Match Report

Leverstock Green claimed a place in the last four of the Premier Division Cup with a hard-fought 3-1 win in Tuesday night’s quarter-final tie at Arlesey Town.

The Green side made the better start and had some early chances. In the third minute Ollie Cox floated in a free kick which just eluded a couple of Leverstock players on its way across the face of goal. Four minutes later Ryan O’Sullivan got on the end of a Cox corner, but his shot deflected wide off a teammate. In the 12th minute another Cox free kick was headed away, but only as far as Luke Peerless, who hit a shot just wide.

Finally in the 15th minute Leverstock found the net, as Dan Weeks crossed and Peerless stuck out a boot in what was more a deflection than a shot, but either way the ball flew into the net to put the Green into a 1-0 lead.

Arlesey came more into the game later in the half, and a minute before the break a free kick was not cleared, and in the ensuing scramble the ball deflected off Jack Stevens into his own net for the equaliser. They might have even gone into the break ahead, as Charlie Moss ran at the Green defence and hit a shot just wide in stoppage time.

The home side had the first chance of the second half, with a deep cross from Josh Brown finding Moss, whose header went just over the bar. Two minutes later there was a chance at the other end. John Smith hit a shot from outside the box which was blocked and deflected into the path of Adiel Mannion, who was clean through, but keeper Alfie Hickman pulled off a great save to keep out Mannion’s shot.

The game could have gone either way at this point, but it was Leverstock who got the crucial second goal in the 77th minute, with an element of controversy about it. Luis Brooker started the move with a pass to Smith, who in turn found Frankie Jowle. Having got to the bye-line, Jowle crossed to the far post, where Steve Hawes bundled the ball home. The Arlesey players felt that Hawes had used his hand, and there was a lengthy stoppage while the referee consulted his linesman, but the goal was given and Leverstock had a 2-1 lead.

Arlesey piled on the pressure over the closing minutes, and in stoppage time Leverstock keeper Adi Connolly seemed to injure himself as he bravely came out to punch away a cross. Connolly continued, though, and the game was into its ninth minute of stoppage time when Brooker got in behind the defence and slipped the ball over the keeper to seal victory with a third goal.

The reward for the Green side is a semi-final away to Newport Pagnell Town, to be played on Tuesday 17th March.