Leverstock Green slipped deeper into relegation trouble with a third straight defeat without scoring. With all of their top goalscorers currently out through injury, the Leverstock side is struggling to create a goal threat, and while they were in this game well into the second half, visitors Aylesbury United scored three goals in the last 20 minutes to clinch the points.

Aylesbury’s Luqman Kassim went closest to opening the scoring in the 20th minute with a shot that went across the face of goal. At the other end in the 31st minute Jamie Breen made a great run to the bye-line and put the ball across, but Ademide Baruwa’s shot was blocked wide. Rawn Seale headed wide from a Dan Pett cross in the 34th minute, and Seale went on a promising mazy run into the box a minute before the break, but his eventual shot was blocked.

Aylesbury were denied the opening goal in the second minute of the second half with a header from a corner being cleared off the line. Leverstock had their best effort of the game in the 51st minute as a shot from Keanu Fleming was turned round the post by keeper Jack Hopwood. In the 68th minute there was another chance as a cross from Fleming found Seale at the far post, but his header was straight at Hopwood.

The scoring was eventually opened in the 71st minute. An Aylesbury corner was not cleared, and Jack Wood hit a fierce shot through a crowd of players that took a deflection and flew into the net. Three minutes later the lead was doubled as Kajetan Halatyn was all alone to finish from close range.

Kassim added the third goal in the 87th minute, drilling home a shot from a narrow angle. A great save from Leverstock keeper Liam Gauthier prevented a fourth goal, and Leverstock were unlucky not to get a consolation goal in stoppage time as they were denied by a goalline clearance.

The defeat leaves Leverstock six points adrift of safety, with their next game being at home to Barton Rovers on New Year’s Day.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Liam Gauthier, 2. Callum Neal (16. Adam Morley 66 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Oliwier Fusiek (14. Daniel Isaac 89 mins), 6. Ademide Baruwa (15. Callum Moore 89 mins), 7. Jamie Breen (12. Ryan Carruthers 74 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Nat Connolly (17. Michael Adriano 76 mins), 11. Keanu Fleming.
Aylesbury United (0) 3 (Wood 71, Halatyn 74, Kassim 87)
1. Jack Hopwood, 2. Liam Batchelor-Morgan (16. Ashis Rai 87 mins), 3. Jake Bewley, 4. Jack Wood, 5. Kian Henry, 6. Brandon Green (15. Thomas Cove 65 mins), 7. William St Clair-Burton, 8. Songona-Mory Kone, 9. Kajetan Halatyn, 10. Ben Peters (12. Sonny French 87 mins), 11. Luqman Kassim. Subs not used: 14. Daniel Lodovica, 17. Kacper Kloc.

Leverstock Green were once again close to registering a crucial win in the Southern League Division One Central, but a late equaliser from Flackwell Heath meant they had to settle for their seventh draw of the season.

The starting lineup showed only two changes from Wednesday night’s win at Kidlington, one of them being a first start for Oliwier Fusiek, recently signed from Haringey Borough. The first half saw few chances for either side. In the 9th minute a Flackwell Heath free kick went across the face of goal and just eluded two players who were sliding in to finish. Alfie Bonfield made the first of several crucial saves in the 29th minute, keeping out a shot from James Ayres. The closest that Leverstock came in the first half was from a misdirected defensive header that had to be turned over his bar by visiting keeper Carl Dennison.

Three minutes into the second half it was Leverstock that took the lead, from a free kick awarded near the corner flag. Ryan Carruthers aimed directly at goal and it went straight in at the near post as Dennison could only help it into his own net.

Flackwell should have equalised four minutes later when a shot from Matthew Ayres deflected into the path of James Ayres, who had the goal at his mercy but slipped his shot across goal and wide. Leverstock were still holding onto their lead as the game went into the final ten minutes, but Flackwell were now pushing strongly. Bonfield made a good save from Lewis Patrick in the 83rd minute, however three minutes later a ball into the box found Callum Mapley, who hit a first time low shot that beat Bonfield and levelled the scores.

From there, Leverstock did well to hold out for the point under furious pressure from the visitors. Bonfield made some crucial saves, and his defence held firm with some important blocks and clearances.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Carruthers 48)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Callum Neal (16. Adam Morley 75 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 5. Oliwier Fusiek, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Keanu Fleming 71 mins), 7. Jamie Breen (17. Marcus Warren 78 mins), 8. Ademide Baruwa, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Luke Beckwith (12. Lewis Collins 59 mins). Sub not used: 15. Daniel Isaac.
Flackwell Heath (0) 1 (Mapley 86)
1. Carl Dennison, 2. Kieran Jordan (16. Michael Harding 58 mins), 3. Lewis Patrick, 4. Lewis Pegg, 5. Callum Mapley, 6. Sean McGuinness, 7. Harrison Mepham, 8. Matthew Ayres (17. James Keeley 90 mins), 9. Jeffrey Fordjour (14. Abdellah El Jalaoui 75 mins), 10. James Mulley (15. Cory Hathaway 69 mins), 11. James Ayres (12. Philip Prior 70 mins).