Leverstock Green’s home form continues to let them down as they followed up last week’s spectacular comeback at Tring with a disappointing defeat to Holmer Green. After taking a deserved lead early in the second half Fergus Moore’s side were unable to build on it and were hit by two late goals from a Holmer Green side that worked very hard throughout.

With goalkeeper Alfie Bonfield absent through Covid, under-18s keeper Oscar Frost made his first team debut. In the 2nd minute of the game a long kick from Frost gave Lewis Collins a run at goal, but he couldn’t get a shot away, laying off to Kian Wilkes, whose shot was blocked. Seconds later Ryan Carruthers spotted the keeper off his line and tried a chip from 20 yards, but it bounced off the top of the crossbar. Carruthers had another long-range effort in the 9th minute but it was turned round the post by the keeper.

Leverstock were having more of the ball, but often losing it while attempting while attempting to go past defenders on the edge of the box. In the 29th minute Brad Robinson nodded the ball through to put Rawn Seale through on goal, but again keeper Mattao Giacobbe was in the way, saving Seale’s shot. On 35 minutes Kian Wilkes was denied by a goalline clearance from defender Reece McKenzie. Two minutes later Ollie Lawford was brought down just outside the box and took the free kick himself, but again Giacobbe got down low to his left to turn the ball round the post.

Having had all the chances in the first half, Leverstock almost went in at half time behind, but Frost pulled off a great save in the last minute of the half to tip over a shot from Kudzai Chunga.

Lewis Collins was struggling with an injury, and only lasted a minute of the second half before being replaced by Ethan Mooney. Leverstock again started the half brightly, and finally got their deserved goal in the 49th minute. A through ball from the back was flicked on by Lawford into the path of Seale, who ran clear of the chasing defenders and shot past Giacobbe to open the scoring.

The Leverstock side continued to push forward, but were still finding it difficult to create clear-cut chances to press home their advantage. Holmer were starting to threaten on the break, and Frost had to save a close-range header in the 57th minute. On another break in the 74th minute, Holmer won a corner out of nothing. They took full advantage of it as Jamie Mitchell got away from his marker to head home at the near post for the equaliser.

Holmer could have gone in front in the 79th minute but Frost pulled off another good save to keep out a shot from Oskar Evans. In the closing minutes of the game it could have gone either way. Scott McGleish flashed a shot just over the bar in the 87th minute, and Lawford had another good chance but couldn’t get a shot away. In the 90th minute it was Holmer that broke away and scored as Jose Daio slotted the ball past Frost.

Even in stoppage time Leverstock had a chance to rescue a point as Lawford got on the end of Mooney’s cross, but his header was saved again by Giacobbe. That proved enough for Holmer to take three crucial points in their battle against relegation and leave Leverstock five points adrift of the top four.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Seale 49)
Team: 1. Oscar Frost, 2. Brad Robinson, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Lewis Collins (14. Ethan Mooney 47 mins), 8. Ryan Carruthers (16. Scott McGleish 75 mins), 9. Ollie Lawford, 10. Ollie Cox (12. James Hall 69 mins), 11. Rawn Seale. Subs not used: 17. Dan Pett, 18. Kyle Williams.
Holmer Green (0) 2 (Mitchell 74, Daio 90)
Team: 1. Mattao Giacobbe, 2. James Jarrott (14. Kai Morgan 69 mins), 3. Bailey Page, 4. Luke Ryll, 5. Reece McKenzie, 6. Luke Williams, 7. Jose Daio, 8. Oskar Evans, 9. James Bent (12. Jamie Mitchell 57 mins), 10. Denis Pepelyarski, 11. Kudzai Chunga. Subs not used: 13. Daniel Clements, 15. Matt Wooster.

Leverstock Green have now gone four home league games without a win after a disappointing defeat to Hadley in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division game. Two poor goals conceded proved to be too much to come back from, as Hadley gained revenge for Leverstock’s win at their ground back in October.

Leverstock were caught cold by a goal which went in before many spectators had taken up their place. Solomon Ofori was allowed to run down the right wing and send a cross into the box which was not cleared, and Zach Uribarri hit a shot at the far post which Alfie Bonfield got a hand to, but could not keep out as Hadley took the lead with just 40 seconds on the clock.

Fergus Moore’s side started to settle down, and had a chance for an equaliser in the 9th minute when a pass from Ethan Mooney gave Rawn Seale a run at goal, but he hit his shot over the bar. Hadley had a chance for a second goal in the 15th minute when Ofori had the goal at his mercy from inside the six yard box, but a goalline clearance from Rio Beach kept the ball out.

In the 24th minute a dangerous-looking cross from Ollie Cox was cleared by a Hadley defender at the far post. There was another good chance for the Green side in the 33rd minute when a cross from Lewis Collins caused a goalmouth scramble, but Mooney’s shot was blocked and Dan Weeks hit a shot over the bar. Hadley had another chance in the 41st minute when Luke Jupp was clean through on goal but Bonfield pulled off a great save with his legs to keep the deficit to a single goal at half time.

Leverstock put some pressure on the Hadley goal in the early stages of the second half, but a defensive mistake allowed Hadley to double their lead against the run of play in the 52nd minute. Paul Marks was in his own half and attempted to head the ball across to Weeks, but the ball ran loose and Ofori nipped inbetween the two defenders to intercept, running clean through to shoot home in off the post.

