It was a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat for Leverstock Green on Tuesday night after they had fought their way back onto level terms against league leaders Didcot Town. The Green side can certainly take plenty of positives from a great performance on the night.

Leverstock’s speedy wingers created plenty of problems for the visitors, with Iker Noguera Leon having a run at goal in the 12th minute before hitting a shot wide. However, it was Didcot that opened the scoring a minute with Felix Robertson netting from close range from a cross that should have been dealt with.

Dan Pett had a good shooting chance in the 21st minute but sliced his effort wide, and two minutes before the break a cross from Joe McCarthy caused a scramble in the Didcot box in which Jack Allen had a chance to score, but opted to take an extra touch instead of shooting first time and the chance was lost.

Didcot could have taken a decisive lead in the opening minutes of the second half. A defensive slip left Owen James with a clear run at goal. Ryan North dived at the striker’s feet and appeared to get the ball, but James went down and the referee awarded a penalty and showed North a yellow card. James stepped up to take the kick but North saved it and also saved a follow-up effort from James.

It was a let-off for the Leverstock side, and they looked to make the most of it as they pushed forward throughout the half. Leon went close to an equaliser in the 73rd minute with a shot that was turned away by the keeper. Timi Bada came off the bench to bolster their attack, and with twelve minutes left a double substitution saw Leverstock switch to a back three.

The change appeared to have paid off when Leverstock got their deserved equaliser in the 84th minute. Leon went on another run before laying the ball off to Bada, who struck a superb low shot from just outside the box that beat the keeper’s outstretched arm into the corner of the net.

Leverstock might have even gone in front with Allen having another chance from close range but again delaying his shot too long, allowing it to be blocked by a defender. Leverstock would have certainly deserved the point, but it was not to be. In the third minute of stoppage time a free kick was conceded in a dangerous position, and Luke Carnell got on the end of the free kick with a header into the corner of the net out of North’s reach to win the game for the visitors.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Bada 84)
1. Ryan North, 2. Ademide Baruwa, 3. Vlad Karuchok (15. Ashton Corder 78 mins), 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Nat Connolly 77 mins), 7. Joe McCarthy, 8. Dan Pett, 18. Jack Allen, 10. Marcus Warren (12. Timi Bada 72 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon (17. Aldo Petagine 85 mins). Sub not used: 16. Callum Donnelly.
Didcot Town (1) 2 (Robertson 13, Carnell 90+3)
1. Leigh Bedwell, 2. Lochlan Colquhoun, 3. Cameron McNeill, 4. Sam Bailey, 5. Luke Carnell, 6. Taylor Bedwell, 7. Connor Barrett (16. JP Nyuysemo 90+4 mins), 8. Felix Robertson, 9. Owen James (15. Kai Bartolo 76 mins), 10. Jenson Wright, 11. Reuben Harry (12. Leo Cole 66 mins). Subs not used: 14. Latham Hawkins, 17. Ben Dodd.

Leverstock Green registered their second straight league win with a very impressive performance against third-placed Biggleswade F.C., coming from behind to win the game.

It was a game which saw the 200th appearance for the club of skipper Dan Pett, and also the last appearance of Carmicheal Uchenna, who gave a man-of-the-match display in midfield ahead of signing a pro contact with Wealdstone this week.

After a quiet opening to the game, it was the visitors who had the game’s first chance as defensive hesitation allowed Matteo Perkins to run clean through on goal, but he was denied by a good save from Ryan North. However, three minutes later Perkins was threatening again, this time squaring for Bradley Bell to shoot home and put Biggleswade into a 1-0 lead.

Leverstock responded well to going behind and were soon back on level terms. Hesitation by keeper George Rose allowed Joe McCarthy to nip in and take the ball, and as McCarthy tried to get the ball from under his feet to put it into the empty net, he was brought down from behind. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and Iker Noguera Leon fired the spot kick into the top corner to make it 1-1 in the 27th minute.

Rose was somewhat lucky to stay on the field in the 38th minute as he came out of his area to challenge McCarthy, committing a foul that left both players requiring treatment. Despite McCarthy being clean through, the referee only showed a yellow card to the Biggleswade keeper. Leon took the resulting free kick and his effort went just over the bar. In the final minute of the half Leon delivered a cross to the far post which was headed wide by Uchenna.

The second half saw Leverstock well on top with Leon and McCarthy again causing lots of problems for the Biggleswade defence. The visitors rarely threatened, although North produced a great save to tip a header over the bar in the 66th minute.

In the 72nd minute McCarthy was again through on goal and again brought down just outside the box, this time by Lawrie Marsh, but again the referee only showed a yellow card, one of six picked up by the visitors. Again the resulting free kick was off target, this time from Uchenna.

However, four minutes later a through ball from Marcus Warren gave McCarthy another run at goal, and this time he stayed on his feet and hit an exquisite finish which flew over Rose into the top corner to put Leverstock into a deserved 2-1 lead.

