Match Report

Leverstock Green continued their remarkable start to the season as they made it three wins and three clean sheets from three competitive games. Two early goals were enough to claim the three points from Saturday’s trip to Baldock Town, in a game played in sweltering conditions with temperatures in the mid-30s. The only change to the previous game’s starting line-up was the return of skipper Dan Weeks to the side, in place of the injured Luke Durnin.

The Green side had made a good start to the game, and they took the lead in the 10th minute. Ibrahim Nagheeb swung over a corner, and centre-back Alvin Kyeremeh came in with a powerful header which found the net.

Three minutes later the lead was doubled. George Mitchell-Gears hit a shot from long-range which home keeper David Archer could only parry away, and Chris Blunden followed in with a composed finish to net the rebound for a 2-0 Leverstock lead.

Mitchell-Gears hit another well-struck shot in the 16th minute, but this time Archer held onto the ball. The two teams took a well-deserved drinks break midway through the half, and Baldock started to come back into the game. Ryan Carruthers cleared a header from a corner off the line in the 35th minute. Leverstock almost added a third in the 43rd minute as Nagheeb played a one-two with Luke Beckwith and crossed to the far post, but Mitchell-Gears headed wide. The half ended with the home side winning two corners in quick succession, but the Leverstock defence stood firm.

The pace of the game continue to slow in the second half, and both sides used their full allocations of five substitutes. There was a good chance of a third Leverstock goal in the 61st minute as a pass from Mitchell-Gears intended for Beckwith instead deflected into the path of Blunden, who was clean through, but his shot was saved by Archer. In the 73rd minute a free kick from Carruthers found Mitchell-Gears all alone at the far post, but he shot wide.

There was little threat to the Leverstock goal until the closing minutes. In the 87th minute Lawrence Ajong was clean through on goal, but Josh Mollison did well to save with his legs. In the 90th minute there was another one-on-one situation as Harrison Sollis was clean through, but shot wide of the target.

Leverstock were content to play out the five minutes of stoppage time with what they had, and they are now one of only three sides in the SSML Premier Division to have won both of their opening two games.

Baldock Town (0) 0
1. David Archer, 2. Dean Laing (17. Aikin Math 69 mins), 3. Richard Kursorgbor, 4. Mamadou Diallo (15. Finley Aldridge H/T), 5. Luke Rowland (16. Adam Turner 39 mins), 6. Joe Babbage, 7. Ryan Lamond (12. Joe Dalli 90+3 mins), 8. Alex Matsukatov, 9. Lawrence Ajong, 10. Charlie Joy, 11. Jimmy Hartley (14. Harrison Sollis 83 mins).
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (Kyeremeh 10, Blunden 13)
1. Josh Mollison, 2. Brad Robinson, 3. Rio Beach, 17. Dan Weeks, 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ryan Carruthers (15. Kai Stonnell 82 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 63 mins), 8. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 9. Chris Blunden (20. Scott McGleish 85 mins), 10. George Mitchell-Gears (16. Sean Walsh 75 mins), 11. Luke Beckwith (12. Lewis Collins 55 mins).