Chalk Lane

Cockfosters F.C.

Chalk Lane,
Cockfosters,
Herts,
EN4 9JG.

Marker
Leaflet Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

(A) Cockfosters Reserves

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(A) Cockfosters

Leverstock Green began their preparation for their first season at Step 4 with a visit to SSML Premier Division side Cockfosters.

The Leverstock squad included most of the promotion-winning squad from last season, plua some new signings and trialists. The first half was evenly-contested with chances at both ends. The Leverstock attack was led by Guiseppe Delgaudio in the first half. The second half saw both sides make numerous changes. Leverstock brought on new signing Alie Bangura, and alongside Jaden Newman the two of them created plenty of chances as Leverstock did most of the attacking, but the ball would not go in the net. Ten minutes from time Cockfosters broke away to score a goal that proved to be the winner.

It was a useful workout for the Leverstock squad against a side that had already played two games before this one.

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(A) Cockfosters

Leverstock Green’s wildly fluctuating league form continued as they followed up last week’s big win over Baldock with another heavy defeat away to Cockfosters. The scoreline doesn’t really reflect the difference between the sides, but Leverstock Green FC were guilty of too many mistakes at the back and most were punished by a Cockfosters side showing some clinical finishing.

There was little sign of what was to come during an opening 15 minutes of evenly-contested football that had forced neither keeper into a serious save. However, in the 16th minute a cross from Antonio Michael found Ethan Rookard all alone at the far post to head Cockfosters into a 1-0 lead.

Leverstock Green FC were making little headway against a solid Cockfosters defence. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica twice managed to spring the offside trap but both times ended up with his back to goal and unable to get a shot in. In the 29th minute Leverstock had a free kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out, but Danny May’s effort was blocked by the wall. Three minutes later Leverstock finally broke through the home defence as Ademide Baruwa curled a cross into the box and Stefanoaica got on the end of it to stab home the equaliser.

Having fought their way back into the match, a momentary lapse in concentration saw them fall behind again before the break. The ball was given away just outside the Leverstock box, and the defence was left completely flat-footed as Reece Barratt threaded a pass through to Ethan Rookard, who slotted the ball past Josh Bowler for his second goal in the 39th minute. Cockfosters might have added a third late in the half but for a headed clearance off the line from Rio Beach.

The game was still delicately poised going into the second half, and Leverstock certainly had more of the ball in the opening stages. Cockfosters might have added a third goal on 51 minutes, but were denied by a double save from Bowler. The third goal was on its way, though, and when Cockfosters broke away in the 58th minute, a slip from May left Harrison Rookard through on a goal to hit a shot which somehow squirmed through Bowler’s hands for a 3-1 scoreline.

It went from bad to worse for Leverstock Green FC in the 63rd minute as Cockfosters cut through the Green defence with a passing move before Michael curled a shot into the top corner for an impressive fourth goal, and again in the 69th minute as another defensive mistake was pounced on by Harrison Rookard and finished by Michael for his second.

Leverstock pulled a goal back in the 75th minute as George Mitchell-Gears took advantge of confusion between Jay Lovell and keeper Charlie Mann to slot into an empty net, but it was little more than consolation. George Lutaaya should have added a sixth for Cockfosters in the 87th minute, left through on goal by yet another muffed defensive header, but he somehow shot over the bar from a couple of yards out.

Leverstock Green FC will need to turn things around quickly before the visit of St Panteleimon to the Lords Builders Merchants Stadium on Tuesday night. Saints were beaten by Leverstock on the opening day of the season but have since gone on a winning run to lead the table by five points.

Cockfosters FC (2) 5 (E.Rookard 16, 39, H.Rookard 58, Michael 63, 69)
1. Charlie Mann, 2. Kenny Nobrega (12. Jerrell Cato 83 mins), 3. Gideon Sarpong, 4. Matt Thompson (14. Chris Griffin 74 mins), 5. Aiden Read, 6. Jay Lovell, 7. Antonio Michael, 8. Ollie Finch (15. Matthew Ball 74 mins), 9. Harrison Rookard, 10. Reece Barrett (16. Luca Gordon 74 mins), 11. Ethan Rookard (17. George Lutaaya 67 mins).
Leverstock Green FC (1) 2 (Stefanoaica 32, Mitchell-Gears 75)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Brad Robinson (17. Mike Havill-Tierney 52 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Danny May, 5. Callum Neal, 6. Nat Connolly, 7. Luke Beckwith (15. Lewis Collins 68 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (15. Ethan Mooney 68 mins), 10. Ademide Baruwa (16. Joe Sadler 62 mins), 11. George Mitchell-Gears. Sub not used: 12. Ryan Carruthers.

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(A) Cockfosters Reserves

After six straight defeats, Leverstock Green Development finally got off the mark in the Herts Senior County League Premier Division with an excellent 2-1 win at Cockfosters Reserves on Saturday. Toby Mandeville scored the opening goal for the Leverstock side, and with the game poised at 1-1 towards the end, Mayar Hajousman scored the winning goal.

