Match Report

Leverstock Green staged a late fightback, but they could not recover from the damage of a poor first half against Biggleswade F.C. It was a depleted Leverstock squad this afternoon, with several injuries alongside the one-game suspension of second highest goalscorer Joe McCarthy for accruing five yellow cards.

The visitors were ahead as early as the third minute. The Leverstock defence was caught out of position, with Adam Hunt having space to run into the box down the left. Hunt played the ball out to Alex Marsh, who squared back into the box for Hunt to finish from close range.

Marsh could have made it two in the 7th minute, but his long-range effort was tipped over the bar by Harry Way. In the 18th minute Ethan Kessel shot wide of the target after another run into the box from Hunt. The second goal arrived in the 21st minute. As a cross came in from the left, Aldo Petagine was prevented from scoring an own goal by a good save from Way, but the rebound came out to Sonny Coughlin-Brown, who fired home to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Leverstock finally got some possession in the closing minutes of the half and put some pressure on the Biggleswade defence, but they were fortunate to only be trailing by two goals at the break. The start of the second half was more promising. In the opening minute Iker Noguera Leon fed a pass through to Ethan Mooney, whose shot brought a great save from keeper Blade Earley. A minute later Jeffrey Sekyere had a shot blocked in the box.

However, an unfortunate third goal for the visitors in the 53rd minute gave Leverstock even more of a mountain to climb. Biggleswade were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box, and Kessel’s kick took a big deflection off Hunt which took it past Way and into the net.

Leverstock brought on Justin Dass and John Gyabaah for their first appearances in a few weeks, and the two players looked bright and were key factors in Leverstock playing their way back into the game. They got a glimmer of hope in the 63rd minute when Leon was brought down by Earley inside the box as he was running away from goal. The referee awarded the penalty, and Sekyere put away the spot kick with his usual composure to pull a goal back.

Leverstock’s pressure was increasing over the closing minutes of the game, and in the 90th minute they went close when a shot from Dan Pett was turned round the post by Earley. From the resulting corner Sekyere rose highest to connect with a glancing header to reduce the arrears to 3-2.

Four minutes of stoppage time were signalled, and in the fifth of those minutes Leverstock were awarded a free kick midway inside the Biggleswade half. With only seconds left even Way came up into the box to compete for Pett’s cross floated into the box, but the ball was cleared to Daniel Bond near the halfway line. Gyabaah was the only man back, and he looked to have done enough to stop Bond, but an unlucky deflection saw the substitute go clean through to slot into the empty net and make it 4-2 with the last kick of the game.

Leverstock Green (0) 2 (Sekyere 64 pen, 90)
1. Harry Way, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Aldo Petagine (15. John Gyabaah 62 mins), 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Thomas Georgiou, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Ethan Mooney (14. Justin Dass 48 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Nat Connolly (18. Scott McGleish 81 mins), 11.Iker Noguera Leon. Subs not used: 12. Dan Casey, 20. Tommy Boxer.
Biggleswade FC (2) 4 (Hunt 3, 53, Coughlin-Brown 21, Bond 90+6)
1. Blade Earley, 2. Adam Hunt, 3. Lawrie Marsh, 4. Billy Baird (16. Luke Oswick 73 mins), 5. Leo Jenkins, 6. Pete Holmes, 7. Alex Marsh, 8. Conor Inskip, 9. Temi Akinbusoye (14. Daniel Bond 72 mins), 10. Ethan Kessel (12. Charlie Hayford 73 mins), 11. Sonny Coughlin-Brown (17. George Bailey 72 mins). Sub not used: 15. Sammy Fisher-Diaz.