Match Report

For the third straight game Leverstock Green suffered injury time heartbreak and were denied what would have been a deserved point from a superb performance against Waltham Abbey on Tuesday night.

Leverstock got off to the worst possible start as they found themselves a goal down with barely thirty seconds on the clock. With their defenders caught upfield, a Waltham Abbey through ball from their own half put Bailey Stevenson clean through on goal and he made no mistake slotting the ball past Ryan North.

But Leverstock soon settled down and began to threaten the visitors’ goal. Joe McCarthy and Iker Noguera Leon were both back in the side after missing out on Saturday, and they were instrumental in Leverstock’s forward play. In the 25th minute McCarthy turned inside the box and hit a shot just over the bar. Five minutes later Leon made a run into the box and hit a shot across goal which hit the far post with McCarthy just unable to convert the rebound.

In the 36th minute Leverstock got their deserved equaliser and it came from the magic feet of Leon, who dribbled through the entire Waltham Abbey defence on a dazzling solo run before giving keeper Hafed Al Droubi the eyes and slotting the ball in at his near post. George Mitchell-Gears might have added another goal in the 41st minute but shot over the bar from close range from a corner.

In the second half it continued to be Leverstock that posed the most threat of the two sides. In the 56th minute a ball to the far post found Ryan Carruthers all alone, but Al Droubi pulled off a great save to keep out Carruthers’ shot and the rebound just eluded McCarthy. In the 71st minute McCarthy’s pace took him through on goal, but he ran the ball just too far ahead and could not get a shot away. Two substitutes combined in the 81st minute as Ashton Corder showed some great footwork before squaring for Timi Bada, who didn’t make full contact with his shot and it squirted just wide.

A point would have been the least that Leverstock deserved from this match, but again they could not hold on to what they had through stoppage time. In the second minute of stoppage time the ball was in the Leverstock penalty area and a high boot almost made contact with an opponent’s head. The referee had little option but to award the penalty, and Prince William put the spot kick out of North’s reach to put his side in front.

Leverstock brought two forwards off the bench to try to save the game, but there was not enough time to create any serious chances, and once again they came away with nothing from a game in which they had given everything.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Leon 36)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal (16. Romari Forde 90+4 mins), 3. Vlad Karuchok (14. Timi Bada 79 mins), 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. Jack Allen 90+4 mins), 7. Ademide Baruwa, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Joe McCarthy, 10. Nat Connolly (17. Marcus Warren 82 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon (15. Ashton Corder 69 mins)
Waltham Abbey (1) 2 (Stevenson 1, William 90+2 pen)
1. Hafed Al Droubi, 2. Sam Robbins, 4. Charley Barker (14. Isaac Galliford 64 mins), 5. Callum Taylor, 6. Lewis Knight (17. Aiden Read 64 mins), 7. Prince William, 8. Isaac Pedro, 9. Steve Cawley (3. Max Appauh 58 mins), 10. Jack Blower, 11. Bailey Stevenson, 18Charlie Johnson . Subs not used: 12. Benjamin Baker, 15. Jaden Ogwuazor.