Leverstock Green have suffered only two home defeats this season, and both of them have been to Colney Heath. With the visitors having had a managerial change between the two games, there were only a few players in common between the Colney side that won the Premier Division Cup tie in October, and the side that inflicted Leverstock’s first home league defeat of the season in this game. A week ago against Tring Athletic it was the performance of Leverstock keeper Austin Byfield that won the point, but this time the boot was on the other foot as visiting keeper Liam Studley kept out the Green side with a number of superb saves.

There were few chances in the early part of the game, and Leverstock’s bad luck with centre-backs continued as Alvin Kyeremeh had to be helped off the pitch with an injury in the 19th minute, to be replaced by Bobby Armstrong. Colney Heath had the better of the opening ten minutes, but Leverstock were on top towards the end of the half. They were denied a goal in the last minute of the half by the first of Studley’s great saves. George Mitchell-Gears got on the end of an Ibrahim Nagheeb free kick with a downward header, which Studley got down to save at the base of his post.

Leverstock made a bright start to the second half, but they were forced into another change on 51 minutes when Elgeniy Daalberg replaced Mitchell-Gears. Controversially, the referee restarted play the instant that Daalberg had entered the pitch rather than allowing him to take up his position, and Colney Heath took advantage as a ball was played 60 yards forward to Alex Cathline, who made a powerful run at goal and struck a shot from outside the box which beat Byfield and put his side into a 1-0 lead.

Brad Robinson was sin-binned as a result of protests about the goal, reducing Leverstock to ten men for ten minutes. Once they were back up to eleven the Green side had a number of chances, including a cross from Rio Beach which went just over the angle on 66 minutes and a header from Armstrong which went just over the bar two minutes later. On 76 minutes Ibrahim Nagheeb was fouled just outside the box and stepped up to take the free kick himself. His effort was on target but tipped over the bar by a great save from Studley. A minute later Ryan Carruthers had an effort cleared off the line.

On 79 minutes Leverstock were again reduced to ten men, this time permanently as Luke Beckwith received a second yellow card. There was another free kick in a dangerous position on 84 minutes as Chris Blunden was brought down just outside the box. Blunden took the free kick and again it was on target but Studley dived full length to turn it round the post. Colney Heath were then reduced to ten men as George Taban was sin-binned.

Leverstock continued to push forward as the game threatened to boil over in the closing minutes, and they were perhaps denied a couple more chances as the referee blew for full time after less than two minutes stoppage time, in a half that saw seven substitions and a couple of injury stoppages among others. However, it was a second straight game without a goal, and Fergus Moore’s side will need to find their scoring touch again quickly when they travel to Cockfosters for their next game on Saturday.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Brad Robinson (15. Adrian Pitfield 64 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Danny May (20. Scott McGleish 70 mins), 5. Alvin Kyeremeh (18. Bobby Armstrong 19 mins), 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Luke Beckwith, 8. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. George Mitchell-Gears (12. Elgeniy Daalberg 51 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Sub not used: 14. Ayomide Oke.
Colney Heath (0) 1 (Cathline 52 mins)
1. Liam Studley, 2. George Taban, 3. Bradley Dixon-Smith, 4. Marco Geremia, 5. Shim Eaton-Bonnick, 6. Myles John (17. Taran Rattrey 68 mins), 7. Jayden Silcott-Brown, 8. Vass Mandeville, 9. Alex Cathline (14. Kamel El-Maghur 60 mins), 10. Serge Erkarslan (16. Alex Dubniuc 60 mins), 11. Hadley Gleeson (15. James Samways 80 mins). Sub not used: 12. Clarence Emeh.

It was a third league win in a row for Leverstock Green as they overcame a strong Harpenden Town side in Saturday’s game at the Lords Builders Merchants Stadium. Suspension, illness and injuries meant that it was a somewhat different looking side to last week’s. Goalkeeper Tautvydas Poniskaitis was drafted in to cover for the suspended Austin Byfield, and defenders George Alfieri and Joshua Yoane were brought in on loan from Hadley to play in defence, where Brad Robinson, Adrian Pitfield and Alvin Kyeremeh were all out injured. Skipper Dan Pett was also absent through illness. All three of the newcomers gave excellent performances.

Both sides were playing some good football in the early stages, but without much end product. Chris Blunden brought a good save out of visiting keeper Alex Desmond in the 11th minute, but had already been flagged offside. George Mitchell-Gears had an effort from the edge of the box in the 20th minute which went just over the bar.

In the 42nd minute a pass from Alfieri put Ethan Mooney through on goal. Mooney squared for Blunden, but his shot was saved and he was flagged offside again. However, in the 44th minute a big header from Ryan Carruthers gave Blunden a run at goal. Blunden couldn’t get his shot away, but held onto the ball until support arrived, and squared into the six-yard box where Mitchell-Gears was there to stab home the opening goal.

Having scored just before half time, Leverstock added their second just after half time. A foul on Mitchell-Gears gave Leverstock a free kick in a dangerous position 25 yards out, and just as he did last week, Ibrahim Nagheeb produced a superb strike into the corner of the net. It was also a third goal in successive games for Nagheeb.

However, just over a minute later Harpenden were back in the game. A cross from the left was palmed away by Poniskaitis, but the ball fell for Josh Setchell, who drove home a shot to pull the score back to 2-1.

