Match Report

Leverstock Green were beaten 2-1 in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division visit to Edgware Town. The Green side mounted a late recovery but it was not quite enough to pull back a two-goal deficit. It was a disappointing match overall, with the strong wind certainly not helping the players of either side, and Edgware deserved the points based on the number of chances they created.

The game’s first shot came in the 10th minute when Steve Hawes hit a shot from distance over the bar, but it was the home side who had the game’s first efforts on target two minutes later. Adam Page squared the ball to set up a chance for Theo Ofori, whose shot was turned round the post by a good save from Matt Fallon. From the resulting corner Fallon was in action again, palming away a strong header from Mark Burgess. Another corner was the result, and this time Burgess headed wide.

Keeping the ball down was a problem, as Ofori found on 21 minutes when he skied a free kick from a dangerous position well over the bar, and four minutes later Green skipper John Smith had a shot from long distance which was closer to the target, but still over the bar. Fallon had to save again to turn away a shot from Eisa Azab in the 37th minute, and in the last minute of the half Ollie Cox had Leverstock’s third effort from distance, but again it went over the bar.

Edgware had the wind and the slope in their favour in the second half, and in the opening minute Ofori hit the post with a cross-cum-shot from a narrow angle. The game continued to be largely even until the hour mark, when Edgware opened the scoring with the simplest of goals. Rio Beech delivered a ball straight down the middle from his own half, and Azab ran onto it and sent a shot over Fallon into the corner of the net.

Leverstock felt they had a case for a penalty four minutes later when Jamie Ovington appeared to be elbowed when going for a header from a corner. The referee gave nothing, even after consulting his linesman, but Ovington had to leave the game with a head injury.

A second Edgware goal in the 75th minute put them firmly in control. A shot from Page brought another good save from Fallon, but Ofori was unchallenged as he went in to net the rebound.

Over the last ten minutes the Green finally started to look like scoring. In the 80th minute a great effort from Cox struck the bar. Two minutes later Leverstock had a penalty, the referee spotting a push as a corner came over. Jack Stevens put the penalty away to put Leverstock back in the game. Their best chance of pulling level came in the 87th minute with a free kick in a dangerous central position, but Luke Peerless’ effort dipped just over the bar. Some more good saves from Fallon at the other end ensured that the Green were still in the game over a lengthy period of stoppage time, but they were unable to find the equaliser.