Leverstock Green picked up another valuable three points from a very hard-fought battle of a game on Saturday. In a match played in constant rain on a heavy pitch at Arlesey, Fergus Moore’s side held off a spirited challenge from Baldock Town and notched the win thanks to a second half penalty.

Baldock have only won three league games all season, but they took the game to Leverstock from the start and had much the better of the possession in the early stages. However, the Green defence was also in determined mood, and although the home side won a number of corners they did not force a save out of Leverstock keeper Alfie Bonfield.

Leverstock didn’t start to get hold of the ball until 20 minutes into the game. In the 22nd minute Ollie Cox delivered a free kick into the box which was headed over the bar by Kian Wilkes. On 26 minutes Ethan Mooney hit a shot which was comfortably gathered by the home keeper. Leverstock won a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box in the 30th minute, but Cox’s effort was well over the bar. Wilkes required a lengthy period of treatment after a collision with an opponent, but was able to continue after a change of shirt due to blood.

The first half ended goalless despite a lot of effort from both sides, but it was Leverstock who came out looking the brighter side at the start of the second half. Three minutes in a pass from Cox gave Lewis Collins a run at goal, and after a couple of twists and turns in the box, Collins hit a shot which was just about saved by the keeper at his near post. On 56 minutes Collins ran onto a great pass from Dan Weeks and could have had a shot, but instead laid off to Ollie Lawford, who hesitated a second too long and wasn’t able to get his shot away.

A minute later Collins was threatening again with a run down the left edge of the penalty area, and when his progress was impeded by a tug from behind, it was spotted by the referee who pointed to the penalty spot. Lawford stepped up to take the spot kick, and successfully slotted it to the keeper’s right to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead.

Scott McGleish replaced Lawford in the 65th minute and the veteran almost notched his first goal for the club within a minute of coming on, but his effort went just wide.

Baldock continued to push forward, and Leverstock spent much of the last 15 minutes of the game camped in their own half. There was a chance of a second goal in the 76th minute when the Green side broke away from a Baldock corner. Collins played it through to Wilkes, but his effort went over the bar. Baldock won three successive corners deep into stoppage time, but the Leverstock side kept their concentration and their discipline to hold out for the win and the clean sheet.

Baldock Town (0) 0
Team: 1. Ollie Skinner, 2. Lewis Frankline, 3. Josh Furness, 4. Luke Rowland (15. Callum Mullins 85 mins), 5. Ollie Trott (12. Jacob Green 74 mins), 6. Alex Coppin, 7. Josh Downes (14. Theo Reed 61 mins), 8. Jude White, 9. Ashley Hay, 10. Fin Aldridge, 11. Richard Kursogbor.
Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Lawford 58 pen)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Harry Bonner, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Ollie Lawford (17. Scott McGleish 65 mins), 10. Ollie Cox (14. Ryan Carruthers 80 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Jamie Calvin, 16. Mikkel James, 18. Bradley Robinson.

Leverstock Green claimed another impressive three points on the road, this time against Arlesey Town, who had beaten league leaders Leighton Town only the week before. In relentlessly wet and windy conditions, Arlesey and Leverstock served up an entertaining game with lots of good football being played, including a contender for goal of the season.

Fergus Moore’s side had two young full backs starting, with Harry Bonner having been transferred from Bovingdon during the week, and Will Bisney being drafted in again. Gone from the squad is Isiah Noel-Williams, who was snapped up by Southern League side Chalfont St Peter.

Leverstock made a strong start to the game, with Lewis Collins making a run into the box in the opening minute, but his cross was cleared from in front on goal. In the 7th minute Dan Pett somehow kept hold of the ball whilst beating two defenders on a run through the middle, but having got clean through, his touch was too heavy and ran through to the keeper. In the 19th minute a great pass from Mikkel James put Collins through on goal, but keeper Ryan Hilliard came off his line to dive at Collins’ feet and claim the ball.

The Green side had nothing to show for their good start, and the home side then had a good spell. On 22 minutes Alfie Bonfield did well to turn away a shot from Lincoln Gilmartin, and a minute later a deflected free kick struck the crossbar. In the 24th minute Arlesey hit the woodwork again as Bruno Brito’s shot hit the post, but the rebound came straight back to Brito and at the second attempt he buried the ball past Bonfield to put Arlesey into a 1-0 lead.

It could have been two a couple of minutes later but Gilmartin shot straight at Bonfield from close range. Instead the scores were levelled in spectacular fashion in the 27th minute. Collins cut in from a run down the right wing, beating three defenders in a run across the edge of the box before hitting a shot past Hilliard from the edge of the D for a wonderful goal that turned out to be not even the best of this game.

Having pulled back level, Leverstock then pushed ahead. On 31 minutes Elgeniy Daalberg was set on a run down the left wing, and sent over a great cross which was met by the onrushing Kian Wilkes, who swept the ball home from six yards out for a 2-1 Green lead. Better was to come from Wilkes soon after.

In the 40th minute a clearamce from an Arlesey defender was picked up by Wilkes about 30 yards out, and without hesitation Wilkes looked up and hit an absolute screamer of a shot that flew into the top corner of the net off the underside of the bar giving Hilliard no chance whatsoever. Wilkes’ wonder strike stunned the whole ground and sent Leverstock into the break with a deserved 3-1 lead.

