Leverstock Green completed a fantastic Bank Holiday Weekend by making it six points out of six from their two games. Monday’s home game against Thame United was settled by penalty drama deep into stoppage time after a battling performance against a team that just missed out on the playoffs last season. There was a debut at the back for Kalan Lisbie, son of former Charlton Athletic star Kevin Lisbie, signed last week.

The first half was a largely forgettable affair with little quality on show. In the 13th minute Thame had a chance when Jenson Wright had space to shoot on the right side of the penalty area, but shot well over the bar. In the 23rd minute Louis Walsh made a strong run into the box which set up Wright for another shot, but he put it wide. Leverstock’s first effort on goal was a long-range effort from Iker Noguera Leon which went just wide in the 29th minute. In stoppage time Wright was in again, but Harry Way made a good save with his legs.

After a disappointing first half, Leverstock looked much more of a threat in the second half. In the 49th minute Ethan Mooney was just wide with a shot on the run. Two minutes later Leverstock made the breakthrough. Aldo Petagine played a ball over the top to find Leon, who was well clear of the Thame defence but was in his own half when the ball was played, so offside was never a question. Leon’s pace took him clean through to dispatch a confident finish past keeper Matt Crowther and put his side 1-0 up.

In the 58th minute Leon showed great skill with a run down the right wing before putting in a cross that found Jeffrey Sekyere, who didn’t get a clean strike on his shot. Leverstock were looking good, but in the 64th minute the scores were levelled. Thame’s first effort from a free kick outside the box hit the wall, but when the rebound was put back into the box, the ball was not cleared and Mark Riddick poked the ball home from close range.

Thame might have scored again in the 77th minute when substitute Curtis Brown broke down the left and cut into the box, but his shot was well saved down low by Way. Leverstock then had a couple of chances, with a run from Leon in the 83rd minute setting up Juan Pablo Velasco for a shot which was saved, and a minute later a cross from Mooney found Petagine at the far post, but he sliced his shot wide.

It looked like the points were going to be shared as the game went into stoppage time, but there was much drama to come. Joel Onu had come off the bench in the 87th minute, and just as in Saturday’s game he made a big impact. Six minutes into stoppage time Onu made a run into the box before being brought down by a challenge. The referee pointed straight to the spot and Leverstock had a chance to win the game. Leon stepped up to take the kick, as he did on Saturday, and was successful again as he sent Crowther the wrong way to put Leverstock 2-1 up in the 7th minute of stoppage time.

But it wasn’t over yet. The referee continued to play, and a sliced clearance gave Thame the chance to hurl in a long throw from near the corner flag, but Way went up confidently to clutch the ball. Still it wasn’t over as Leverstock broke away at the other end with Leon in the clear again only to be brought down by Crowther as he tried to go round him. Leverstock had another penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time. Leon stepped up again with a hat-trick on the line, but he sent the kick the same way as the first one and Crowther saved.

It proved not to matter as the referee blew for time a few seconds later and Leverstock could celebrate another big three points.

Leverstock Green (0) 2 (Leon 51, 90+7 pen)
1. Harry Way, 2. Ethan Mooney, 3. Aldo Petagine, 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Kalan Lisbie (12. Tunde Akinpelu 85 mins), 6. Callum Neal, 7. Joe McCarthy (16. Juan Pablo Velasco 69 mins), 8. John Gyabaah, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere (19. Joel Onu 87 mins), 10. Justin Dass (15. Oliver Glimas 69 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon. Sub not used: 17. Matt Forkin.
Thame United (0) 1 (Riddick 64)
1. Matt Crowther, 2. Callum Hall, 3. Lewis Thorne, 4. Finlay Murray, 5. Jack Tutton, 6. Mark Riddick, 7. Jenson Wright, 8. Harry Alexander (14. Greg Hackett 64 mins), 9. Dan Ford (12. Curtis Brown 71 mins), 10. Dan West, 11. Louis Walsh. Subs not used: 16. Abuzar Khan, 17. Tyrae Njogu, 21. Luke Tingey.

Leverstock Green are still looking for their first league win of the season, but put up a good display against last season’s playoff semi-finalists Barton Rovers before going down to a late goal on the break.

Leverstock started the game brightly, and went close in the opening minute as Juan Pablo Velasco hit a shot over the bar. In the 5th minute Dan Casey ran down the left and put in a high, looping cross which looked like it was going out, but curled back into the box, and as the ball came down Josh Dooley got to it ahead of the keeper to head home his first goal for the club and put Leverstock into an early lead.

The scores were levelled in the 15th minute as Leverstock gave away a penalty for a challenge inside the box after a defensive slip. Albie Hall sent the spot kick past Harry Way to put Barton back on level terms.

Barton were well on top during the last 15 minutes of the half and could have gone into the break with a comfortable lead. In the 37th minute a header from Hall was superbly headed off the line by Dooley, and Way made some excellent saves to keep the scores level. In first half stoppage time a missed header from Dooley presented Hall with another chance but he shot weakly wide. Just before the break Leverstock lost their skipper to injury as Ryan Carruthers had to leave the game to be replaced by Oliver Glimas.

The second half continued with Barton in the ascendancy, and they went close in the 56th minute when Marcus Gouldbourne shot into the side netting. However, the introduction of substitute Iker Noguera Leon in the 59th minute for his debut gave Leverstock a new lease of life, and they started to play their way back into the game. They went close in the 69th minute on the break from a Barton corner as Velasco ran at the defence before hitting a shot from a narrow angle which the keeper parried, with the rebound just eluding Jeffrey Sekyere. In the 76th minute Glimas made a driving run into the box and had the goal in his sights, but didn’t get a shot away and the chance was gone.

It was looking like the game was heading for a draw, but in the 84th minute Leverstock were caught on the break. A ball from the back found Gouldbourne on the halfway line, and he outpaced the Leverstock defence to go through and slot the ball past Way and put Barton 2-1 up.

It could have been 3-1 in the 89th minute as Hall hit a long-range looping effort but it came back off the bar. Leverstock kept pushing throughout stoppage time but could not carve out an equaliser. There were still plenty of positives to take from this game as the new-look Leverstock side continues to gel.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Dooley 5)
1. Harry Way, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Dan Casey, 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Matt Forkin, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Oliver Glimas 45+2 mins), 7. Juan Pablo Velasco, 8. John Gyabaah, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Nat Connolly (19. Joel Onu 85 mins), 11. Kai Nemoto (15. Iker Noguera Leon 59 mins). Subs not used: 12. Justin Dass, 16. Tunde Akinpelu.
Barton Rovers (1) 2 (Hall 15 pen, Gouldbourne 84)
1. Benjamin Heath, 2. Ryan Neufville, 3. Thomas Baggaley (15. Charlie Milton 77 mins), 4. Saul Williams (16. Kian Wilkes 77 mins), 5. Kai Phelan, 6. Michael Buckmaster, 7. Marcus Gouldbourne (12. Reece Perry 87 mins), 8. Alfie Warman, 9. Albie Hall, 10. Lucas Kirkpatrick (14. Josiah Ramsay 87 mins), 11. Rawn Seale (17. Lucas Jordan 63 mins).