range.

Leverstock held onto their lead for the remainder of the game for three points which moves them a couple of places up the table, and they will look to continue their good run on Tuesday night when they host Tring Athletic in another SSML Premier Division game.