For the sixth time in their last eight league matches Leverstock Green ended up with a share of the points, but this was another very good performance against a team in the top four of the division. Leverstock dominated for long periods of the game and were twice in front, but the division’s top scorer Taylor Rhiney scored two goals from two chances to level the scores.

With more injuries to their centre-backs, Leverstock played with Bobby Armstrong and Scott McGleish at the centre of defence throughout, and McGleish’s performance earned him the man-of-the-match award. Leverstock started the game strongly, and went close to taking the lead in the 7th minute when skipper Dan Pett hit the bar with a shot struck from the edge of the box. Two minutes later Pett had another shot which went over the bar, but in the 19th minute Pett finally hit the target with a low drive from 20 yards that found the bottom corner of the net to give his side a deserved lead.

However, that lead only lasted three minutes. Bigglewade won a free kick a few yards outside the left edge of the penalty area.  It looked like a position from where the ball would be crossed in, but Rhiney had other ideas as he curled the ball over the wall and over the outstretched arm of Austin Byfield into the top corner of the net for a stunning equaliser.

Leverstock had dominated up to this point but it was an even game for the remainder of the half, and the nearest that either side came to finding the net was in the 28th minute when the visitors broke away quickly and Raheem Jabbar got in behind the Green defence but struck the bar with his shot.

The second half was largely played in heavy rain, and just as Leverstock had started the first half well, they also made a great start to the second half. Two minutes in Chris Blunden got past a defender and sent over a cross, but Ibrahim Nagheeb couldn’t get his header on target. In the 50th minute Brian Testolin showed some good footwork to make a solo run into the box before setting up Blunden for a shot which keeper Tom Wyant could only parry. Ethan Mooney came in for the rebound but put it into the side netting. Two minutes later Mooney made up for his miss by threading a pass to put Blunden through against Wyant, and although the keeper got a boot onto Blunden’s shot, it wasn’t enough to stop it going into the net and putting Leverstock back in front at 2-1.

On the hour Leverstock were awarded a free kick about 30 yards from goal, and Blunden tried his luck with a shot which cleared the wall but was turned wide by a good save from Wyant. The keeper failed to hold onto the resulting corner but was not punished. Another corner three minutes later dropped for Armstrong on the edge of the box but his shot went over the bar. As the game went into its last ten minutes a neat sidestep from Testolin opened up a shooting chance but his shot was gathered by Wyant.

With five minutes remaining Leverstock were still holding onto their lead and looking good value for it, but they were hit by an equaliser which came almost out of nothing. A ball was punted forward and found Rhiney on the edge of the box with his back to goal, and the striker wasted no time in turning and shooting low into the corner of the net to level the scores at 2-2.

Over the closing minutes both sides pushed forward in search of a winner, and either side could have won it. Leverstock’s best chance came when Sean Walsh won the ball off a defender to go through on goal, but Walsh chose to shoot from a narrow angle when pulling the ball back for Blunden might have been the better option, and it was deflected behind.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Pett 19, Blunden 52)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield (16. Brad Robinson 30 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 20. Scott McGleish, 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 7. Brian Testolin, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Ryan Carruthers (17. Sean Walsh 84 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Elgeniy Daalberg, 14. Freddie Newing, 15. Ayomide Oke.
Biggleswade United (1) 2 (Rhiney 22, 85)
1. Tom Wyant, 2. Milo Keane (16. Mason Watkins-Clark 57 mins), 3. Cameron Hyde, 4. Lewis Jones, 5. Jemale McKenzie, 6. Jordan Wright, 7. Markel Cousins (17. Domenico Morgillo 73 mins), 8. Conor Inskip (12. Josh Sturniolo 57 mins), 9. Taylor Rhiney, 10. Jaiden Irish, 11. Raheem Jabbar (15. Yemi Adelani 68 mins). Sub not used: 14. Gareth Hunt.

Leverstock Green and Dunstable Town went into Saturday’s game as the last two remaining unbeaten sides in the SSML Premier Division, and remained so after the game. It was an entertaining and feisty match which saw red cards on both sides, and Leverstock twice held the lead, but in the end a draw was a fair result.

Leverstock started the game brightly and took an early lead in the 6th minute. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica got to the bye-line and clipped the ball into the six yard box, where Chris Blunden met it with a skilful flick past the keeper to open the scoring.

Kyle Faulkner hit a shot just wide for Dunstable in the 13th minute, but with the slope and a breeze in their favour Leverstock had much the better of the possession in the first half, although they didn’t create as many clear-cut chances as their possession merited. Dan Pett launched a number of dangerous corners into the box, and in the last minute of the half one of these caused a goalmouth scramble in which Ryan Carruthers had a shot well saved by visiting keeper Charlie Jones.

Dunstable had the elements in their favour in the second half, and three minutes in they levelled the scores. A long throw into the box caused problems, and Austin Byfield did well to parry away a shot, but Harry Beaumont followed in to net the rebound.

