Biggleswade Road

(A) Potton United

Leverstock Green FC suffered a 4-1 defeat in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division visit to Potton United. The margin of defeat was harsh, but it was certainly a deserved win for Potton.

Leverstock were without top scorer Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, who was serving a one-match suspension for too many yellow cards, and with Dan Pett also unavailable the side had a different look to recent games. It took the Leverstock side some time to get going, by which time they were already two goals down. A save from Austin Byfield kept out a shot from Lewis Lynn in the 12th minute, however in the 16th minute a deflected effort from Victor Osobu put Potton into a 1-0 lead.

A second goal in the 29th minute proved even more damaging and it was a soft goal to concede. A long throw into the box found keeper and defenders leaving it to each other, and it appeared that James Smith got the last touch to put the ball over the line.

Leverstock finally started to put some pressure on the Potton goal from the 35th minute, winning a series of corners, but were unable to make anything of them. In the last minute of the half Rio Beach showed some impressive footwork on the edge of the penalty area before hitting a curling shot which beat the keeper but came back off the bar. A minute later Beach was in again with a run down the right, but his eventual shot was kept out by the keeper. Deep into first half stoppage time a foul on Ryan Carruthers gave Leverstock a free kick in dangerous territory just outside the box, but Chris Blunden’s effort hit the defensive wall.

Leverstock Green FC continued their promising form from the end of the first half into the start of the second half. A foul on Blunden presented Leverstock with another free kick just outside the box, but this time Lewis Collins was unable to get the ball over the wall. Seconds later a Potton player handled the ball. Some felt that it was inside the box, but the verdict of the referee and linesman was that it happened inches outside the box. Blunden stepped up to take this free kick, and this time blasted it through the wall and into the net to put Leverstock back into the game at 2-1 in the 50th minute.

There were three further free kick opportunities for Leverstock Green FC in dangerous positions before the hour mark, but none of them produced a shot to threaten the Potton goal. Instead it was the home side who took advantage of a free kick at the other end in the 68th minute, as Shane Fox met a cross from the left with a header which went in off the post to make it 3-1 to Potton. Five minutes later Cole Butler had the time and space 30 yards out to hit an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner of the net and put the game out of reach at 4-1.

The closing minutes saw Luke Durnin make his return from injury by coming off the bench to play as a centre-forward, and there was a first team debut for Mayar Hajousman, but Leverstock Green FC never looked like getting back into the game and continued their see-saw series of results.

Potton United FC (2) 4 (Osobu 16, Smith 29, Fox 68, Butler 73)
1. James Hoskins, 2. Jack Thomas, 3. Harry Forde (17. Nathan Mullins 65 mins), 4. Jamal Batchilly, 5. James Smith, 6. Mike Evans, 7. Cole Butler, 8. Michael King, 9. Shane Fox (14. Jaiden Fitzpatrick 88 mins), 10. Victor Osobu (16. Louis Strafford 90 mins), 11. Lewis Lynn (12. Louis Octave 51 mins). Sub not used: 13. Elliot Duffy.
Leverstock Green FC (0) 1 (Blunden 50)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Mikey Havill-Tierney (14. Luke Durnin 69 mins), 3. Dan Weeks, 4. Danny May, 5. Callum Neal, 6. Ryan Carruthers (17. Mayar Hajousman 82 mins), 7. Lewis Collins (12. Luke Beckwith 62 mins), 8. Rio Beach, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 15. Brad Robinson, 16. Dan Pett.

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Potton United vs Ardley United

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(A) Potton United

Leverstock Green’s current struggles continued as they fell to a third straight away defeat in Tuesday night’s SSML Premier Division game at Potton United. A poor start to the game gave them an uphill task to get anything out of the game.

Leverstock were boosted by the return to the side of Dan Weeks, Ibrahim Nagheeb and Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, but it was Potton who got off to a very fast start which left the Green side chasing shadows in the early part of the game. In the third minute Austin Byfield pulled off a good save to keep out a header from Steve Gentle, however in the 12th minute a cross into the six-yard box was not cleared and Tommy Blennerhassett was able to blast home from close range.

Worse was to follow three minutes later when Blennerhasset was through on goal and slotted the ball under Byfield to double Potton’s lead before Leverstock had even got going.

In the 24th minute, however, Chris Blunden found space on the right side of the box and lofted in a cross which Stefanoaica headed home to put Leverstock back in the game at 2-1.

The scores could have been levelled in the 29th minute when Blunden played a great pass to put Stefanoaica through on goal, but keeper Craig Foxall saved his shot. Stefanoaica was in again in the 39th minute from another precise pass from Nagheeb, but his shot drifted wide of the target.

The second half was evenly-contested, but for all their possession Leverstock created little. In the 64th minute Weeks got on the end of a Nagheeb corner, but headed wide. There were plenty of other set-pieces, but too many of them were either overhit or easily claimed by Foxall.

At the other end Byfield made a couple of good saves to keep his side in the game, but Potton were able to hang on to their win, with Leverstock becoming increasingly frustrated by the home side’s time wasting tactics.

