Season: 2025/26

Leverstock Green’s winless run now extends to 16 games after another game in which they squandered a winning position late in the game. After trailing at half time they had come back to lead, but again were unable to close out the win and ended up with nothing.

The first half saw little in the way of chances for either side. Leverstock had a corner in the 7th minute which Joe McCarthy got his head to, but it went wide. An MK Irish corner in the 29th minute resulted in the opening goal as Clinton Zawe rose unchallenged at the near post to score with a glancing header. Both Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica and Jeffrey Sekyere had runs at goal late in the half, but were unable to get shots on target.

The second half started in similar fashion, but Leverstock got themselves back into the game in the 54th minute. A ball over the top caused problems for a home defender as it bounced, and McCarthy got the better of the defender, and was able to poke the ball past the home keeper, who had come off his line, to level the scores at 1-1.

There could have been a second goal in the 59th minute as Leverstock blocked a quickly-taken Irish free kick and broke away. Stefanoaica was heading for goal but squared for Marcus Warren, whose shot was saved. However, Leverstock did eventually take the lead in the 70th minute. Again it was good work from McCarthy, whose pressure won the ball off a defender. McCarthy slipped the ball through to Sekyere, who went round the keeper and slotted the ball home from an impossible angle to make it 2-1 to Leverstock.

That was McCarthy’s last contribution of the game, as he was substituted due to injury, and his presence was missed for the rest of the match. As the game entered the closing minutes Leverstock were still ahead, and it should have been 3-1 in the 87th minute when Sekyere was through on goal, but shot over the bar. That proved crucial, as a minute later the home side were awarded a penalty for a clumsy challenge inside the box. Mason Spence netted the spot kick to level the scores at 2-2.

A draw would still have been a reasonable result for Leverstock given how other games were going, but in the end they didn’t even get that. Deep into stoppage time they brought a number of players up for a free kick, but the kick didn’t even reach the box, and Irish broke away down the left. The ball was squared across goal to find George Shrieves, who made no mistake putting the ball past Harry Way for the winner.

Milton Keynes Irish (1) 3 (Zawe 29, Spence 89 pen, Shrieves 90+4)
1. Tom Ladyman, 2. Clinton Zawe, 3. Callum Hirst (4. Harry Guess 76 mins), 5. Oliver Kalek, 6. Nathan Smith, 7. Kyle Boyce (14. Freddy Joyce 26 mins)(9. Joshua Guthrie 77 mins), 8. Ryan Smith, 10. Owen Brooks, 11. George Shrieves (12. Stephen Brooks 90+5 mins), 18. Nat Beecher, 20. Mason Spence. Sub not used: 15. Liam Smyth.
Leverstock Green (0) 2 (McCarthy 54, Sekyere 70)
1. Harry Way, 2. Aldo Petagine, 3. Matt Forkin, 4. Thomas Georgiou, 5. Callum Neal, 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. George Mitchell-Gears 75 mins), 7. Joe McCarthy (18. Jack Allen 70 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Subs not used: 14. Jamal Yates, 19. Scott McGleish, 20. Bendie Idikayi.