Leverstock Green secured a third season at Step 4 with four games to spare as their three points against MK Irish on Good Friday gave them an unassailable 15 point gap from the drop zone and lifted them up to the dizzy heights of 15th in the Southern League Division One Central table. It was a third straight win for Fergus Moore’s side, all of them by the same score of 2-0.

For the most part this was an end-of-season game with little quality on display, certainly not helped by the difficult windy conditions. Leverstock had their goalkeeper Ashton Broome-Alexander to thank for keeping them in the game as the visitors had the only three efforts on goal of the first half. Broome-Alexander turned a shot from Ryan Smith round the post in the 6th minute, and produced a similar save at the other post in the 27th minute from the same player. In the 40th minute Broome-Alexander pulled off a great save with his legs to keep out a close range shot from Owen Brooks.

The second half proceeded in a similar fashion, with what few chances there were being created by the visitors. In the 58th minute Clinton Zawe headed wide from a corner. In the 72nd minute Kyle Boyce was through on goal, but Broome-Alexander produced another great save with his legs, and recovered to keep out follow-up efforts from Kwai Marsh-Brown and James Meadows.

With Enfield losing their game, the point would have been enough for Leverstock to confirm their safety, but having not had a meaningful effort on goal for the first 83 minutes of the game, they went on to take all three points with a smash and grab. In the 84th minute two substitutes combined as Joe McCarthy crossed from the right to find Jack Allen in the box, but before Allen could do anything with the ball he was brought down. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Jeffrey Sekyere stepped up to net his 25th goal of the season from the spot kick.

Better was to come in the first minute of stoppage time. Kombe Kawimbe played a long ball from his own half which should have been intercepted on the edge of the box, but the defender slipped to leave Allen through on goal, and he slotted the ball under keeper Tom Ladyman to score the crucial second goal for the third game in a row.

Leverstock have four games remaining, with the next one being a visit to AFC Dunstable on Easter Monday, and will now be looking to see just how high up the table they can finish.

Leverstock Green (0) 2 (Sekyere 84 pen, Allen 90+1)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Ademide Baruwa, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Kombe Kawimbe, 5. Carmicheal Uchenna, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Callum Donnelly 78 mins), 7. Iker Noguera Leon (16. Callum Neal 85 mins), 8. George Mitchell-Gears (12. Nat Connolly 49 mins), 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren (15. Joe McCarthy 58 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (18. Jack Allen 65 mins).
Milton Keynes Irish (0) 0
1. Tom Ladyman, 2. Clinton Zawe, 5. Oliver Kalek, 6. Nathan Smith, 8. Ryan Smith, 9. James Meadows (16. Kelvin Osei-Addo 81 mins), 10. Owen Brooks (3. Kyle Boyce 67 mins), 11. George Shrieves (7. Kwai Marsh-Brown 28 mins), 14. Freddy Joyce, 18. Nat Beecher, 20. Mason Spence. Subs not used: 12. Matthew Haworth, 15. Joshua Guthrie.