League: FA Vase

(H) Aylesbury Vale Dynamos

Leverstock Green face a Tuesday night replay at Aylesbury Vale Dynamos as the two sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of Saturday’s First Qualifying Round tie in the Buildbase FA Vase. Leverstock required a late equaliser to rescue the tie in normal time against a side that played over half the game with ten men.

It was a game of few chances, especially in the early stages of the game. The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 21st minute. Derek Feyi was yellow carded for pulling back Frankie Jowle when he looked like going clean through, and as Feyi had earlier been booked for kicking the ball away, he was also shown the red card.

However, it was the ten men that took the lead in the 25th minute, as Harry Scott got to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Andrew Phillips to finish from close range. They were close to a second goal ten minutes later from a corner, but the ball was cleared off the line. The Leverstock side didn’t create any chances to trouble visiting keeper James Weatherill as Aylesbury took their 1-0 lead into the break.

The visitors had more chances early in the second half. Phillips shot just over the bar from the edge of the box in the 49th minute, and a minute later Scott hit a shot into the side netting.

Leverstock’s best chances came from a number of free kicks in dangerous positions around the box. On 57 minutes John Smith’s free kick was comfortably gathered by Weatherill. On 64 minutes Lewis Rodrigoe got on the end of a free kick from Tom Carter, but his header was cleared off the line. Two minutes later Ollie Cox had a go at a free kick from just outside the box but curled it just over the bar. On 78 minutes the Green side had their best effort of the game so far as substitute Jake Williamson struck a terrific volley from outside the box, but Weatherill pulled off a great save to turn it away.

As the game went into the closing minutes, it looked like the ten men were going to hang on for the win, but two minutes from time Leverstock got a rare slice of luck as a speculative effort from Ollie Cox took a big deflection off a defender which wrongfooted Weatherill and flew into the net for the equaliser.

That took the game into extra time, although the additional 30 minutes saw no increase in the number of chances created. The visitors went close to a spectacular goal in the 93rd minute as Nuredin Lilaj launched into an acrobatic overhead effort which was heading for the top corner but for a superb goalline clearance from Steve Hawes. Five minutes later Leverstock had their chance when Luis Brooker went clean through, but Weatherill came off his line to make a great save, and from the resulting corner Williamson headed just over the bar.

Neither side went close to breaking the deadlock in the second period of extra time, so the two sides will replay at Haywood Way on Tuesday night for the right to host Rugby Borough in the next round.

vs

(A) Histon

Leverstock Green’s FA Vase run came to an end at the Third Round stage on Sunday afternoon as they were well beaten at Eastern Counties League leaders Histon.

Injury problems have plagued the Leverstock squad all season, and with keeper Rob Partington having suffered broken bones in his hand last week against Leighton Town, inexperienced keeper Tristan Thomas was brought in, and struggled against a Histon side who used the long throw tactic to good effect. As early as the third minute a long throw from Max York caused problems, with Ollie Emsden hitting a shot just wide.

Having soaked up pressure from the home side for the opening minutes, Leverstock had a great chance to take the lead in the 9th minute. A superb pass from Mark Smith put Marcus Campbell clean through on goal, but Campbell’s shot was saved by keeper Sam Roach. Within a minute Histon had the ball in the Leverstock penalty area, and when a shot from Dan Brown came back off the inside of the post, Ed Rolph was on hand to net the rebound and put Histon into a 1-0 lead.

The home side continued to turn the screw with a series of corners and long throws, which the Green defence were just about dealing with until the 26th minute. Another long throw resulted in a goalmouth scramble from which Leverstock could not clear the ball, and Rob Ruddy blasted home a shot to put Histon 2-0 up.

Leverstock had a promising break in the 36th minute when a pass from Campbell allowed Salim Sahnoun to get ahead of the Histon defence down the right wing. Sahnoun crossed the ball to the far post, but Alex Witham’s attempt to get in a shot was blocked. The last five minutes of the half proved the Green side’s undoing. In the 41st minute York hurled in another long throw towards the near post. Thomas tried to claim the ball but couldn’t hang onto it, and Brown had a simple tap-in for a third Histon goal. Brown had another simple finish in the last minute of the half when yet another long throw into the six-yard box wasn’t dealt with, leaving Leverstock going into the break 4-0 down.

Histon continued to pile on the pressure in the second half, and although Thomas produced three good saves early in the half, a further mistake in the 71st minute gifted Pat Bexfield a fifth goal for Histon. Over the closing minutes Leverstock finally started to get some attacking play going, helped in no small part by the introduction of Sam Nair. In the 75th minute Reynaldo Carbon got on the end of a free kick from Nair with a flicked header that landed on the top of the net. Mark Smith had a couple of good long-range efforts which went close, and in the 90th minute Leverstock got a consolation goal as Smith got on the end of a corner from Nair with a glancing header home.

