Leverstock Green had already clinched their place in the playoffs following Tuesday night’s results elsewhere, and they kept the pressure on Harpenden Town in the race for 3rd place and a home playoff semi-final with a 2-1 win at Baldock Town on Thursday night. It was hard work on a very wet night, but two first half goals proved enough for Fergus Moore’s side to take the points.

Leverstock made a slow start to the game, and the home side looked the brighter of the two sides in the early stages, winning a couple of corners. It was a contribution from Rio Beach in the 25th minute that sparked the Green side into left. Beach made a powerful run from his own half, pulling off a pirouette along the way, before being brought down just outside the box for a free kick in a dangerous position. Guiseppe Delgaudio took the kick, and his low shot took a deflection and beat keeper Kian McAdam into the corner of the net.

Luke Beckwith brought a good save out of McAdam in the 32nd minute, hitting a rasping shot which the keeper turned round the post. The second goal arrived in the 40th minute. A pass from Beckwith found Nat Connolly in space some distance from goal, and Connolly cut inside before hitting a shot which flew into the net via a deflection for his first ever goal for the club.

Leverstock made another slow start to the second half, with a cross from Callum Neal which was headed wide by Rawn Seale in the 63rd minute being their only threat of the early stages. Baldock kept on battling and pulled a goal back in the 70th minute from a short corner routine. The player who received the ball was not shut down quick enough, and his ball into the box was turned home by Max Ryan.

Leverstock had chances to extend their lead. In the 76th minute a free kick from Ryan Carruthers was parried away by McAdam. Curtis Dibley looked certain to score from the rebound, but could only pull the ball across goal where Rawn Seale also failed to hit the target. In the 83rd minute Seale chased a through ball and got there ahead of McAdam, directing a shot towards the empty net, but it hit the post and went wide.

In the end the single-goal lead was enough to win the game, but not enough to overtake Harpenden in third place. Leverstock trail by two goals, but have two games left to Harpenden’s one. Next up is a home game against Shefford Town & Campton on Saturday.

Baldock Town (0) 1 (Ryan 70)
1. Kian McAdam, 2. Harry Watson, 3. Jamie Breen, 4. Albert McGregor, 5. Fraser Findlay (12. Sonny Gardner 58 mins), 6. Newman Carney, 7. Flavia Drescanu (15. Max Ryan 60 mins), 8. Ethan Parker, 9. Harleigh Johnson-Standley, 10. Louie Carr (14. Abraham Ajiboye 67 mins), 11. Harley Rochester-Stein. Sub not used: 19. David Archer.
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (Delgaudio 25, Connolly 40)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Paul Marks, 5. Josh Dooley, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Luke Beckwith, 8. Ademide Baruwa (15. Dan Pett 78 mins), 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (16. Rawn Seale 60 mins), 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Ethan Mooney (12. Curtis Dibley 67 mins). Subs not used: 14. George Mitchell-Gears, 17. Dan Weeks.

Leverstock Green followed up their big midweek win with another three points as they overturned a half time deficit to win 2-1 at Arlesey Town on Saturday. It was their 14th league win of the season, but the first they have come from behind to win.

It was a difficult first half for the Leverstock team, firstly due to the heavy pitch, but also due to them playing directly into the sun behind the opposition goal. After a bright start for Leverstock with a couple of early half chances, it was Arlesey who looked the more dangerous side with a more direct style that suited the conditions well.

In the 7th minute a cross from Rory Busby set up a good chance for Dwade James, but he put the ball over the bar from close range. In the 13th minute Montel Brown had a go from a free kick but it was turned round the post by Josh Bowler. Ten minutes later Brown had a run into the box, beating two challenges on the way but his shot from a narrow angle was kept out by Bowler.

Brown tried again from a free kick on 28 minutes, but Bowler gathered the ball comfortably. Arlesey finally took what was a deserved lead in the 35th minute on the break. A slip from a Leverstock player in midfield left James with a clear run at goal, and he went on to slot the ball past Bowler.

It was a second blow for the Leverstock side, with top scorer Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica having to leave the game just before the goal, being replaced by Lewis Collins. Leverstock had a bright spell at the end of the half, winning a couple of corners, but the home side still held their lead at the break.

It was a much-improved display from the Leverstock side in the second half, as they adapted better to the conditions and dominated the game. In the 49th minute a cross from Collins just went over the head of Luke Beckwith in front of goal. Six minutes later a pass from Beckwith put Rawn Seale in on goal, and Seale took the ball past keeper Ollie Skinner, but his shot was cleared off the line by a defender.

In the 63rd minute Leverstock won a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box, but Collins’ effort went over the bar, and three minutes later Collins slid in to meet a cross but just failed to connect.

In the 71st minute Leverstock were aggrieved when they were on the attack after the referee initially played an advantage after a foul, but then pulled play back for the free kick. However, the free kick worked to their advantage. It looked as though Dan Pett was set to float the ball into the box, but instead it was a clever routine as Ryan Carruthers laid the ball off to Pett, who took off on a run towards the box before hitting a low shot that bounced in front of Skinner and went into the net for the equaliser.

Leverstock were well on top now and five minutes later they struck again. Pett and Beckwith combined on an attack which saw both trying to get shots away before Pett eventually hit a shot which Skinner could only parry away. Beckwith followed in for the rebound and slipped it past Skinner from a narrow angle to put Leverstock into a 2-1 lead.

