Match Report

Leverstock Green got back to winning ways with an excellent result on Tuesday night against a lively Harpenden side who had won their previous match 7-0 against Potton United.

There were two new signings making their debut in the Leverstock side. With regular keeper Arvydas Kacinkevicius having suffered a horrific hand injury last week which will keep him out for some time, former Oxhey Jets keeper Rob Partington has been drafted in. The other new face was striker Marcus Campbell, signed from Berkhamsted, and previously with Welwyn Garden City, Bedford Town, Leighton Town and AFC Dunstable among others.

Leverstock almost got away to the ideal start when they won a free kick in a dangerous position in the 2nd minute. Sam Nair curled his effort up and over the wall, but it struck the bar and bounced over. It was Harpenden who had the better of the early stages, though, with Archie McClelland going closest for them on 16 minutes, shooting just wide having been put clean through.

The scoring was opened in the 19th minute, and it was Leverstock who took the advantage. The goal owed a lot to skipper Mark Smith, who showed some good footwork by the right touchline to beat a defender before passing to Reynaldo Carbon, whose ball across the face of goal was turned in at the far post by Campbell, marking his debut with a goal.

Six minutes later the lead was doubled as Leverstock won a corner. Nair swung the ball into the near post where it was met by Jordon Goode with a bullet header to beat former Green keeper Carl Tasker.

It could have been 3-0 in the 28th minute when a cross from the right went over a defender and landed at the feet of Campbell in space, but having cut back inside, Campbell’s eventual shot was saved by Tasker. There was another chance on 34 minutes when Nair set up Alex Condon for a shot from the edge of the box which went just over the bar. The third goal eventually arrived in the 38th minute. Luke Nugent brought the ball out of defence and played it up to Campbell, who had the chance to lay off a pass either way as he headed for goal, but chose to go himself and struck a superb chip shot from just outside the box which left Tasker rooted to the spot as it found the top corner of the net.

Partington was brought into action in the 41st minute as he had to turn a free kick from McClelland round the post, and in the last minute of the half Partington saved a long-range shot from Kyle McLeish, but couldn’t hold onto it and McClelland followed up to net the rebound and put his side back into the game going into the break.

Harpenden started the second half well, and almost pulled a second goal back in the 50th minute when Jack Baker hit a goalbound shot, but Partington did well to get his fingertips onto it and tip it onto the woodwork. On 61 minutes Baker had another shot which Partington saved, and couldn’t hold onto at the first attempt, but recovered to claim at the second attempt with McClelland following in again.

Leverstock chances were few and far between in the second half, but on 66 minutes a cross from the left found Smith with a header in front of goal, but Tasker saved. Five minutes later Carbon beat a defender on the left side of the box before hitting a shot across goal and wide.

Leverstock began to slow the game down over the closing minutes, but Harpenden still had a couple of late chances to score. In the 88th minute a long throw into the box landed at the feet of McLeish six yards out, but his shot was kept out by Partington. Four minutes into stoppage time a volley from Baker was heading into the net, but Casey Linsell kept it out with an astonishing clearance, kicking it up and over the bar from the goal line. The final whistle sounded soon after to confirm a fine win against a good side.