Match Report

Leverstock Green bounced back from Saturday’s defeat with a superb performance to take all three points from second-placed Stotfold on Tuesday night. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica’s second half penalty was enough for the win as a dogged performance at the back maintained a clean sheet.

The first half saw the visitors have more of the possession and the better chances. In the 9th minute a long bouncing ball caught out the Green defence to leave Liam Brooks through on goal. Brooks sent a lob over Austin Byfield but it landed wide of the goal. On 15 minutes Kade Bagge hit a rasping shot from distance, but Byfield produced a spectacular diving one-handed save to turn it wide. Leverstock’s only real sight of goal in the first half came in the 23rd minute when Stefanoaica sidestepped a defender to open up space for a shot, but it was comfortably gathered by keeper Liam Gooch.

The second half was more evenly-contested and could have gone either way. In the 52nd minute a headed flick from Stefanoaica gave Richard Ennin a run at goal, but his shot was blocked wide. Dan Pett took the resulting corner which found Alvin Kyeremeh, but his header went over the bar.

A change at the back in the 69th minute saw Luke Durnin replace the yellow-carded Bobby Armstrong, and seconds later Stotfold had a great chance when Kurtis Alleyne broke clear and squared for Bagge, who had the goal at his mercy but shot over the bar from six yards.

On 71 minutes Kyeremeh got his head on another corner from Pett, but it went just wide. Two minutes later Leverstock had their chance when Ibrahim Nagheeb was brought down just inside the left edge of the penalty area. The referee pointed straight to the spot, and Stefanoaica stepped up to take the kick. Gooch got a hand to Stefanoaica’s shot but it still found the corner of the net to put Leverstock 1-0 up.

Five minutes later Stefanoaica had to leave the game injured, to be replaced by Chris Blunden. On 79 minutes there was almost a second goal as Ennin went on a run before hitting a curling shot which went inches wide of the far post.

The Green defence came under heavy pressure through a period of six minutes of stoppage time, but held firm to claim an impressive win which moves them back up to 8th place and will give some hope to the sides chasing Stotfold for second place.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Stefanoaica 73 pen)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Ethan Mooney, 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong (19. Luke Durnin 69 mins), 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Elgeniy Daalberg, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (12. Chris Blunden 78 mins), 10. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 11. Richard Ennin. Subs not used: 14. Kurainashe Musanhi, 15. George Mitchell-Gears, 16. Dan Weeks.
Stotfold (0) 0
1. Liam Gooch, 2. Sammy Nicholls (16. Charlie Moss 75 mins), 3. Jordon Stewart, 4. Alex Coppin, 5. Jack Bradshaw, 6. Charlie Briggs, 7. Kade Bagge (14. Temi Akinbusoye 75 mins), 8. Mason Spence (12. Murphy Culkin 87 mins), 9. Kurtis Alleyne (15. Archie Sayer 71 mins), 10. Liam Brooks (17. Jordan Stevenson 75 mins), 11. Aaron Hector.