Potton United (2) 2 (Blennerhassett 12, 15)
1. Craig Foxall, 2. Lil Francisco, 3. Alfie Warman, 4. Fabio Buffano, 5. Steve Gentle (17. Sam Olawale 90 mins), 6. James Smith, 7. Jack Thomas (12. Louis Octave 78 mins), 8. Sam Willis, 10. Tommy Blennerhassett (18. Josh Brown 90+3 mins), 11. Callum Wilson, 14. Josh Howard-Dobson. Sub not used: 9. Dave Parkinson.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Stefanoaica 24)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 18. Bobby Armstrong (14. Alvin Kyeremeh 57 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. Elgeniy Daalberg 72 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Danny May (17. Dan Pett 62 mins), 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Subs not used: 15. Kurainashe Musanhi, 16. Ayomide Oke.

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(A) Potton United

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(A) Potton United

Leverstock Green claimed a very hard-fought three points from Saturday’s trip to Potton United in the SSML Premier Division. They soaked up a lot of pressure from the home side during the second half, and were down to ten men from the 75th minute. It was a game that featured two missed penalties.

Matt Harding had two new signings in his squad, with defender Ethan Flanagan returning to the club after impressing last season, and former Oxhey Jets forward Ryan O’Sullivan joining.

Potton made a strong start, with Tom Williams hitting a shot over the bar inside the opening thirty seconds of the game. Williams came even closer in the 8th minute, with a well-struck free kick that cannoned off the crossbar. Leverstock’s first chance came in the 17th minute when a kick from Matt Fallon was helped on by two poor defensive headers to Adiel Mannion, who hit a shot from the edge of the box that was kept out by the left leg of keeper Sam Irish. Luke Peerless followed up, but put the rebound over the bar and was flagged offside anyway.

It was a mistake by the keeper that helped Leverstock to take the lead in the 22nd minute. Irish went up to claim a corner from Frankie Jowle, but the ball slipped through his hands, and John Smith nodded the loose ball over the line.

Williams went close again for Potton in the 25th minute, hitting a shot across the face of goal from a narrow angle. Leverstock had a chance to double their lead in the 31st minute from the penalty spot after the referee adjudged that Peerless had been brought down from behind. Jack Stevens struck the spot kick well enough, but Irish pulled off a brilliant save to turn it round the post, going some way to atoning for his earlier error. Three minutes before the break a cross from Peerless found Smith, who somehow managed to play a one-two with himself before hitting a shot just wide.

The first half had been evenly-contested, but it was Potton who were very much on top in the second half. Sam Willis hit a shot over the bar in the 49th minute, and on 58 minutes Callum Wilson hit a free kick over the bar. Matt Fallon was tested several times, and on 65 minutes saved a close-range header from a corner.

The moment that could have been the turning point came in the 75th minute. An off-the-ball incident occurred as the ball was going out for a corner. Alex Ward raised his hand at George Brinkman, who made the most of it, going down somewhat theatrically, but the referee had no option but to send off Ward, reducing Leverstock to ten men, and also showed a yellow to Brinkman for unsportsmanlike conduct. Worse still for Leverstock, the incident occured in the penalty area, so they were now facing a penalty. Williams stepped up to take the kick, but ballooned it way over the bar, leaving the Green side still holding their slender lead.

The last twenty minutes were somewhat like the Alamo as Potton piled on the pressure, but the ten men of Leverstock battled for their lives to hang onto their lead. There were further yellow cards shown to Jamie Ovington for a tackle that could well have earned a red on another day, and to Fallon for time wasting, but the Green side held out through the five minutes of stoppage time to complete the league double over Potton and move up to eighth in the SSML Premier Division table.

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(A) Potton United

It looks as though Leverstock Green may have to rely on other results to keep them in the SSML Premier Division after another defeat in Tuesday night’s game at Potton United.

Just over two minutes had been played when the home side took the lead through Jim Burnside, who shot home from inside the box. They should have had a second goal four minutes later when Christian Smail was through, but slipped his shot wide of the target.

Ryan Schmid did well to prevent another goal in the 13th minute, diving at the feet of Burnside to claim the ball, and produced another great save with his legs to keep out a shot from Aaron Murrell on 21 minutes.

Leverstock had shown some promise from set pieces early in the game, and in the 25th minute they finally scored their first league goal in eight games as Terry Griffths got on the end of a free kick from Jamie Fulton with a header that went in off the underside of the bar to level the scores at 1-1.

The half time score offered some hope for the Leverstock contingent, but it was still Potton who were creating most of the chances in the second half. On 55 minutes Burnside headed over the bar from close range, and two minutes later a shot from Gareth Hunt struck the post. On 61 minutes Leverstock lost the ball in midfield, and Potton broke quickly, with Burnside turning in the box and shooting home his second of the match to reestablish their lead.

Leverstock went close to an equaliser two minutes later when Mark Smith burst through the middle and laid off to Deandre Blake, but his shot was turned round the post by keeper Tyler Josephs. On 71 minutes an attempted lob from Luke Abraham went just over the bar.

As the game went into its closing minutes the Green side continued to push forward, but were unable to find the telling ball to create any clear-cut chances, and they were then hit by two further late goals. Firstly Burnside broke clean through to complete his hat-trick in the 90th minute, and in the third minute of stoppage time Sam Parrish headed home a corner to make the final score 4-1.

Leverstock have two games remaining, at home to third-placed Hadley on Saturday, and away to Leighton Town the following week.

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