Match Report

Leverstock Green made it an amazing six wins in a row as they travelled to Ware for their final away game of the season and came away with a fully-deserved 2-0 win.

It was a strong start from the Leverstock side who could have taken the lead in the second minute. Carmicheal Uchenna’s cross went across the face of goal, before Iker Noguera Leon retrieved the ball and set up Ademide Baruwa for a shot which went just wide. Leon could have had a goal himself in the 7th minute as a slip from a defender left him clean through on goal, but his shot was well saved by home keeper Fred Burbidge. Two minutes later Leverstock had a corner, which Uchenna played short to Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, whose shot from a narrow angle brought a superb one-handed save out of Burbidge. However, seconds later a pass from Uchenna put Joe McCarthy clean through, and McCarthy slipped the ball past Burbidge to put Leverstock into an overdue lead, despite protests for offside from the Ware players.

Leverstock continued to impress. In the 14th minute McCarthy got on the end of a long kick from Ashton Broome-Alexander and played in Stefanoaica, who could have had a go instead but backheeled to Leon, who slipped at the vital moment but still recovered to hit a shot just wide. Broome-Alexander was brought into action in the 29th minute to turn away Leigh Rose’s header from a corner. Leverstock then broke away to win a corner of their own. Leon chipped the corner to the near post where Uchenna came in unchallenged to meet it with an absolute bullet of a header into the top corner of the net to put Leverstock 2-0 up.

Ware might have pulled a goal back in the final minutes of the first half, but Samuel Kifwasima-Mayuma shot just over the bar after Broome-Alexander had punched away a corner in the 43rd minute, and shot wide from a good chance in stoppage time.

Leverstock could have added further goals in the second half.In the 49th minute a pass from Uchenna put Jeffrey Sekyere through on goal, but Sekyere seemed caught in two minds between aiming for the bottom corner and passing to Leon coming in at the far post and put it inbetween the two and wide. Three minutes later Baruwa played in Uchenna, who hit a fierce shot which brought another good save from Burbidge.

In the 58th minute McCarthy outstripped a defender down the left flank and sent over a low cross which just eluded the boot of Sekyere. A great shot from McCarthy brought an equally impressive save from Burbidge in the 74th minute. Five minutes later Stefanoaica had a run into the box but shot over the bar.

At the other end Broome-Alexander was dealing with all that Ware could throw at him, and in the end the two goals proved enough for another superb result which lifts Leverstock further up the table to 13th, with the possibility of a top half finish still alive with one game to play.

Ware (0) 0
1. Fred Burbidge, 2. Josh Okotcha, 3. David Sota, 4. Sami Moutawafiq (16. Rechan Esprit H/T), 5. Leigh Rose, 6. Jay Rolfe, 7. Reece Beckles-Richards (14. Johnny Allotey 62 mins), 8. Max Granville (15. Theo Ofori 65 mins), 9. Josh Hutchinson, 10. Gucci Soulya (19. Jack Taylor H/T), 11. Samuel Kifwasima-Mayuma. Sub not used: 17. Gabriel Ward.
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (McCarthy 9, Uchenna 30)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ademide Baruwa, 7. Joe McCarthy, 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Iker Noguera Leon (17. Marcus Warren 79 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (15. George Eldridge 79 mins). Sub not used: 12. Ryan Carruthers, 14. Nat Connolly, 16. George Mitchell-Gears.