The team kept its discipline and shape to see the game out, successfully defending a corner in stoppage time to add another three points to their total.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Leon 27 pen, McCarthy 76)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Vladyslav Karuchok, 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kome Kawimbe, 6. Carmicheal Uchenna, 7. Ademide Baruwa, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Joe McCarthy, 10. Marcus Warren (16. Nat Connolly 82 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon. Subs not used: 12. Jack Allen, 14. Timi Bada, 15. Ryan Carruthers, 17. Ashton Corder.
Biggleswade FC (1) 1 (Bell 22)
1. George Rose, 2. Michael Simpson (14. Leo Jenkins H/T), 3. Harry Jones , 4. Lawrie Marsh, 5. Jack Empson (16. Adam Hunt 85 mins), 6. Conor Inskip (17. Twariq Yusuf 76 mins), 7. Ethan Kessel (12. William Ademiluyi H/T), 8. Rio Martucci, 9. Daniel Bond, 10. Bradley Bell, 11. Matteo Perkins (15. Jake Bunyan 77 mins).

 

Leverstock Green were unable to follow up their impressive midweek win against Ware as they fell to a home defeat against Beaconsfield Town on Saturday.

They made a bright start to the game and took the lead in the 13th minute as Iker Noguera Leon scored his fourth goal in three games, hitting a shot on the run from the edge of the box which bounced in front of keeper Ezekiel Ifekoya and went into the net. They had chances to extend their lead. In the 20th minute Ifekoya couldn’t hold onto a free kick floated in by Marcus Warren, and the ball dropped at the feet of Timi Bada, but Ifekoya recovered to save Bada’s shot. In the 31st minute a shot from Joe McCarthy was saved by Ifekoya and hit the post, but fortunately for the keeper rebounded back into his hands.

Leverstock had been on top up to this point, but in the 35th minute the scores were levelled as Blaaze Lawrence pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the Green box to shoot home the equaliser past Ryan North. There was another great chance for Leverstock in the 42nd minute as McCarthy was through on goal, but Ifekoya saved well to keep out McCarthy’s shot.

Having played well in the first half, Leverstock’s performance in the second half was somewhat disappointing. Beaconsfield looked like they had taken the lead in the 52nd minute as North spilled a routine shot from Freddie Ford and Mekhai Bessasa-Grant netted the loose ball, but the offside flag was up. Two minutes later Leverstock had a chance as a long ball allowed McCarthy to get the wrong side of the last defender, but instead of finishing himself McCarthy opted to square to Bada, and the ball didn’t get there.

Beaconsfield were looking the more dangerous side, and they were given the chance to go in front in the 71st minute when George Mitchell-Gears’ challenge brought down an attacker in the box, and the referee awarded the penalty. Lawrence netted the spot kick for his second goal of the game.

Leverstock tried to put pressure on the Beaconsfield goal over the closing minutes, but the visitors defended very well, always finding the vital block or header away. A cross from Dan Pett in the 75th minute went across the face of goal but Jack Allen couldn’t get his boot on it. By the end of the game Leverstock had two 16 year olds on the pitch, with Ashton Corder being joined by Lucas Hammer, another of the under-18 side to have stepped up to the first team. Deep into stoppage time a shot from Corder was blocked and the rebound came to Hammer, but he couldn’t keep his shot under the bar.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Leon 13)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Vladyslav Karuchok, 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers (12. Nat Connolly 81 mins), 7. Timi Bada (18. Jack Allen 63 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Joe McCarthy (14. Ashton Corder 68 mins), 10. Marcus Warren (16. Lucas Hammer 89 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon. Sub not used: 15. Callum Donnelly.
Beaconsfield Town (1) 2 (Lawrence 35, 71 pen)
1. Ezekiel Ifekoya, 2. Alex Peapell, 3. Mack Miskin, 4. Giulio Marroni, 5. Charlie Smith, 6. Dan Hill, 7. Blaaze Lawrence, 8. Corey Hart, 9. Joel Onu (12. Alfie Anderson 70 mins), 10. Freddie Ford, 11. Mekhai Bessasa-Grant (14. Mohamed Gamal 84 mins). Subs not used: 15. Uthman Hassan, 16. Mirko Jovanovic, 17. Taran Sohi.

Leverstock Green finally put their first league win of the season on the board at the eighth attempt, and they did it in style with an outstanding team performance and a 5-0 win over Ware, who earlier in the season had put five past Leverstock in an FA Cup tie.

The two teams went into the game as the only remaining teams in the division without a win, and it was a slow start to the game before the chances started coming. The visitors went close with a glancing header in front of goal that went wide in the 20th minute, while Ademide Baruwa had a run at goal in the 30th minute but shot straight at keeper Fred Burbidge. Three minutes later Burbidge pulled off a great save at his near post to keep out a shot from George Mitchell-Gears, and at the other end Ryan North did well to turn a flick from Josh Hutchinson over the bar.

