Match Report

Leverstock Green FC added another three points to their tally, but it proved to be an unexpectedly tense finale to a game in which Leverstock very much dominated the possession. The outcome was in the balance until the final seconds when the third goal was scored.

Visitors Sawbridgeworth Town arrived at the Lords Builders Merchants Stadium bottom of the league and without a league win, but Leverstock had to work very hard to break them down. The early stages saw the Green side with plenty of the ball, playing it around nicely, but lacking the penetration to get through a defence that was often able to stick a boot or a block in to prevent a clear-cut chance developing. Leverstock’s first clear sight of goal came in the 19th minute when a pass from Dan Pett gave Ethan Mooney a run at goal, but a block from the chasing defender took the sting out of Mooney’s shot and allowed keeper Ethan Gannon to save.

There was another good chance in the 31st minute when Pett put Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica away down the right to deliver a cross which found Jayden Newman on the edge of the six-yard box. Newman had his back to goal, but managed to turn and get in a shot which took a deflection and went just wide. The resulting corner was not adequately cleared by the visitors, and in the resulting scramble Dan Weeks got the ball to Newman, and he found the net with a shot from close range to put Leverstock into a long-overdue 1-0 lead.

Chances started to come more readily. On 34 minutes Stefanoaica showed some nifty footwork inside the box before laying off to Ryan Carruthers, whose shot went inches wide. Two minutes later a pass from Danny May put Stefanoaica in on goal, but he didn’t catch his shot properly and Gannon gathered. The second goal arrived in the 37th minute, but it was something of a bolt from the blue as Mooney hit a thunderbolt from distance that left Gannon standing as it flew into the net.

Leverstock Green FC appeared to be in total control of the game, but in the last minute of the half, they found their lead cut in half. A pass from Kyron Mitchell put Torie Ndongala through to shoot past Josh Bowler, who had been a spectator for most of the half, and reduce the half-time deficit to 2-1.

There should have been a third goal within two minutes of the restart. A rare mistake from the visitors’ defence left Newman with a clear run at goal, but Gannon managed to get a faint touch to Newman’s shot and deflect it wide. The danger of only having a single-goal lead was shown in the 57th minute when Sawbridgeworth’s Wesley Santos won the ball on the halfway line and went on a run through the Leverstock defence before slotting a shot past Bowler which was only kept out by a superb sliding last-ditch clearance from Danny May.

Another chance came and went in the 64th minute as Stefanoaica exchanged passes with Nat Connolly but hit the resulting shot over the bar. Four minutes later there was another huge let-off as Austin Garrod ran through the middle of the Leverstock defence before hitting a shot which went just wide.

In the dying minutes Santos went on another run through the defence and went down under challenge on entering the penalty area, but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty. It wasn’t until the fourth minute of stoppage time that Leverstock Green FC finally clinched the game, with two substitutes combining as Luke Beckwith got to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Lewis Collins, who netted from close range. The final whistle was blown soon after the restart and Leverstock had their three points, but Sawbridgeworth deserve huge credit for a battling performance throughout and may be considered unlucky to get nothing from the game.

Leverstock Green FC (2) 3 (Newman 32, Mooney 37, Collins 90+4)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Mikey Havill-Tierney, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 18. Ryan Carruthers, 6. Danny May, 7. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jayden Newman (17. Rawn Seale 62 mins), 10. Nat Connolly (14. Lewis Collins 79 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney (12. Luke Beckwith H/T). Subs not used: 15. Callum Neal, 16. Joe Sadler.
Sawbridgeworth Town FC (1) 1 (Ndongala 44)
1. Ethan Gannon, 2. Wale Adedeji, 3. George Spillane, 4. Danny Palmer (19. Joe Cloake 88 mins), 5. Jeremy Ebelebe, 6. Jacob Lodge, 7. Kyron Mitchell (12. Lewis Wicker 82 mins), 8. Austen Garrod, 9. Torie Ndongala (16. Billy Wise 80 mins), 10. Leandro Alva (14. Georgie Fairhead 61 mins). Sub not used: 17. Declan Lambe.