However, Leverstock got themselves back into the game in the 68th minute as a period of pressure ended with Dan Pett hitting a sidefooted shot from the edge of the penalty area through a crowd of players, and despite the keeper getting a hand to it, the ball went in for Pett’s first goal for the club.

Leverstock continued to push forward for an equaliser, but throughout the game they were lacking the quality in the final third to create clear-cut chances, and Hadley were able to hold on for their win.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Pett 68)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Ryan Carruthers (18. Kian Wilkes 59 mins), 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale (16. Ollie Lawford 49 mins), 10. Ollie Cox, 11. Ethan Mooney (14. Jamie Calvin 87 mins). Subs not used: 12. Harry Bonner, 17. Brad Robinson.
Hadley (1) 2 (Uribarri 1, Ofori 52)
Team: 1. Charlie Mann, 2. Bradley Marriott, 3. Andrew White, 5. Billy Baird, 6. Dylan Ebengo, 7. Solomon Ofori, 8. Zach Uribarri, 9. Jordan Edwards, 10. Shaz Anwar, 11. Luke Jupp (16. Tom Milton 74 mins), 18. Nnamdi Harold-Egole. Subs not used: 4. Joshua Yoane, 12. George Alfieri, 17. Emmanuel Adeboyaga.

Leverstock Green rescued a well-earned point from a game that was heavily influenced by a strong wind, coming back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to draw 3-3 with Harefield United at Pancake Lane on Saturday. Despite the conditions, the two teams produced an entertaining game for the spectators, with a point apiece being a fair result in the end.

It was a bitterly cold afternoon, and the wind was blowing directly up the Pancake Lane slope while Leverstock were attacking down the slope in the first half. The wind made it difficult for Leverstock to clear the ball from their own half, and Harefield were certainly in the ascendency early on. Alfie Bonfield had to dive to save a shot from Courtney Austin as Harefield broke quickly from a Leverstock corner in the 9th minute, and Richard Pacquette lashed a shot just over the bar in the 13th minute.

Harefield took the lead in the 22nd minute, inevitably it was former Green striker Louis Bircham who scored it with a low strike from just outside the penalty area. Their lead was doubled seven minutes later from a corner as the wind pulled the ball in towards the goal and it defected in off a Leverstock defender.

The aim for Fergus Moore’s side was to get to half time without any further damage being inflicted, although there was another scare five minutes before the break when a kick from Bonfield came up short and Rawn Seale knocked the ball back towards his own goal into the path of Pacquette, but Bonfield pulled out a good save to keep out Pacquette’s shot.

Instead of being three goals down, Leverstock actually managed to pull a goal back in the last minute of the half. Ollie Cox broke away down the left before knocking the ball inside for Seale, who did the rest, running at the defence towards the bye-line before lashing home a shot from a narrow angle that put the Green side very much back in the game.

There was an enforced change at half time, with Elginey Daalberg coming on for Paplamin Jawara, who had been injured by a tackle late in the half and was unable to continue. Leverstock now had the wind in their favour and looked to complete their comeback. They almost levelled the scores in the 55th minute when Dan Weeks got on the end of a Cox corner but his header came back off the post. A minute later they did level the scores. A long-range effort from Ryan Carruthers was only parried by visiting keeper Reece Mallett, and Seale followed up to bury the rebound and notch his second goal of the game.

However, parity did not last for long. In the 59th minute Harefield hit the bar with a header, and a minute later were attacking again. There was a strong suspicion that Harry Bonner had been fouled in the build-up, but the referee played on and Steven Green hit a shot from the edge of the area to put Harefield back in front at 3-2.

Leverstock kept their heads up and continued to push for another equaliser. Lewis Collins had a chance in the 73rd minute when he turned into space on the edge of the box but hit his shot over the bar. However, in the 83rd minute Leverstock broke quickly from defence. Seale played the ball out wide to Daalberg, who outpaced the chasing defender and ran on to hit the ball across the face of goal where it deflected in off a defender to level the scores again at 3-3.

There was still further action, with Dan Pett hitting the bar with a shot in the 86th minute and Collins having a run and shot saved two minutes later. Harefield had a good chance to win the game in stoppage time but the ball went across the face of goal and wide just seconds before the final whistle was blown.

Video highlights

Leverstock Green (1) 3 (Seale 45, 56, Daalberg 83)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Harry Bonner, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Ryan Carruthers (16. Scott McGleish 65 mins), 7. Lewis Collins, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Paplamin Jawara (14. Elgeniy Daalberg H/T), 11. Ollie Cox. Subs not used: 12. Jamie Calvin, 17. Adrian Pitfield, 18. Fergus Moore.
Harefield United (2) 3 (Bircham 22, OG 29, Green 60)
Team: 1. Reece Mallett, 2. Harry McCorkell (15. Louis Bunce 63 mins), 3. Steven Green, 4. Lewis White, 5. Anotida Mano, 6. Sean Mangan, 7. Femi Ogunsola, 8. Richard Pacquette (16. Donell Watt 85 mins), 9. Courtney Austin, 10. Louis Bircham, 11. Paul Underwood. Subs not used: 12. Luke Baldwin, 14. George Grange.