In the 35th minute Marcus Warren’s pass gave Iker Noguera Leon a run at goal, and the Spaniard took the ball past several defenders and Burbidge before slotting home to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes before the break Ware were reduced to ten men when Max Granville was shown a straight red card, not for the tackle that brought down Ademide Baruwa but for words said afterwards.

Leverstock took their lead into the second half, and in the 55th minute a pass from Leon to Joe McCarthy should have been dealt with, but confusion between Burbidge and a defender allowed McCarthy to take the ball past both and run it into the empty net for a 2-0 lead, the first time Leverstock had scored twice in a league game this season.

North produced another good save in the 59th minute to keep out a Ware free kick, with Kombe Kawimbe blocking an effort from the rebound, producing shouts for handball from the Ware players but nothing from the referee.

There could have been a third goal in the 74th minute when McCarthy broke away from his own half before laying off to Leon, but his shot was blocked by a defender. The third goal arrived in spectacular style in the 80th minute when substitute Timi Bada received a pass from Warren and hit a superb strike from the edge of the box to notch his first goal for the club within two minutes of coming off the bench.

It got even better for Leverstock as the game ticked into stoppage time. Firstly Leon notched his second of the night, controlling the ball and squeezing in a shot at the near post after Burbidge had parried a shot from Ashton Corder, and a minute later Jack Allen added his name to the scoresheet with an emphatic finish from six yards to complete a superb 5-0 result.

Leverstock Green (1) 5 (Leon 35, 90+2, McCarthy 55, Bada 80, Allen 90+3)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal (15. Aldo Petagine 83 mins), 3. Vladyslav Karuchok, 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Ademide Baruwa, 8. Nat Connolly (18. Jack Allen 63 mins), 9. Joe McCarthy (12. Timi Bada 78 mins), 10. Marcus Warren (14. Ashton Corder 83 mins), 11. Iker Noguera Leon. Sub not used: 16. Dan Pett
Ware (0) 0
1. Fred Burbidge, 2. Finley Titchmarsh, 3. David Sota (12. Theophilus Ofori 64 mins), 4. Max Granville , 5. Jay Rolfe, 6. Jack Grosvenor, 7. Khale Da Costa (15. Gucci Soulya 70 mins), 9. Josh Hutchinson, 10. Rechan Esprit, 11. Samuel Mayuma, 19. Anthony Wordsworth (16. Reece Beckles-Richards H/T). Subs not used: 14. Josh Okotcha, 17. Ekow Coker.

Leverstock Green added another point to their total, but they are still looking for their first league win of the season after a 1-1 draw against MK Irish on Saturday.

It was a game that offered few clear-cut chances for either side. In the 18th minute Leverstock keeper Ryan North did well to gather a cross from Cairo Taylor that took a deflection in the six yard box. At the other end two minutes later a long throw from George Mitchell-Gears was headed back across goal by Joe McCarthy to Jack Allen, who couldn’t get a clean strike on the ball.

The visitors took the lead in the 26th minute from a free kick that was given away unneccesarily. The ball into the box was caught by North but he couldn’t hold onto it and as the ball fell from his hands it hit MK’s Clinton Zawe and deflected back into the net.

The equaliser came from another free kick in the 41st minute. Carmicheal Uchenna delivered to ball towards the far post where Callum Neal came in unchecked to head home his third goal of the season, making him currently Leverstock’s top scorer.

The second half saw Leverstock have most of what chances there were. In the 48th minute Ademide Baruwa put the ball across the face of goal but it just eluded McCarthy sliding in. Three minutes later Iker Noguera Leon made a run into the box but his shot was over the bar. North made a good save in the 63rd minute when Nathaniel Emond was through on goal for MK, deflecting the shot over the bar.

There was almost a second goal for Neal in the 79th minute when he got a glancing header at the near post from Uchenna’s corner, but it was cleared off the line. In the 85th minute Ashton Corder got on the end of a cross from Neal with a volley that looked like it was heading in but took a deflection off a defender to go wide.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Neal 41)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Vladyslav Karuchok, 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ademide Baruwa (15. Nat Connolly 82 mins), 7. Joe McCarthy (12. Timi Bada 82 mins), 8. Dan Pett (14. Ryan Carruthers 79 mins), 9. Jack Allen (17. Enoch Folorunsho 72 mins), 10. Carmicheal Uchenna, 11. Iker Noguera Leon (16. Ashton Corder 65 mins).
Milton Keynes Irish (1) 1 (Zawe 26)
1. Tom Ladyman, 2. Clinton Zawe, 3. Freddy Joyce, 6. Nathan Smith, 7. Nathaniel Emond (20. Carter Nevin 65 mins), 8. Ryan Smith, 9. James Meadows, 10. Cairo Taylor (14. Tom Macdonald 57 mins), 15.Ben Farrell (4. Callum Hirst 79 mins), 16. Matthew Haworth, 18. Nat Beecher. Subs not used: 5. Oliver Kalek, 12. Keelan Shand.