Leverstock Green boosted their survival hopes with a convincing win over neighbours Kings Langley in front of a season’s best crowd of 273 at the Lords Builders Merchants Stadium on Saturday.

All the goals were scored in the first half, as Leverstock capitalised on a strong start to the game. They could have gone ahead in the 3rd minute when a low free kick from Kyle Connolly was kept out by a full-length dive from former Leverstock keeper Adi Connolly in the Kings Langley goal, but they only had to wait another two minutes to take the lead. A corner from the right by Kyle Connolly was met with a thumping header from Rawn Seale to open the scoring.

The visitors went close to an equaliser in the 15th minute when a free kick from Bradley Smith hit the side netting. However, it was Leverstock who struck next with an almost carbon copy of the first goal in the 26th minute. This time it was Dan Pett swinging in a corner from the left, but again Seale came in to meet it with another emphatic header for his second goal.

Seven minutes later it was 3-0 as a back pass from Declan Phillips was intercepted by Jeffrey Sekyere, who ran on to slot the ball past Connolly and in off the post.

The second half saw the visitors offer more of an attacking threat. They went close to pulling a goal back in the 55th minute when a shot from Edu Toiny-Pendred was parried away by Ryan North. Smith looked certain to score from the rebound but Nat Connolly kept his shot out with a brilliant goalline clearance.

In the 60th minute Sekyere looked set to score his second as he ran onto a pass from Kyle Connolly and nodded the ball past Adi Connolly, but Connolly then pulled him down, giving the referee no option but to show a straight red card. Kings Langley had a sub keeper on the bench but they were now down to ten men.

Sekyere should have scored again three minutes later when Kyle Connolly set him up with a sitter, but he shot over the bar from close range, while two minutes later at the other end Smith was unlucky again as he hit the bar with a shot. Sub keeper Archie Horsman did well to deny Keanu Fleming from adding a goal just after coming off the bench in the 72nd minute, while North preserved his clean sheet by saving well from the clean through Benjamin Kakembo five minutes later.

Five minutes from time Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica came off the Leverstock bench for his first appearance after five months of injury problems. Stefanoaica had four good chances in the remaining minutes but his aim was a little off as none of his efforts were on target. However, his return to action is another promising sign for a Leverstock side that is still two points away from safety with seven games to play.

Leverstock Green (3) 3 (Seale 5,26, Sekyere 33)
1. Ryan North, 2. Nat Connolly (15. Ethan Mooney 84 mins), 3. Ademide Baruwa, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Gary Connolly, 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. Antonio Edubatey 89 mins), 7. Luke Beckwith (14. Keanu Fleming 72 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Kyle Connolly (17. Marcus Warren 78 mins), 11. Rawn Seale (16. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica 85 mins)
Kings Langley (0) 0
1. Adi Connolly, 2. James Towell, 3. Ridwan Euba (15. Archie Horsman), 4. Ben Casey, 5. Ekow Coker, 6. Jethro Hanson (12. Ben Stallard), 7. Bradley Smith, 8. Henry Dudley, 9. Edu Toiny-Pendred, 10. Darnell-Joe Luke, 11. Declan Phillips (14. Benjamin Kakembo H/T). Subs not used: 16. George Cain, 17. Rhys Farquharson-Leigh.

Leverstock Green were unable to follow up Saturday’s win at Enfield as they fell to a narrow home defeat to Hadley in a frustrating game of few chances.

Leverstock made a good start to the game and had some early chances, but neither Luke Beckwith nor Rawn Seale could get their efforts from close range on target in the opening two minutes of the game. In the 10th minute Jeffrey Sekyere had a run at goal and was brought down just outside the box. Kyle Connolly’s free kick brought a good save out of the Hadley keeper, and Beckwith’s effort from the rebound went across goal.

Solomon Sambou had Hadley’s first chance of the game in the 20th minute, but his shot went across goal and wide. Four minutes later Sekyere hit a fierce shot from the edge of the box which went just wide. Five minutes before the break Ryan North made a good save at his far post to keep the scores level at the break.

The second half saw fewer chances than the first. Early in the half Hadley had a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box, but Finley Aldridge’s shot was comfortably saved by North. The deadlock was eventuall broken in the 72nd minute. Leverstock were unable to clear the ball out of their box following a corner, and former Leverstock player Richard Ennin pounced to shoot home from six yards just five minutes after coming off the bench.

Leverstock rarely looked like getting back into the game, as the Hadley defence kept their front line in check, with Sekyere unable to make the same kind of impact he had made on Saturday.

With Northwood also losing tonight, Leverstock remain two points from safety with eight games left to play.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Rio Beach (16. Keanu Fleming 90+2 mins), 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Gary Connolly, 6. Kyle Connolly (14. Ryan Carruthers 66 mins), 7. Luke Beckwith (12. Ademide Baruwa 84 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren (15. Nat Connolly 58 mins), 11. Rawn Seale. Sub not used: 17. Lucas Georgiou.
Hadley (0) 1 (Ennin 72)
1. Charles Taylor, 2. Harvey Steele, 12. Luke Massingham, 4. Solomon Sambou (18. Billy Hayes 67 mins), 5. Hedley Ogbebor, 6. Bobby Webb, 7. Finley Aldridge (14. Richard Ennin 67 mins), 8. Cameron Ferguson, 9. Jordan Edwards, 10. Caoilan McGettigan, 11. Max Jessop. Subs not used: 16. George Alfieri, 17. Josip Jevdjic, 3. Hermes Gbio.

