Match Report

After four straight wins in all competitions, Leverstock Green were brought back down to earth by a Colney Heath side that have been largely unstoppable this season. The 3-0 home defeat was exacerbated by two late red cards which meant that Leverstock finished the game with nine men.

Matt Harding had another new signing in his squad with the return to the club of highly-rated midfielder Chris Gosling, but his plans to start Gosling were foiled when car problems meant that the player wouldn’t arrive in time.

The early stages of the game were evenly-contested, without much in the way of chances. The first near miss was in the 10th minute when Matt Fallon did well to keep out a stinging shot from a narrow angle from prolific striker Jon Clements. A minute later at the other end Kai Stonnell hit a shot just wide. The visitors went close again in the 16th minute when Yasin Boodhoo headed over from George Devine’s cross, however two minutes later they went in front when Clements broke away with the ball and hit a shot into the top corner of Fallon’s net.

Stonnell went close again in the 36th minute when he got on the end of a cross from Alex Ward but headed wide. However, it was Fallon that was the much busier keeper, doing well to save another shot from Clements in first half stoppage time.

Four minutes into the second half Adiel Mannion went close with a cross-cum-shot from a narrow angle that went into the side netting, but in the 52nd minute Colney Heath took control with a second goal. Clements was chasing a long ball with a defender for company, but Fallon came out of his area to try to clear. Fallon got to the ball first, but his clearance was blocked by Clements, who ran on with the ball and slotted into the empty net.

Shortly afterwards Gosling came off the bench, followed by Cass Grant, returning from a three-game suspension, and Luis Brooker, returning after six weeks out with a hamstring injury. However, the substitutions did not change the course of the game, with Colney Heath being very much on top. Fallon produced a great save to turn a long-range shot from Dan Fitzgerald round the post in the 66th minute, but Devine added a third goal with a great strike in the 82nd minute.

The closing minutes of the game proved very costly for the Green side. Grant had been booked not long after coming off the bench, and in the 90th minute he had an altercation with the Colney Heath goalkeeper which resulted in him getting a second yellow card and a red one on his return from suspension. Worse was to follow in stoppage time as Gosling was shown a straight red for words said to the referee, which seemed a very harsh decision.

The nine men saw out the rest of the game with no further damage from a Colney Heath side that is certain to be one of the leading title contenders this season.