A display of grit and determination had seen Leverstock turn the game around, and they continued to show that over the remaining minutes to close out a win which lifts them up to third in the SSML Premier Division table.

Arlesey Town (1) 1 (James 35)
1. Ollie Skinner, 2. Zack Howell, 3. Matt Gilbert, 4. Bruno Brito, 5. Yasin Boodhoo, 6. Dan Wappett, 7. Eddie Carrington, 8. Alex Taylor (15. Noah Mosanya 82 mins), 9. Dwade James, 10. Rory Busby, 11. Montel Brown (14. Ryan Rocheforth 71 mins). Subs not used: 12. Tom Millett, 16. Cameron O’Neil, 17. Tommy Cooney.
Leverstock Green (0) 2 (Pett 71, Beckwith 76)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Brad Robinson, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 18. Luke Durnin, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Luke Beckwith, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Nat Connolly (17. Joe Sadler 83 mins), 11. Radi-Mihai Stefanoaica (12. Lewis Collins 34 mins). Subs not used: 14. Psul Marks, 15. Ethan Mooney, 16. Jayden Newman.

Leverstock Green maintained their unbeaten league record with six games played, but they have now drawn three games in a row, the last two after having led the game. The Green side had plenty of chances against Arlesey but only took one of them and were eventually pegged back.

The goal was scored in the 12th minute by Lewis Collins, who went round the keeper before slotting the ball into the empty net. On 24 minutes Collins squared for Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, who was denied from close range by the keeper. Stefanoaica went close again in the 32nd minute in a scramble following a Collins free kick. Dan Pett, Ethan Mooney and Ryan Carruthers all had attempts at goal before the break but it was still only 1-0 at half time.

George Mitchell-Gears had a chance to double the lead in the 53rd minute when he was through on goal, but the keeper saved with his feet. Leverstock paid the price for missing their chances in the 63rd minute when Aedan Gaffney set up Lavel Davis-Thomas to equalise for Arlesey.

There were further chances missed by the Leverstock side, and by the end of the game they were facing nine men as Arlesey had firstly Bruno Brito sent off in the 88th minute and Alex Taylor sent off in the 90th minute, but the nine men held out for their point.

 

Leverstock Green continued their remarkable start to the season as they made it three wins and three clean sheets from three competitive games. Two early goals were enough to claim the three points from Saturday’s trip to Baldock Town, in a game played in sweltering conditions with temperatures in the mid-30s. The only change to the previous game’s starting line-up was the return of skipper Dan Weeks to the side, in place of the injured Luke Durnin.

The Green side had made a good start to the game, and they took the lead in the 10th minute. Ibrahim Nagheeb swung over a corner, and centre-back Alvin Kyeremeh came in with a powerful header which found the net.

Three minutes later the lead was doubled. George Mitchell-Gears hit a shot from long-range which home keeper David Archer could only parry away, and Chris Blunden followed in with a composed finish to net the rebound for a 2-0 Leverstock lead.

Mitchell-Gears hit another well-struck shot in the 16th minute, but this time Archer held onto the ball. The two teams took a well-deserved drinks break midway through the half, and Baldock started to come back into the game. Ryan Carruthers cleared a header from a corner off the line in the 35th minute. Leverstock almost added a third in the 43rd minute as Nagheeb played a one-two with Luke Beckwith and crossed to the far post, but Mitchell-Gears headed wide. The half ended with the home side winning two corners in quick succession, but the Leverstock defence stood firm.

The pace of the game continue to slow in the second half, and both sides used their full allocations of five substitutes. There was a good chance of a third Leverstock goal in the 61st minute as a pass from Mitchell-Gears intended for Beckwith instead deflected into the path of Blunden, who was clean through, but his shot was saved by Archer. In the 73rd minute a free kick from Carruthers found Mitchell-Gears all alone at the far post, but he shot wide.

There was little threat to the Leverstock goal until the closing minutes. In the 87th minute Lawrence Ajong was clean through on goal, but Josh Mollison did well to save with his legs. In the 90th minute there was another one-on-one situation as Harrison Sollis was clean through, but shot wide of the target.

Leverstock were content to play out the five minutes of stoppage time with what they had, and they are now one of only three sides in the SSML Premier Division to have won both of their opening two games.

Baldock Town (0) 0
1. David Archer, 2. Dean Laing (17. Aikin Math 69 mins), 3. Richard Kursorgbor, 4. Mamadou Diallo (15. Finley Aldridge H/T), 5. Luke Rowland (16. Adam Turner 39 mins), 6. Joe Babbage, 7. Ryan Lamond (12. Joe Dalli 90+3 mins), 8. Alex Matsukatov, 9. Lawrence Ajong, 10. Charlie Joy, 11. Jimmy Hartley (14. Harrison Sollis 83 mins).
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (Kyeremeh 10, Blunden 13)
1. Josh Mollison, 2. Brad Robinson, 3. Rio Beach, 17. Dan Weeks, 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ryan Carruthers (15. Kai Stonnell 82 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 63 mins), 8. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 9. Chris Blunden (20. Scott McGleish 85 mins), 10. George Mitchell-Gears (16. Sean Walsh 75 mins), 11. Luke Beckwith (12. Lewis Collins 55 mins).