Leverstock Green’s Southern League survival hopes took a huge blow as they fell to a home defeat to one of their relegation rivals. Kidlington came from behind to win the game with two second half headers and open up a four-point gap ahead of Leverstock.

Leverstock had the better of the first half chances. In the 10th minute a pass from Luke Beckwith put Guiseppe Delgaudio in on goal, but visiting keeper Charlie Barnett got a hand to Delgaudio’s shot to keep it out. On 25 minutes Dan Pett set Beckwith up with a chance, but his shot was deflected just wide.

Finally in the 36th minute Leverstock struck on the break, as Delgaudio hit a superb pass from his own half into the path of Beckwith, who ran clean through and slotted the ball past Barnett to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead. Beckwith almost doubled his tally four minutes later but his effort from distance went just wide.

Leverstock would have hoped to build on their advantage playing down the slope in the second half, but the departure of Kyle Connolly through injury in the 51st minute was a big blow. Kidlington started to look the stronger side and they equalised in the 58th minute with a very well-worked goal, breaking quickly with a cross coming in from the left touchline that was finished by a header at the far post from Fraser Allen.

Beckwith was unlucky again in the 65th minute as his header from a corner was cleared off the line. The game could have gone either way in the closing minutes, but it was Kidlington who got the crucial goal in the 86th minute, finished by Charlie Bacon with another header at the far post.

Leverstock still have ten games to play, but they are likely to need to win most of them to stand a chance of staying up.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Beckwith 36)
1. Ryan North, 2. Ademide Baruwa, 3. Jamie Breen (16. Ethan Mooney 79 mins), 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Gary Connolly (17. Marcus Warren 87 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Kyle Connolly (12. Nat Connolly 51 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (14. Keanu Fleming 76 mins), 10. Rawn Seale, 11. Luke Beckwith. Sub not used: 15. Lucas Georgiou.
Kidlington (0) 2 (Allen 58, Bacon 86)
1. Charlie Barnett, 2. Zarius Edwards-Giraud, 3. Michael Hopkins (15. Conor Taylor 42 mins), 4. Josh McConnell (12. Aydin Ulas 66 mins), 5. Matthew Gunn, 6. Otis Castle, 7. Charlie Bacon, 8. Felix Robertson, 9. Fraser Allen, 10. Patrick Osborne, 11. John Dennis (16. Nathaniel Opoku 72 mins). Sub not used: 13. Alfie Clarke, 14. Henry Woodcock.

Leverstock Green suffered another defeat as promotion-chasing neighbours Berkhamsted visited for a local derby in the Southern League Division One Central, and came away with a comfortable win.

Two early goals put the visitors in a position of control that they never looked like relinquishing. In the 6th minute Louie Collier crossed for BJ Christie to open the scoring with a simple close-range header. Leverstock could have replied within two minutes. Dan Pett won the ball in midfield and suddenly it was two on one as Pett found Luke Beckwith in front of goal, but Beckwith took an extra touch which allowed Jack Tompkins to come in from behind with a challenge which the referee deemed fair.

In the 15th minute Christie added the second Berko goal, beating Dan Weeks on the edge of the box before curling a superb finish past Ryan North. Again Leverstock had the chance to get a goal back in the 23rd minute. Rawn Seale had a sight of goal, but chose to square for Guiseppe Delgaudio, who was in a better position, but again took an extra touch which allowed a challenge to come in. Delgaudio was injured in the challenge and had to leave the game in the 34th minute.

Leverstock had another couple of chances, but were denied twice by Josh Bowler, the goalkeeper of their promotion-winning side last season. In the 54th minute Seale made a powerful run through the Berko defence, but his eventual shot was kept out by Bowler, and two minutes later Bowler did well to turn a superb long-range effort from Beckwith round the post.

Berko were in cruise control for most of the second half, but added a third goal in the 78th minute. Rayan Clarke was brought down by a challenge inside the box, and another former Leverstock player Jonathan Lacey scored from the penalty spot.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Ryan North, 2. Ademide Baruwa (17. Marcus Warren 75 mins), 3. Jamie Breen (16. Lucas Georgiou 76 mins), 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Gary Connolly, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (14. Keanu Fleming 34 mins), 10. Luke Beckwith, 11. Rawn Seale. Subs not used: 12. Nat Connolly, 15. Oliwier Fusiek.
Berkhamsted (2) 3 (Christie 9, 15, Lacey 78 pen)
1. Josh Bowler, 2. Jack Tompkins, 3. Lucas Perry, 4. Adam Watkins (14. Charley Barker 78 mins), 5. Max Rosner, 6. Charlie Johnson, 7. Jonathan Lacey (17. Simeon Olarerin 78 mins), 8. Luke Andrews (12. Jordon Frederick 78 mins), 9. BJ Christie (15. Matt Bateman 70 mins), 10. Louie Collier (16. Rayan Clarke 70 mins), 11. Connor Tomlinson.