Leverstock Green progressed to the second round of the Premier Division Cup with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over London Colney on Tuesday night. It was a game that Leverstock should have won comfortably within the 90 minutes, even after going two goals down early on, as they dominated throughout, but missed a plethora of chances. Making his senior debut for Leverstock was 16-year-old goalkeeper Sean Lockehart, from the Under-18 squad, and he produced a moment to remember during the shoot-out.

The Green side pushed forward right from the start, winning a series of corners in the opening. Their best early chance came in the 9th minute when a pass from Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica put Ethan Mooney in on goal, but his shot was deflected wide. In the 15th minute Lewis Collins made a purposeful run at the Colney defence before putting the ball across the face of goal, where Mooney just failed to reach it at the far post. Two minutes later Collins tried his luck from a free kick, but his shot was turned away by keeper Harvey Simson.

At this point the ball had barely been out of the Colney half, but a minute later they found themselves ahead as Gael Muyonge delivered a cross from the left edge of the penalty area which went over Lockehart’s head and in at the far post. In the 26th minute their lead was doubled as they won a free kick just outside the box which Freddie Newing curled over the wall and out of Lockehart’s reach for a second goal from their second attack of the game.

The Leverstock side looked stunned at being two goals down but they soon reduced the deficit. In the 29th minute Adrian Pitfield received a crossfield ball from Rio Beach on the halfway line, and ran forward into space before unleashing a superb strike from 25 yards which flew into the top corner of the net. In the 37th minute there was an astonishing goalmouth scramble inside the Colney penalty area following a corner in which at least five Leverstock players had an effort at goal but none of them would go in. In first half stoppage time a cross from Ryan Carruthers found Pitfield at the far post but his header was saved by Simson.

Leverstock began the second half in the same fashion as they ended the first, and within a minute they were awarded a penalty when George Mitchell-Gears was tripped inside the box. Mitchell-Gears took the penalty himself, but it wasn’t the best of strikes and Simson dived to his left to save it and maintain his side’s lead.

In the 48th minute Stefanoaica had a shot parried by Simson, and the rebound was cleared just before Collins could get to it. Four minutes later Stefanoaica had another effort at goal which hit the bar. A rapid break in the 56th minute produced another chance as Mooney crossed for Stefanoaica, but his header went over the bar. Finally in the 63th minute Leverstock got their long overdue equaliser as Pitfield crossed to the far post and Mooney’s angled header beat Simson and found the net.

The turnaround should have been complete in the 71st minute as Collins made a tremendous run from the halfway line before laying off to Mitchell-Gears, whose goalbound shot was tipped over by an incredible one-handed save from Simson. In the 82nd minute Simson couldn’t hold onto a corner, but Alvin Kyeremeh somehow headed the loose ball over the bar from close range. The second half had been almost one-way traffic, but as the final whistle went the score was still 2-2 and the tie went to a penalty shoot-out.

Bruno Gomes scored Colney’s first kick before Dan Pett levelled at 1-1. Dujon Desagurante put Colney 2-1 up, and when Mooney put Leverstock’s second penalty into the field behind the goal, they had the advantage. Jacob Adeyemi made it 3-1 before Kyeremeh pulled it back to 3-2. Evaristo Kitoko scored Colney’s 4th to make it match point at 4-2, and they thought they had won it when Simson got a hand to Scott McGleish’s kick, but the rebound went in off the post for 4-3. Gael Muyonge had the chance to win it, but his kick hit the bar, and Stefanoaica scored Leverstock’s fifth to send it into sudden death at 4-4. Lockehart’s moment of glory came as he dived to keep out Colney’s sixth penalty by Newing, and Sean Walsh stepped up to find the corner of the net with his kick and send Leverstock through 5-4 on penalties. They will face Colney Heath at home in the Second Round next Tuesday night.

Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Pitfield 29, Mooney 63)
1. Sean Lockehart, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 18. Bobby Armstrong (20. Scott McGleish 90+1 mins), 5. Alvin Kyeremeh, 6. Ryan Carruthers (16. Sean Walsh 86 mins), 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, 10. George Mitchell-Gears, 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Elgeniy Daalberg, 14. Ayomide Oke, 15. Brad Robinson.
London Colney (2) 2 (Muyonge 18, Newing 26)
1. Harvey Simson, 2. Freddie WIlkinson, 3. Dujon Desagurante, 4. Pijus Montvydas (14. Jake Clarke 52 mins), 5. Bobby Webb (15. Julius Iloris 75 mins), 6. Gael Muyonge, 7. Evaristo Kitoko, 8. Tyrell Benjamin (12. Regan Tobun 72 mins), 9/ Langley Gogoa (16. Bruno Gomes 55 mins), 10. Jacob Adeyemi, 11. Freddie Newing. Sub not used: 20. Norbert Adu.

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