Match Report

For the sixth time in their last eight league matches Leverstock Green ended up with a share of the points, but this was another very good performance against a team in the top four of the division. Leverstock dominated for long periods of the game and were twice in front, but the division’s top scorer Taylor Rhiney scored two goals from two chances to level the scores.

With more injuries to their centre-backs, Leverstock played with Bobby Armstrong and Scott McGleish at the centre of defence throughout, and McGleish’s performance earned him the man-of-the-match award. Leverstock started the game strongly, and went close to taking the lead in the 7th minute when skipper Dan Pett hit the bar with a shot struck from the edge of the box. Two minutes later Pett had another shot which went over the bar, but in the 19th minute Pett finally hit the target with a low drive from 20 yards that found the bottom corner of the net to give his side a deserved lead.

However, that lead only lasted three minutes. Bigglewade won a free kick a few yards outside the left edge of the penalty area.  It looked like a position from where the ball would be crossed in, but Rhiney had other ideas as he curled the ball over the wall and over the outstretched arm of Austin Byfield into the top corner of the net for a stunning equaliser.

Leverstock had dominated up to this point but it was an even game for the remainder of the half, and the nearest that either side came to finding the net was in the 28th minute when the visitors broke away quickly and Raheem Jabbar got in behind the Green defence but struck the bar with his shot.

The second half was largely played in heavy rain, and just as Leverstock had started the first half well, they also made a great start to the second half. Two minutes in Chris Blunden got past a defender and sent over a cross, but Ibrahim Nagheeb couldn’t get his header on target. In the 50th minute Brian Testolin showed some good footwork to make a solo run into the box before setting up Blunden for a shot which keeper Tom Wyant could only parry. Ethan Mooney came in for the rebound but put it into the side netting. Two minutes later Mooney made up for his miss by threading a pass to put Blunden through against Wyant, and although the keeper got a boot onto Blunden’s shot, it wasn’t enough to stop it going into the net and putting Leverstock back in front at 2-1.

On the hour Leverstock were awarded a free kick about 30 yards from goal, and Blunden tried his luck with a shot which cleared the wall but was turned wide by a good save from Wyant. The keeper failed to hold onto the resulting corner but was not punished. Another corner three minutes later dropped for Armstrong on the edge of the box but his shot went over the bar. As the game went into its last ten minutes a neat sidestep from Testolin opened up a shooting chance but his shot was gathered by Wyant.

With five minutes remaining Leverstock were still holding onto their lead and looking good value for it, but they were hit by an equaliser which came almost out of nothing. A ball was punted forward and found Rhiney on the edge of the box with his back to goal, and the striker wasted no time in turning and shooting low into the corner of the net to level the scores at 2-2.

Over the closing minutes both sides pushed forward in search of a winner, and either side could have won it. Leverstock’s best chance came when Sean Walsh won the ball off a defender to go through on goal, but Walsh chose to shoot from a narrow angle when pulling the ball back for Blunden might have been the better option, and it was deflected behind.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Pett 19, Blunden 52)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield (16. Brad Robinson 30 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 20. Scott McGleish, 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 7. Brian Testolin, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Ryan Carruthers (17. Sean Walsh 84 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Elgeniy Daalberg, 14. Freddie Newing, 15. Ayomide Oke.
Biggleswade United (1) 2 (Rhiney 22, 85)
1. Tom Wyant, 2. Milo Keane (16. Mason Watkins-Clark 57 mins), 3. Cameron Hyde, 4. Lewis Jones, 5. Jemale McKenzie, 6. Jordan Wright, 7. Markel Cousins (17. Domenico Morgillo 73 mins), 8. Conor Inskip (12. Josh Sturniolo 57 mins), 9. Taylor Rhiney, 10. Jaiden Irish, 11. Raheem Jabbar (15. Yemi Adelani 68 mins). Sub not used: 14. Gareth Hunt.