For the remainder of the game it was end-to-end stuff. The nearest that Leverstock came to extending their lead was in the 76th minute when Bobby Armstrong’s header from a corner was well saved by Desmond. Harpenden had a couple of good chances from headers in the 77th and 80th minutes but both efforts were off-target. A cross from Rio Beach in the 86th minute set up a shooting chance for Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, but his well-hit effort was blocked. A minute later Harpenden had the ball flashing across the face of the Leverstock goal but with no-one on the end of it.

Leverstock used every tactic during stoppage time to run more seconds off the clock, and unlike recent games where they have surrendered a single-goal lead late on, this time they closed the game out for a crucial three points which takes them up to 5th in the Premier Division table.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Mitchell-Gears 44, Nagheeb 48)
1. Tautvydas Poniskaitis, 2. George Alfieri, 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 5. Joshua Yoane, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Radu-Mihair Stefanoaica, 8. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 9. Chris Blunden (12. Elgeniy Daalberg 90 mins), 10. George Mitchell-Gears, 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 14. Freddie Newing, 15. Ayomide Oke, 16. Sean Walsh, 20. Scott McGleish.
Harpenden Town (0) 1 (Setchell 49)
1. Alex Desmond, 2. Andrew Simmons, 3. Jake Collins (17. Isaiah Hilaire 79 mins), 4. Ryan Plowright, 5. Josh Rodrigues, 6. Mickey Shuttlewood, 7. Josh Setchell, 8. Lewis Croucher (16. Joe Devaney 62 mins), 9. Jake Anthony, 10. Nathan McGreevy (12. Billy Owen 75 mins), 11. James Younger (15. Michael Gabblah 62 mins). Sub not used: 14. Bobby London.

After six league games without a win, Leverstock Green finally returned to winning ways in style with a 4-1 win over Baldock Town in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division fixture, completing a league double over Baldock.

Most of the damage was done in the first half, despite a quiet start to the game. The game’s first shot was an effort over the bar in the 7th minute from Rio Beach. Leverstock had the ball in the 10th minute as George Mitchell-Gears slotted home from a Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica cross, but he was flagged for offside. At the other end two minutes later Lawrence Ajong put the ball across the face of the Leverstock goal, but no-one was on the end of it, and on 15 minutes a shot from Dominik Robertson stung the hands of Austin Byfield.

Leverstock were having more of the goal threat. On 16 minutes a cross from Brad Robinson was over the outstretched arm of keeper David Archer but dropped onto the bar, and on 27 minutes a cross from Stefanoaica was met with a glancing header from Ethan Mooney that was not enough to divert it on target. Finally in the 30th minute Mooney did well on the right edge of the penalty area and chipped a cross into the six yard box, where Stefanoaica met it with a volley to open the scoring and notch his first goal for the club in his 8th game.

He didn’t have long to wait for his second goal. In the 38th minute Mooney exchanged passes with Blunden on a quick break before sending over a cross from the bye-line which found Stefanoaica on the edge of the six yard box with the space to control the ball with his first touch and calmly drill home a shot with his second touch for a 2-0 lead.

It should have been 3-0 in the 42nd minute when Blunden was clean through against Archer, but Leverstock’s top scorer was uncharacteristically off target as he blasted the ball over the bar. However, the third goal did arrive in the first minute of stoppage time, as Ibrahim Nagheeb received a pass from Stefanoaica and stroked a shot from the edge of the box low into the corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

Baldock had played better than the scoreline suggested in the first half, and they had the better of the early stages of the second half as they put the Green goal under some pressure, but were unable to get the early goal that might have caused some nerves in the Leverstock defence. Instead it was the Green side that increased their lead in the 58th minute. A corner was cleared to the edge of the box, where Stefanoaica met it with a shot into the ground which was probably going into the net as it bounced towards the goal, but Blunden made sure as he got his head to the ball inches before the goalline to register a goal for the fourth straight game.

Blunden was replaced by new signing Tyriq Hunte immediately after bagging his goal, with one eye on the injury that caused him to leave Wednesday night’s game early. Baldock looked like getting a goal back in the 65th minute when Ryan Lamond was through on goal, but Byfield did well to turn his shot wide. Leverstock were unable to add to their tally, with off-target efforts from Mooney and Hunte being as close as they got.

They were also denied the clean sheet as Baldock got their consolation goal in the 89th minute with a free kick from outside the box that somehow got through everyone and rolled into the corner of the net. However, it was still an excellent win which lifts Leverstock back into the top half of the table. Despite Stefanoaica’s two goals and two assists, Bobby Armstrong was nominated as man-of-the-match for his solid performance at the back.

Leverstock Green (3) 4 (Stefanoaica 30, 38, Nagheeb 45+1, Blunden 58)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Brad Robinson (15. Ayomide Oke 70 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden (14. Tyriq Hunte 59 mins), 10. George Mitchell-Gears (16. Sean Walsh 67 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Subs not used: 12. Ryan Carruthers, 20. Scott McGleish.
Baldock Town (0) 1 (TBA 89)
1. David Archer, 19. Tommy Reynolds (2. Dean Laing 79 mins), 3. Callum Kane, 4. Charlie Joy (12. Mamadou Diallo 52 mins), 5. Josh Furness, 6. Luke Rowland, 7. Owen Robertson, 8. Dominik Robertson (16. Zach Decker 64 mins), 9. Lawrence Ajong (14. Ryan Lamond H/T), 10. Jude White, 11. Jamie Essam (15. Chris Uchenna 68 mins).