Match Report

It was a frustrating evening for Leverstock Green as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a determined Colney Heath side in Tuesday night’s SSML Premier Division game at Pancake Lane.

Leverstock made a great start to the game, and were 1-0 up with just two minutes on the clock. Shane Wood’s long throw found Alex McCarthy unmarked to send a glancing header into the corner of the net.

Wood had the ball in the net again in the 8th minute, netting the rebound after a shot had been parried by keeper Steve Cunningham, but it was ruled out for offside. Colney Heath levelled the scores in the 17th minute as Jimmy Hill got on the end of a corner with a powerful header.

Leverstock were denied by the first of three goalline clearances in the 29th minute, as a thumping shot from Curtis Donaldson was headed off the line by Callum Dudrenec. Colney Heath went close again in the 40th minute when a shot from Harry Shepherd was deflected wide. From the resulting corner Leverstock broke quickly, with McCarthy getting the ball forward to David Lawrence, who sprinted away down the right before crossing for Donaldson, who was off-balance and put his shot over the bar. In the final minute of the half Lawrence was just wide with a shot.

Matt Evans made the first of three good saves in the 47th minute, tipping a header from Hill over the bar from Shepherd’s free kick. On 55 minutes Jack Waldren played a one-two with Chris Marsh before playing in Donaldson, whose shot went just wide of the near post.

Evans had to save again on 61 minutes, parrying away a shot from Osaman Allman, while three minutes later Lawrence was denied by the second goalline clearance of the night after Cunningham had failed to collect a cross. Leverstock were having more of the play in the second half, but too often failed to provide the final ball to create the chances their pressure merited.

In the 78th minute Matt Bateman hit a shot which Cunningham failed to hold onto at the first attempt, but just about gathered off the ground at the second attempt with Ross Adams coming in to try to force the ball home. Five minutes from time there was a third goalline clearance in the Colney Heath box, while a minute from time Evans produced the third of his good saves to tip over a shot from former Green player Reece Cameron.

Leverstock will feel they should have got all three points from this game, but Colney’s dogged display deserved a point. The two sides meet again on Saturday in the return fixture at The Recreation Ground. Man of the Match tonight was Scott Bonner, who gave an excellent display despite playing for most of the game with a bandage round his head after a first half injury.