Leverstock Green recovered from a shaky start to record their fifth straight win in the Southern League Division One Central.

Things started badly when Jack Allen, scorer of five goals in the last four games, picked up a foot injury when landing awkwardly after his first touch of the ball. Allen tried to play on, but eventually had to leave the game in the 10th minute to be replaced by Joe McCarthy. By that time Leverstock were already a goal down. In the 7th minute a pass over the top from Max Davis put Jack Mattey through on goal. Ashton Broome-Alexander pulled off a great save to keep out Mattey’s shot, but Carmicheal Uchenna was running back towards goal and the rebound struck him in the face and rebounded back into the net for an own goal. Uchenna required treatment at the same time Allen was still struggling.

When the game restarted the visitors were rampant and could have added more goals. Davis hit a shot from the edge of the box just over the bar in the 10th minute, and two minutes later Joe Leslie was through on goal but hit his shot across goal and wide. Leverstock eventually got into the game, and should have equalised in the 18th minute. Callum Neal’s cross dropped for Jeffrey Sekyere, who took the ball in his stride but hit his shot over the bar.

Having neutralised the early threat of Mattey and Leslie, Leverstock were on top during the latter stages of the first half and eventually found their equaliser in the 41st minute. It was a superb goal, as Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica’s pass split the defence perfectly to find McCarthy, who only needed one touch as he dinked the ball over the oncoming keeper into the corner of the net.

The scores were level at the break, and it was the visitors who had the first chance of the second half as Austin Lipman got on the end of a through ball in the 53rd minute and sent a lob over Broome-Alexander, but it landed just over the bar. Leverstock then had a good chance to take the lead in the 59th minute. A pass from Marcus Warren put McCarthy through on goal. His shot was kept out by keeper Nathan Bloohn, and Bloohn also saved Sekyere’s effort from the rebound.

A finely-balanced game eventually went Leverstock’s way with fifteen minutes left. After a patient build-up with several passes around the penalty area, Iker Noguera Leon threaded the ball through to Uchenna, who drilled a shot past Bloohn to score at the right end and put Leverstock into the lead. Two minutes later Leverstock were threatening again. A cross from the right went just over McCarthy’s head, and the clearance only went as far as the edge of the penalty area, where Leon met it and lashed a fierce first time shot low past Bloohn to make it 3-1 to Leverstock.

The win took Leverstock over the 50 point mark and moved them up to 14th in the table, with potential to go still higher over the remaining two games.

Leverstock Green (1) 3 (McCarthy 41, Uchenna 75, Leon 77)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Carmicheal Uchenna, 4. Dan Pett, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. Ademide Baruwa 61 mins), 8. Nat Connolly (20. Callum Donnelly 81 mins), 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren (16. Iker Noguera Leon 61 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (14. George Eldridge 77 mins), 18. Jack Allen (7. Joe McCarthy 10 mins).
London Lions (1) 1 (Uchenna og 7)
1. Nathan Bloohn, 2. Daniel Gillary (14. Oliver Benjamin 85 mins), 3. Benji Weinberger, 4. Josh Shack, 15. Nathan Merris, 6. Ben Bellman, 7. Jack Mattey (12. Tyler Smith 67 mins), 8. Max Davis, 9. Ben Barnett (16. Henry Seligman 85 mins), 10. Austin Lipman, 11. Joe Leslie (17. Noah Helfgott 73 mins).