Overall though, the Leverstock side didn’t do themselves justice at all on a big stage, and it was a disappointing way to end a Vase run that has seen some tremendous football played to get this far.

vs

(A) Enfield

Leverstock Green reached the Third Round of the FA Vase for the first time in eight years with a well-deserved 4-1 win over Enfield in Tuesday night’s Second Round tie played at Harlow Town’s stadium. It was an excellent display from the Green side on the 4G pitch, playing some lovely expansive football.

Leverstock made a bright start to the match, with Alex Witham hitting a shot from distance which was gathered by keeper Steven French in the 12th minute, and Marcus Campbell hitting a similar effort a minute later which was saved. In the 18th minute Witham played a ball across goal with the outside of his boot which just eluded the incoming Mark Smith. Enfield’s first near-miss of the match came in the 23rd minute when Ayo Odukoya hit a shot just over the bar, but it was still somewhat against the run of play when the home side took the lead two minutes later. Jay Stavri went down in the box under challenge from two Leverstock defenders, and the referee awarded a penalty which was tucked away by Odukoya – the first goal that Leverstock had conceded in this Vase run.

The Green side kept going, and went close to a leveller in the 26th minute when Witham hit a shot from distance just wide. They only had to wait another three minutes for the equaliser, although it was a somewhat fortuitous one as Brima Johnson sent over a cross which Enfield defender Jacob Dixon took a swing at, and only succeeded in slicing the ball past French into his own net.

Leverstock had their tails up now, and went close in the 31st minute when a free kick from Sam Nair found Alex Condon with a header which went just over the bar. Two minutes later Nair found the head of Condon again, this time from a corner, and this time Condon’s header found the bottom corner of the net to put Leverstock into a 2-1 lead.

Five minutes later it was almost an action replay as Nair swung over another corner, and this time it was Ethan Flanagan who came in with the powerful header into the same corner of the net to make it 3-1 to the Green.

Two minutes before the break Reynaldo Carbon spun away from Enfield captain Matt Thoma, and would have gone clean through but for being pulled down by Thoma, who was somewhat fortunate to only get a yellow card. However, a minute later Thoma brought down Carbon again just outside the box, and got a second yellow card along with a red as Enfield were reduced to ten men. Nair took the resulting free kick and put it just over the bar.

Leverstock went into the second half with a two-goal and one-man advantage, and never looked like losing their grip on the match. Enfield had a chance from a free kick outside the box in the 50th minute, but Jayden Hocking-Rising’s shot was blocked by the wall, and a follow-up shot was saved by Rob Partington. A minute later Witham hit another fine long-range shot which was tipped over the bar by French. The resulting corner caused further problems in the Enfield defence, but the ball stayed out. Another Nair corner on 58 minutes found the head of Condon again, but his header glanced wide. That was the last action of an excellent game for Nair, who was substituted after picking up a booking.

There were many more chances as Leverstock continued to pass the ball around confidently, but the score remained at 3-1. Five minutes from time the game flared up into a mass brawl, the end result of which was two more red cards, firstly for Odukoya, reducing Enfield to nine men, and then for Luke Nugent reducing Leverstock to ten men. Partington produced a double save in the last minute to ensure that Enfield didn’t reduce the arrears, then finally in the third minute of stoppage time Jordon Goode’s pass put Chris Blunden through to take the ball round French and slot home into the empty net for the long-overdue fourth goal.

The reward for the win is a tough tie away at Eastern Counties League leaders Histon. The tie is due to be played on the weekend of Dec 1st, but is unlikely to be on the Saturday as tenants Cambridge City have a home game.

vs

(H) Sawbridgeworth Town

Leverstock Green are safely in Monday’s draw for the Second Round of the Buildbase FA Vase after a comfortable 3-0 win against Essex Senior League side Sawbridgeworth Town in Saturday’s First Round tie at Pancake Lane. It was largely a one-sided affair with the Green side dominating from start to finish, and they could have had more goals than the three that were scored.

The win was despite a spate of injuries which is testing the depth of the Leverstock squad. The problems are mostly occurring in the central defensive area, where Jonny Miller and Shane Wood were joined on the injury list by Jude Bell, recovering from a concussion, and Alex Condon, who started this game having recovered from Tuesday’s injury, but had to be replaced at half time due to a groin injury. Alex Witham was also missing today due to a hamstring problem.

Leverstock had the slope and the wind in their favour in the first half, and after a largely uneventful opening 15 minutes, started to create some chances. On 17 minutes a great crossfield ball from Casey Linsell to Luke Nugent started a move which finished with a shot from Jonathan Lacey being deflected over the bar. From the resulting corner Condon headed just wide. A minute later Luke Preedy had a shot which was gathered by visiting keeper Jarvis Monk.

The best chance so far came in the 20th minute when Chris Blunden rode a challenge and got to the bye-line where he pulled the ball back for Lacey, whose first time effort went over the bar. Two minutes later Linsell floated in a free kick which was caught by the wind and had to be tipped over the bar by Monk.