The visitors could have gone in front on 53 minutes with Faulkner clean through on goal, but Byfield produced a great save to block his shot wide. The game exploded on the hour mark as an altercation over a throw-in turned into a mass brawl, which resulted in both sides being reduced to ten men with Stefanoaica and Faulkner being shown straight red cards.

Bobby Armstrong headed just over the bar from a Pett corner in the 69th minute, but in the 76th minute Leverstock went back in front with a spectacular solo goal from Rio Beach, who ran at the penalty area before launching what was probably intended as a cross, but instead drifted over the head of Jones and in off the far post for a 2-1 lead.

However, the lead was short-lived. Before the restart Dunstable brought Sean Immanuel off the bench, and the substitute made an immediate impact by finishing off a Dunstable break with a shot past Byfield to level the scores in the 78th minute.

Dunstable came close to a winner in the 89th minute from a corner. Immanuel’s header came back off the post, and a follow up effort from Remell Stirling was kept out by a brilliant save from man-of-the-match Byfield. Leverstock finished the game with nine men after Ibrahim Nagheeb received his second yellow card for a foul in stoppage time, but the nine men held out for their deserved point.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Blunden 6, Beach 76)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Ryan Carruthers, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Subs not used: 12. Callum Moore, 14. Kurainashe Musanhi, 15. Ayomide Oke, 16. Brad Robinson, 20. Scott McGleish.
Dunstable Town (0) 2 (Beaumont 48, Immanuel 78)
1. Charlie Jones, 2. Ethan Creary, 3. Benji Crilley, 4. Liam McCrohan, 5. J’Ardell Stirling, 6. Alfie Osborne, 7. Harry Beaumont, 8. Liuke Dunstan (14. Remell Stirling 53 mins), 9. Joe Sellers-West (17. Sean Immanuel 77 mins), 10. Kyle Faulkner, 11. Tolu Ikuyinminu (19. Kelvin Osei-Addo 90 mins). Subs not used: 15. Ruairi Mills, 16. Dan Naylor.

Leverstock Green got their league season back on track as they ended a run of three straight draws with a 3-0 home victory over Shefford Town & Campton. It was a well-deserved win for Fergus Moore’s side, who controlled the game throughout and netted three times while keeping a clean sheet at the other end.

The visitors won four corners in quick succession in the opening minutes of the game, but the Green defence defended them all well. Ibrahim Nagheeb had Leverstock’s first effort at goal in the 6th minute with a shot which was saved and held onto by keeper Kyle Forster.

The scoring was opened in the 10th minute. Chris Blunden received the ball on the halfway line and pushed forward before playing it out wide to Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, who ran on before returning the ball to Blunden on the edge of the box. Blunden then shook off the attention of two defenders to pick his spot and send a superb shot into the top corner of the net.

The lead was doubled in the 17th minute. George Mitchell-Gears curled in a cross from near the left touchline. Alvin Kyemereh got on the end of it and controlled it with his first touch before slotting it under Forster with his second touch to put Leverstock well in control of the game. There might have been a third goal in the 27th minute as Stefanaoica connected with a Dan Pett free kick, but his header went over the bar.

Leverstock continued to impress in the second half, and went close again in the 47th minute as Kyemereh met a Pett free kick with a far post header that brought a good save out of Forster. Lewis Collins was denied a goal in the 62nd minute by the offside flag, and four minutes later slid in to meet a Blunden cross but couldn’t get his effort on target.

Shefford had more of the ball in the second half than they had in the first, but the Leverstock defence kept their shape and discipline throughout, with Bobby Armstrong having a very good game, and the visitors were unable to force a save out of Austin Byfield all afternoon.

Leverstock’s performance deserved a third goal and it arrived in the 82nd minute as Blunden crossed from the bye-line and man of the match Mitchell-Gears finished from close range to leave both players with a goal and an assist each.

Leverstock are still unbeaten after seven league games, and they face another tough challenge next week at home to Dunstable Town, the only other unbeaten side in the division.

Leverstock Green (2) 3 (Blunden 10, Kyemereh 17, Mitchell-Gears 82)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield (16. Brad Robinson 78 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong, 5. Alvin Kyemereh, 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb (12. Ryan Carruthers 85 mins), 7. Lewis Collins (14. Kurainashe Musanhi 83 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. George Mitchell-Gears (15. Ayomide Oke 86 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (17. Sean Walsh 81 mins).
Shefford Town & Campton (0) 0
1. Kyle Forster, 2. Kane O’Neil (14. Louie Dillon 65 mins), 3. Tom Cooksley, 4. Mark Ansell-Carter (16. James Younger 78 mins), 5. Iain Robinson, 6. Brad Lusty, 7. Ryan Lewis, 8. Sam Day (15. Sam Rogers 73 mins), 9. Henry Snee, 10. Sam King, 17. Charlie Thake (11. Scott Metcalfe 65 mins). Sub not used: 12. Dan Hammer.