Match Report

Leverstock Green won their first friendly of this pre-season, and it was a convincing win away to SSML Division Two side Sarratt with the side finding their scoring boots to hit five goals without reply.

Adiel Mannion hit the Green side’s first effort on goal in the 11th minute, his shot being turned wide by the home keeper. In the 20th minute a pass from Dan Weeks put Mannion through to take the ball round the keeper, but the ball ran too far ahead of him and was cleared off the line by a defender. However, from the resulting corner, taken by Ollie Cox, Ollie Lawford got up at the near post with a glancing header to open the scoring.

On 25 minutes Green keeper Matt Fallon punched the ball off the line from a Sarratt corner, and as Leverstock broke away, Mannion had a run at goal but his eventual shot was saved. The second goal came in the 35th minute from a well-worked move which ended with Mannion squaring the ball across goal for Lawford to notch his second with a neat finish.

The front two combined again on 39 minutes as Lawford curled over a cross which Mannion got on the end of, but could only chest it onto the bar. Two minutes later there was another great cross from Brima Johnson, which found Luke Peerless, but his header went wide. In first half stoppage time Lawford completed his hat-trick with a shot from the edge of the box which the keeper should have done better with.

One change was made at half time, and a further six changes with half-an-hour left, and the substitutes produced just as impressive an attacking display as the first half side had done. Elgeniy Daalberg was denied by the keeper after being let in by a defensive mistake on 65 minutes, and two minutes later the livewire Daalberg hit a shot from distance just wide. Kian Wilkes was also just wide with a long-range shot on 72 minutes.

There were more near misses before the deserved fourth goal arrived on 82 minutes. A free kick from near the corner flag was not cleared, and the ball dropped for Shiblu Miah to turn and shoot home from the edge of the six-yard box. Three minutes later it was 5-0. Daalberg was denied by a save from the keeper, who also kept out a follow-up effort from Paplamin Jawara, but the rebound went back to Jawara, who finally buried it.

It was an excellent display from the whole squad, and with two more friendlies to play, competition for places in the side for the FA Cup tie against Wembley is heating up.

Starting XI: Matt Fallon, Brima Johnson, Mickey Shuttlewood, Jamie Ovington, Dan Weeks, Ollie Cox, Jack Stevens, Luke Peerless, John Smith, Ollie Lawford, Adiel Mannion.

Subs used: Paplamin Jawara, Kian Wilkes, Will Bisney, James Hall, Elgeniy Daalberg, Tom Carter, Shiblu Miah.