Finally in the 29th minute the deadlock was broken. There was more good play from Preedy, who exchanged passes with Blunden before slotting home an impressive finish to give Leverstock an overdue 1-0 lead. Four minutes later the lead was doubled. A cross from Nugent drifted to the far side of the penalty area, where Preedy squared it back in for Blunden, who blasted home a shot from six yards out despite the close attention of a defender.

There were a couple more near-misses in first half stoppage time. A good ball down the touchline from skipper Brima Johnson found Blunden, who cut inside and headed for goal, but his eventual shot was kept out by the legs of Monk. Jordon Goode was just wide with a shot from the edge of the box.

Half time saw Condon replaced by under-18 player Charlie Milton, making his debut for the first team. Sawbridgeworth had the wind and slope in their favour now, but apart from a brief spell at the start of the second half, they produced little to trouble Arvydas Kacinkevicius and his defence. Ten minutes into the half Leverstock increased their lead as a superb cross from Linsell was met with a header from Goode for goal number three.

Blunden was unlucky not to get his second five minutes later. After good work from Nugent, Goode delivered a cross from the bye-line which Blunden met with a thumping first time volley, but Monk did well to save it. Lacey could have added his name to the scoresheet on 73 minutes when a defensive error left him clean through on Monk, but he delayed his shot too long and was forced wide.

Overall a solid performance from the Leverstock side, who have reached the second round of the Vase without conceding a goal in their three ties so far. In fact they have not conceded a goal in any of their nine competitive wins so far this season. There is more cup action on Tuesday night when Oxhey Jets are the visitors to Pancake Lane for a first round tie in the Herts Senior Cup.

vs

(H) Raunds Town

Leverstock Green continued their excellent form with another cup win and another clean sheet as they beat Raunds Town 4-0 in Saturday’s FA Vase Second Round Qualifying tie at Pancake Lane. It was a comfortable enough win and could have been by a bigger margin, but the visitors from the United Counties League Division One showed resilience and came away from the tie with a lot of credit.

Leverstock took a while to get going, winning some early corners but not really threatening the Raunds goal, and they were forced into an early change when Jonny Miller had to leave the game injured in the 21st minute, to be replaced by Alex Condon. The first near-miss came in the 23rd minute when Jonathan Lacey interchanged passes with Luke Nugent before crossing for Alex Witham, who played it sideways to set up Alex Yearwood for a shot that went into the side netting. Three minutes later Condon’s shot from a corner was blocked, and in the ensuing scramble there was a shout for a handball, but the referee did not give it.

Raunds had their first chance in the 31st minute when the ball was played through to Fernand Bass, but his shot was comfortably gathered by Arvydas Kacinkevicius. A minute later a ball from the back was flicked on by Witham into the path of Chris Blunden, who outpaced the last defender and shot home confidently from outside the box to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead.

The visitors had another good chance in the 37th minute when they broke quickly from a Leverstock corner, but Dalitso Mandson shot wide of the target from a good position. There was a long period of stoppage time due to the treatment to Miller, and later to Condon, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time Leverstock added a second goal. Lacey’s corner to the far post was met with a looping header from Shane Wood which was palmed away by the keeper, but the loose ball was slammed home by Condon.

Two further goals early in the second half ensured that the tie was only going one way. Lacey played a ball out wide to Blunden, whose cross into the box found Luke Preedy, who laid it back for Lacey to shoot home the third goal with just over two minutes played. In the 51st minute Alex Yearwood, making his first start after a series of substitute appearances, added the fourth with a dazzling solo goal, dribbling through the defence before slotting under the oncoming keeper.

After that it seemed just a question of how many more Leverstock would score, but the Raunds side kept their heads up, and a great display from their 16 year old keeper Ciaran Wells ensured that the answer to that question was “none”. Wells parried a shot from Blunden on 57 minutes and gathered a second effort from Witham. On 63 minutes Lacey went on a solo run through the Raunds defence but his shot was turned round the post by Wells. From the resulting corner Preedy struck the bar with a shot and Witham hit an effort just wide.

Witham hit a free kick just wide on 70 minutes, and a free kick from Blunden five minutes later brought out a superb save from Wells as he dived low to turn it round the post with one hand. On 76 minutes a cross from Reynaldo Carbon went over the head of Preedy and dropped for Wood a yard in front of goal, but the ball bounced up and rebounded off Wood’s knee over the bar. Five minutes from time Wells produced another good save to keep out a shot from Blunden with his legs.

The win puts the Green into the hat for Monday’s draw for the First Round proper, which is due to be played on the weekend of October 13th. Leverstock have two further cup ties coming up this week, with a visit to Welwyn Garden City in the Herts Charity Shield being followed by Saturday’s huge FA Cup Second Round Qualifying tie at home to Dorking Wanderers.

vs