Starting XI:
Daniel Gee
Ayoub Enajar
Toby Mandeville (subbed)
Alfie Herd
Endrit Krasniqi
Harry Herbert (subbed)
Joe Sadler (subbed)
Connor McGinty
Ryan Hennessy
Bobby O’Flynn (subbed)
Jack Marshall (subbed)

Subs (all used):
Mayar Hajousman
Martin Kirov
Antonio Ivanov
Stephen Norris
Riley Noel-Williams

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(A) Cockfosters

No teams have drawn more games in the SSML Premier Division than Cockfosters and Leverstock Green, so there was an air of predictability about tonight’s result as the sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw.

Leverstock manager Fregus Moore had a depleted squad to pick from tonight with five players from Saturday’s game either injured or unavailable in addition to the four that were already missing through injury. Top scorers Chris Blunden and Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica were both out injured, so there were debuts for two players – Cameron Ferguson, on a dual registration from Hadley, and striker John Shamalo on a dual registration from AFC Dunstable.

Leverstock made a strong start to the game, though, and took an early lead. Luke Beckwith made a run from the halfway line before laying off to Richard Ennin, who at first seemed to have missed his chance to shoot, but he got the ball back and fired it into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute.

In the 10th minute Shamalo had an effort at goal which was deflected wide, and Luke Durnin headed wide from the resulting corner. The home side had a good spell in the middle of the half, and Austin Byfield had to make two saves in the 22nd and 25th minutes to keep out shots from Ethan Rookard, who was clean through on both occasions.

Leverstock went close again in the 32nd minute when a free kick from Ennin was tipped over the bar by a superb save from home keeper Charlie Mann. Ryan Carruthers headed wide from the resulting corner. In first half stoppage time Byfield pulled off another great save to keep out a Cockfosters free kick.

Further injury problems early in the second half saw Elgeniy Daalberg replace Beckwith and Bobby Armstrong replace Durnin. Seconds after coming on Armstrong was pulled up for a foul inside the box which saw Cockfosters awarded a penalty. Matt Thompson fired the spot kick past Byfield to level the scores at 1-1 in the 58th minute.

On 65 minutes Cockfosters had a good chance when Reece Barrett turned in the box but shot wide from close range. A minute later Leverstock were attacking when Kurainashe Musanhi made a run from his own half to the edge of the box before hitting a shot that Mann did well to turn away. The play went straight back to the other end where Barrett had another good chance but put his shot over the bar. The home side were denied again in the 70th minute by a goalline clearance from Ferguson.

Cockfosters were temporarily reduced to ten men when Chris Griffin was sin-binned in the 78th minute, but Leverstock couldn’t make their numerical advantage tell during the ten minutes, with a free kick over the bar from Ibrahim Nagheeb being their best effort.

Leverstock were on top during a lengthy period of stoppage time, with the ball flashing across the face of the home goal a couple of times, but the draw always looked the most likely outcome, and so it proved at the final whistle.

It was an 11th draw of the season for Leverstock and a 10th for Cockfosters. Byfield’s series of first half saves earned him the MOM nomination.

Highlight video by Stephen Fletcher:

Cockfosters (0) 1 (Thompson 58 pen)
1. Charlie Mann, 2. Kenny Nobrega, 3. Prince Madu, 4. Matt Thompson, 5. Aiden Read, 6. Jay Lovell, 7. Antonio Michael, 8. Chris Griffin, 9. Ethan Rookard, 10. Reece Barrett (16. Joe Entwistle 78 mins), 11. Cory Ugbomah (15. Conrad Holland 90+1 mins). Subs not used: 12. Glen Draper, 14. Dennis Aker, 17. George Sippetts.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Ennin 4)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Kurainashe Musanhi, 4. Alvin Kyeremeh, 5. Luke Durnin (18. Bobby Armstrong 56 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Luke Beckwith (12. Elgeniy Daalberg 52 mins), 8. Cameron Ferguson, 9. John Shamalo, 10. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 11. Richard Ennin. Subs not used: 14. Raheem Khan, 15. Ayomide Oke, 20. Scott McGleish.

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(A) Cockfosters

Leverstock Green fell to a dramatic stoppage time defeat in Tuesday night’s SSML Premier Division game at Cockfosters. Leverstock had enough chances to have won the game, but failed to take them, and in the end it was a deserved win for a hard-working Cockfosters side.

The home side had a good chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute when a cross from the left was poorly defended. Yacine Aiba had a clear shooting chance but hit it wide. Leverstock had a good spell midway through the half when they created several chances. In the 20th minute Alex Witham went on a solo run before hitting a shot which was turned wide by keeper Adam Seymour.

Two minutes later Witham played the ball through to Alex Yearwood, who shot wide. A minute later Yearwood played a great one-two with Chris Blunden to go clean through, but Seymour saved with his legs. In the 25th minute Witham headed a cross from Mark Smith down to Blunden, but his shot was saved by Seymour.

