Leverstock Green FC twice came from behind to earn another point in the Southern League Division One Central. The Leverstock side turned in a very hard-working and battling performance against Leighton Town and were well worth their point against a team in good form recently.

It wasn’t a great start for Leverstock as the visitors took the lead in the 8th minute from a very straightforward goal. Charlie Pattison rose unchallenged at the near post to head home a corner.

However, Leverstock Green FC got themselves into the game and went close to an equaliser in the 26th minute as a pass from Luke Beckwith put Guiseppe Delgaudio in on goal, but visiting keeper Connor Hunt saved Delgaudio’s shot. The equaliser came seconds later, though, as a pass from Delgaudio put Lewis Collins clean through on goal, and Collins took the ball round Hunt before slotting into the empty net for 1-1.

It looked like the scores would be level at the break, but in first half stoppage time Leverstock conceded again from a corner. Jack Sayell’s header was saved by Alfie Bonfield, but the rebound was not cleared and Sayell pounced to force the loose ball home for a 2-1 Leighton lead.

Seven minutes into the second half Leverstock were awarded a penalty as Hunt brought down Dan Pett inside the box as he chased a rebound. Beckwith stepped up to take the spot kick and sent it past Hunt to level the scores again at 2-2.

Leverstock Green FC went close to going in front for the first time in the 66th minute. A neat reverse pass from Pett gave Collins the chance to show his pace and race clear of the Leighton defence, however Collins’ eventual shot went across goal and just eluded Delgaudio sliding in at the far post. Tolu Ikuyinminu had the best chance for Leighton to win the game in the 71st minute when through on goal, but hit his shot wide under pressure from a Leverstock defender. Leighton put the Leverstock goal under quite a bit of pressure in the closing minutes, but they held out to claim the point from an entertaining game.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Collins 26, Beckwith 53 pen)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Ethan Mooney, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 18. Eyituoyo Akinbulumo, 6. Nat Connolly, 7. Lewis Collins (17. Rawn Seale 69 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (16. Tyrone Kumi 82 mins), 10. Lewis Croucher (12. Ademide Baruwa 57 mins), 11. Luke Beckwith (15. Isaiah Hilaire 76 mins). Sub not used: 14. Josh Dooley.
Leighton Town (2) 2 (Pattison 8, Sayell 45+1)
1. Connor Hunt, 2. Charlie Stirland, 3. Sebastian Simpson, 4. Ben Farrell (17. Alfie Tucker 69 mins), 5. Luke Tingey, 6. Lee Cooksey, 7. Samuel King, 8. Jack Sayell (12. Emmanuel Dahle 69 mins), 9. Lynton Goss, 10. Charlie Pattison, 11. Tolu Ikuyinminu (16. Kyle Boyce 79 mins). Subs not used: 14. Harry Tucker, 15. Ben Ford.

Leverstock Green FC finally have their first win in the Southern League on the board, and they did it in style against a mid-table AFC Dunstable side at the Lords Builders Merchants Stadium on Saturday.

Top scorer Guiseppe Delgaudio was still out injured after picking up a knock last week, but Rawn Seale returned from suspension to take up the number nine shirt, and got Leverstock off to a great start. In the 5th minute of the game a cross from Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica was spilled by goalkeeper Seb Stacey under pressure from Ethan Mooney, and Seale pounced to shoot home the loose ball and put Leverstock 1-0 up.

The visitors had little to offer in the first half other than a couple of shots well over the bar, and Leverstock had two great opportunities to extend their lead in the closing minutes of the half. In the 38th minute Mooney put the ball across goal to find Seale coming in at the far post, but he scooped his shot over the bar from close range. Three minutes later Stefanoaica went on a run from his own half into the AFC penalty area. Stacey got a touch on the ball to knock it off of Stefanoaica’s toe, but he got the ball back, only for his shot at goal to be cleared off the line by a defender.

AFC made a triple substitution at half time in an attempt to turn their fortunes around, but it was Leverstock Green FC that continued to impress. In the 55th minute they added a second goal on the break. Seale got up on the halfway line to nod the ball into the path of Stefanoaica, who was onside and clean through. It looked as though Stefanoaica might have run the ball too far forward as he approached the penalty area, but he got to it before Stacey and slotted it under the keeper to make it 2-0.

Things got even better five minutes later. A pass from Stefanoaica gave Nat Connolly a run at goal, and Connolly squared the ball to Seale, who tried to work a shooting position but in the end deferred to Mooney, who was running in at the perfect angle to shoot into the top corner and make it 3-0 to Leverstock.

It should have been four in the 67th minute when Stefanoaica was brought down in the box by a clumsy challenge from Kwadwo Bugyei-Kyei for a Leverstock penalty, but Stefanoaica’s spot kick was saved by Stacey. The visitors went close to pulling a goal back in the 68th minute when Enrico Greco was through on goal, but his shot hit the post. In the 87th minute a great pass from Stefanoaica put Luke Beckwith through on goal, but Stacey tipped his shot over the bar. However, four minutes into stoppage time a pass from Lewis Collins put Beckwith into another one-on-one situation with Stacey, and this time he slotted it past the keeper to score his first goal of the season and complete a superb 4-0 win for the Leverstock Green FC side.

Leverstock Green FC (1) 4 (Seale 5, Stefanoaica 55, Mooney 60, Beckwith 90+4)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Gary Connolly (18. Eyituoyo Akinbulumo 76 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Ethan Mooney (14. Jamie Breen 79 mins), 8. Ademide Baruwa (17. Tyrone Kumi 89 mins), 9. Rawn Seale (12. Luke Beckwith 63 mins), 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (15. Lewis Collins 87 mins).
AFC Dunstable (0) 0
1. Seb Stacey, 2. Ben Lynch (16. Callum Martin H/T), 3. Khyan Frazer-Williams (14. Kwadwo Bugyei-Kyei H/T), 4. Kyle Lynch, 5. Stanley Georgiou, 6. Archie Long Nicholls (18. Bruce Ovbiye-Nsang H/T), 7. George Joyce (12. Daniel Tagoe 63 mins), 8. Hayden Beadle, 9. Russell Berko (17. Andrei-Eric Frunza 63 mins), 10. Enrico Greco, 11. Kyle Brooks.