Match Report

Leverstock Green completed a 100% November with five wins from five league games, moving up to sixth place in the SSML Premier Division with a hard-fought 2-0 win at fifth-placed Hoddesdon Town. Two second-half strikes sealed the points, with both Jonathan Lacey and Matt Bateman scoring for their fourth straight appearances.

The first half was a tight affair, with Leverstock creating the better of what few chances there were. In the 12th minute Bateman played a pass through to Lacey, whose shot took a wicked deflection off a defender’s legs but landed just wide. Three minutes later a pass from David Lawrence gave Bateman a run at goal, but his shot went across goal and wide.

The best chance was in the 27th minute when a pass from Chris Marsh put Lawrence through, but keeper Harry Isham saved with his legs, and neither Lacey or Lawrence could get on the end of the rebound. Four minutes later Scott Bonner headed over the bar from a Marsh corner. At the other end, Hoddesdon had a few efforts on goal during the half, but none of them on target.

Skipper Shane Wood, who was struggling with injury at the end of Tuesday night’s game, only lasted 33 minutes of this one, with Liam McCrohan taking his place and giving another assured performance.

The game was goalless at half time, but Hoddesdon had their first effort on target in the opening minute of the second half, with Caolan Doyle-Creamer having to save a shot from the edge of the box. However, it was Leverstock who broke the deadlock with a goal in the 48th minute, a dazzling effort from Jonathan Lacey, who was surrounded by three defenders on the edge of the box, but wriggled past all of them before calmly slotting the ball past Isham for his 11th goal of the season.

Leverstock threatened again on the break in the 53rd minute with Ross Adams running clear down the left, but his eventual effort was somewhere between a shot and a cross that went across goal and wide. Curtis Donaldson came off the bench on 56 minutes, and two minutes later played an audacious lofted pass through to Lacey, who hit a first-time volley but was unlucky to see it come back off the post.

The woodwork was struck for the second time in the 82nd minute as Bateman robbed defender Bradley Fraser just outside the box and drove a shot which came back off the same post that Lacey had hit. Two minutes later Doyle-Creamer had to save a shot and a header from close range as the home side continued to press for an equaliser. However, in the 86th minute Reynaldo Carbon played a ball over the top to put Bateman through on goal, and while the Hoddesdon players and bench shouted for an offside flag that never came, Bateman ran on to sidestep Isham before slotting home the crucial second goal to seal the points.

It was a well-deserved win and clean sheet for the Leverstock side which keeps their excellent run of form going. On Tuesday night they take a break from league action when former Levy player Lee Bircham brings his Bovingdon side to Pancake Lane for a St Mary’s Cup first round tie.