The second half opened in even heavier rain than the first, and for the first 25 minutes of the half there was little goalmouth action as Leverstock looked to be holding onto their lead comfortably. A pass from Dan Pett sent Collins off on another run in the 70th minute, but this time his shot was saved by Hilliard. Three minutes later Paplamin Jawara’s pass put substitute Rawn Seale through, but his shot was deflected wide of the post.

With 12 minutes remaining the game was put back into the melting pot as Arlesey pulled a goal back out of nothing. Efeptheros Metso got away down the left, and sent over a cross which was met by a close-range header from Archie Sayer that found the net. There was a big let off for Leverstock in the 85th minute when Jalen Miller was clean through and sent a lob over Bonfield, but it landed just over the bar. The end of the game was more nervy than it should have been given how well Leverstock played, but they held out for the three points, their second away win in a row, which moves them back up to third in the SSML Premier Division table.

Arlesey Town (1) 2 (Brito 24, Sayer 78)
Team: 1. Ryan Hilliard, 2. Sernad Hoxha, 3. Tom Millett (12. Jesus Mendoza H/T), 4. Ade Orenaike, 5. Shayan Ghamarinezhad, 6. Bruno Brito (15. Ryan Lamond 81 mins), 7. Jalen Miller, 8. Herson Alves, 9. Archie Sayer, 10. Lincoln Gilmartin (17. Efeptheros Metso 70 mins), 11. Herculano Carvalho. Subs not used: 14. Noah Costin, 16. Adam Randall.
Leverstock Green (3) 3 (Collins 27, Wilkes 31, 40)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Harry Bonner, 3. Will Bisney, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Mikkel James (18. Rawn Seale 64 mins), 10. Paplamin Jawara (12. Ryan Carruthers 83 mins), 11. Elgeniy Daalberg (16. Ethan Mooney 74 mins). Subs not used: 14. Ollie Lawford, 17. Bradley Robinson.

A superb second half display saw Leverstock Green register their second league win in a row and their first away win of the season in Saturday’s visit to Baldock Town.

The Green side made a tentative start to the game, and found themselves a goal down in the 10th minute. Aedan Gaffney was allowed far too much time and space to turn and run at the Green defence before threading a pass to Scott Piggott, who slotted from a narrow angle past Matt Fallon.

Leverstock finally started getting into the game, with Adiel Mannion shooting over the bar in the 17th minute, and Guiseppe Delgaudio having a shot from close range saved two minutes later. A save from Fallon prevented Lewis Sinclair adding a second goal for Baldock from a corner in the 26th minute, while both Jamie Ovington and Luke Peerless went close to pulling the scores level.

The equaliser came on the break from a Baldock corner in the 40th minute. Leverstock benefited from a good advantage played by the referee as Ovington was fouled, but Mannion took the ball forward and played a great pass to put Delgaudio clean through the middle. The Baldock defenders were looking for an offside flag which never came, and Delgaudio showed great composure to draw the keeper before slotting home the goal which sent the teams into the break on level terms.

Having escaped a half in which they did not play anything like their best with no damage, the Leverstock side proceeded to take the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, playing neat, controlled passing football. After dominating the opening ten minutes of the half, Leverstock took a deserved lead in the 56th minute. A crossfield ball from Kian Wilkes found Brima Johnson, who played the ball inside for Mannion, who unleashed a great strike from the edge of the box that gave the keeper no chance as it flew into the net.

Two minutes later a pass from John Smith put Delgaudio through for what looked set to be a third goal until he was clearly brought down by a tackle from a defender, yet the referee waved away claims for a penalty to the amazement of the Leverstock contingent in the ground.

In the 77th minute there was another questionable decision when Smith was the victim of a challenge from Ben Burton that looked worthy of a red card, but Burton was only shown a yellow card. Smith’s effort from the resulting free kick went just wide of the post. Two minutes later Mannion burst through on goal but his shot was saved by the keeper, and in the 80th minute Ovington’s header from a corner shaved the outside of the post.

Despite Leverstock’s dominance in the second half, with only a single goal lead the game was still in the balance, so there was some relief when the third goal finally arrived six minutes from time. A pass from Smith put Mannion through on goal, and although the keeper did well to parry his shot, defender Luke Rowland was running back and could not avoid the rebound cannoning off him into the net for an unfortunate own goal.

Two wins within a week will be a huge boost to the morale of Matt Harding’s squad, and they go straight into action again on Tuesday night with a visit to unbeaten Colney Heath.

Baldock Town (1) 1 (Piggott 10)
Team: 1. Oliver Skinner, 2. Lewis Sinclair (14. Zach Decker 67 mins), 3. Paul Morris, 4. Charlie Rome, 5. Ben Burton (15. Dan Harper 77 mins), 6. Luke Rowland, 7. Charlie Joy, 8. Ollie Trott (12. Luis Brooker 55 mins), 9. Scott Piggott, 10. Aedan Gaffney, 11. Ashley Kay. Subs not used: 16. Lewis Franklin, 17. Daryl Doolan.

Leverstock Green (1) 3 (Delgaudio 40, Mannion 56, Rowland OG 84)
Team: 1. Matt Fallon, 2. Brima Johnson, 3. Will Bisney, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Jamie Ovington, 6. Kian Wilkes (14. James Hall 82 mins), 7. John Smith, 8. Luke Peerless, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (15. Sidney Gueye 74 mins), 10. Adiel Mannion, 11. Frank Jowle (17. Cass Grant 66 mins). Subs not used: 12. Steve Hawes, 16. Connor Church.