Match Report

Leverstock Green put in a great performance in sweltering conditions against league newcomers Eynesbury Rovers in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division fixture, but a controversial red card at a crucial time in the match put them at a significant disadvantage, and led to them coming away from the game with nothing. It was a high quality match with plenty of chances at both ends, but the performance of the referee ended up being more of a talking point after the game.

There were two new signings in the Leverstock side, with midfielder Sonny Newbury-Barr and forward Dylan Baker both arriving from AFC Dunstable.

The visitors, who have made a strong start to the season, created some early chances. In the 3rd minute Danny Draper headed over the bar from a corner, and a minute later Jordan Brown was clean through, but Matt Fallon pulled off a good save with his legs. In the 8th minute Dylan Baker had his first chance, but was denied by keeper Jamie Greygoose. Fallon pulled off another good save in the 12th minute to turn a shot from Craig Daniel round the post.

After a quiet period in the game during which there was a drinks break, it was Leverstock who opened the scoring in the 31st minute. Lucas Preston pushed forward and played the ball to Frankie Jowle, who hit a low shot from the edge of the box which went under the keeper’s hand in the bottom corner of the net.

Eynesbury hit back strongly, though, with Fallon having to tip a header over the bar a minute later, and both a header and shot flashed just over the bar soon afterwards.

The turning point of the game came in the 39th minute. Eynesbury forward Scott Sinclair was running at goal and got past Jack Stevens, but then went down outside the box. The general view seemed to be that Sinclair had tripped over his own feet and that there was no contact from Stevens. Moreover, Kane O’Neil was ahead of both of them and covering, so even if there was adjudged to be an offence it should have been a yellow card at most. However, to the disbelief of most in the ground, the referee showed Stevens a straight red card and Leverstock were down to ten men.

The ten men got to half time with their lead still intact, but with the visitors attacking down the slope in the second half it was always going to be a tough situation, and so it proved. After a couple of early chances, Eynesbury won a corner in the 50th minute, and it dropped nicely for Dave Baker, who bundled the ball home at the second attempt for the equaliser. Worse was to follow four minutes later when Sinclair put the visitors into a 2-1 lead, shooting home from close range after a cross to the far post had been put back across goal.

Leverstock responded by bringing on Stephen Dodd as a second striker, and on 63 minutes Dodd headed the ball through to Luke Peerless, who couldn’t quite get the ball under control enough to get a shot away.

Eynesbury’s numerical advantage disappeared on 72 minutes when they were also reduced to ten men, Dave Baker getting a straight red for what looked like an elbow in a challenge on Dodd.

Two minutes later Leverstock went close again when Greygoose saved a shot from Dodd, and held onto the ball at some cost to himself as Kai Stonnell followed in to try to net the rebound. On 79 minutes Eynesbury had the chance to seal the match when Charlie Milton brought down Jordan Brown and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. However, Jordan Jarrold’s spot kick was saved by Fallon, who recovered to also save a follow-up effort from Jarrold.

Two minutes later there should have been an equaliser when a cross from John Smith found Jowle unmarked at the far post, but his header was saved by Greygoose. With seven minutes remaining Leverstock were again at a numerical disadvantage when Milton was sin-binned. They came agonisingly close to an equaliser again in the 88th minute when Dodd slid in to meet a cross from O’Neil but it was deflected wide. In the 90th minute Fallon kept Leverstock in the game, tipping over a shot from Daniel.

Stoppage time produced more controversy when Milton was not allowed back on after his ten minutes in the sin-bin had expired, and Stonnell was also sin-binned leaving Leverstock with eight men on the field at the end. Despite a great effort, they were unable to save the game, and Eynesbury took the three points which put them top of the early league table.