On 32 minutes Cockfosters had another good chance when a short goal kick put the Green defence under pressure, but Tobi Omutosho shot wide from the edge of the box. Two minutes later at the other end Seymour saved again from a shot by Jude Bell, and on 40 minutes Arvydas Kacinkevicius had to produce his first save of the game, turning a good shot from Aiba round the post. Two minutes before the break Seymour gathered a long-range shot from Reynaldo Carbon to ensure that the first half ended goalless.

Just before the hour Leverstock had another near miss when Witham sent over a free kick and Luke Preedy’s glancing header went just wide. However, the home side then had a good spell. They should have gone in front on 62 minutes from a corner but Adam Murad headed over the bar from close range. A minute later they did go in front when a ball was chased to the bye-line and put across the face of goal, where George Beattie was all alone to slide the ball under Kacinkevicius from close range.

Leverstock came close to an equaliser on 76 minutes when Blunden hit a long-range free kick which Seymour did well to parry away. However, two minutes later a great pass from Witham allowed Preedy to get in behind the defence, and when Preedy went down under a challenge from Chris Arkoh, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Blunden stepped up to take the kick, and successfully found the net to level the scores at 1-1.

The last few minutes saw action in both penalty areas with Carbon putting Leverstock’s best chance over the bar. Two minutes into stoppage time it looked like Kacinkevicius had preserved a point for his side when he turned away a shot from Sam Ruff on the break. However, there was still time for another Cockfosters attack in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Beattie broke away to slot the ball past the advancing Kacinkevicius to snatch a last-gasp victory for his side.

A disappointing result in the end, but the Green side must pick themselves up for Saturday’s home match against Oxhey Jets, which will be only their second home league match of the season.

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(A) Cockfosters

A depleted Leverstock Green put in a great effort to come away with a point from a 2-2 draw in Tuesday night’s visit to Cockfosters in the SSML Premier Division. Several players had dropped out due to illness during the day, and with others unavailable, there was only one sub named in a 12-man squad for this game, some of whom were not even fully fit themselves.

The home side took the lead in the 12th minute from a contentious free kick awarded just outside the box – if anything it looked as though David Lawrence had been fouled rather than committing a foul. Corey Stewart took the free kick, and while his first effort was blocked by the wall, the ball went back to him and his second shot went through a crowd of players and past the unsighted Mackenzie Taylor into the net.

However, their lead only lasted for four minutes as Leverstock fought back. Reece Cameron battled to the byeline and drilled the ball across goal where a deflection off home defender Lawrence Rispoli sent the ball into the net for an own goal.

In the 20th minute Leverstock had another chance when a free kick from Lawrence was not cleared, and the ball dropped for Cameron, but he didn’t quite get hold of his shot and keeper Ben Sales saved. However, four minutes later a threaded pass from Ross Adams was deflected into the path of Cameron, and this time he took the chance to shoot home his first goal for the club and put the Green 2-1 up.

Jay Caines had a run at goal in the 28th minute but his shot was saved by Sales, while a minute later at the other end Taylor had to pull off a good save when a free kick from Piero Bagarone found the head of a forward six yards out.

Two minutes before the break a quickly-taken free kick put Caines through on goal again, but again Sales saved his shot. At the other end a minute later Bradley Robinson hit a long-range effort which was turned round the post by Taylor. However, the resulting corner taken by Bagarone was not cleared, and after a spell of pinball inside the box Ian Salt slipped the ball under Taylor to level for Cockfosters on the stroke of half time.

Leverstock skipper Shane Wood had been struggling with an injury since the closing minutes of the first half, and only lasted eight minutes of the second half before having to be replaced by under-18 player Max Jessop. With no other sub available, this left Chris Gosling effectively playing with one arm for the rest of the game due to a shoulder injury.

Cockfosters felt they were denied a clear penalty early in the second half as the referee waved play on, and they had a chance to take the lead on 57 minutes when Bagarone went clean through, but Taylor did well to dive at his feet and claim the ball. Three minutes later Taylor saved a free kick from Stewart, and although a forward followed in and forced the ball over the line, the referee felt the ball had been kicked out of Taylor’s hands and disallowed the goal.

Leverstock went for more of a long ball game in the second half and started to create some chances. Sales had to save shots from Gosling on 63 minutes and Cameron four minutes later. On 70 minutes Cameron clipped a nice ball towards the far post but Luke Preedy wasn’t quite able to get there ahead of Sales. Four minutes later Cockfosters had their nearest miss of the half. Bagarone was allowed to run through before laying off to Kojo Gyimah, whose shot was blocked by Taylor. The ball went back to Gyimah but his second effort hit the bar. In the last minute a long kick from Taylor was flicked on to put Ross Adams through, but his shot went just over the bar.

In the end it was a fair result between two teams that gave their all on a difficult, strength-sapping surface. There were several notable performances in the Leverstock side, including Gosling playing through injury and Cameron’s bustling up front, but it was Luke Preedy’s non-stop running throughout the game that got him the man-of-the-match nomination.

This coming Saturday Leverstock are at home to Holmer Green.

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