Lords Builders Merchants Stadium

Leverstock Green F.C.

Pancake Lane,
Leverstock Green,
Hemel Hempstead,
Herts.
HP2 4NQ

(H) Arlesey Town

Leverstock Green suffered their heaviest defeat of the season so far as they were comprehensively beaten by Arlesey Town in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division fixture at Pancake Lane.

Arlesey had parted company with manager Chico Ramos on Thursday, but interim manager Adam Randall put himself in the frame for the job as his side put in a superb performance, doing most of the work in the first half with three unanswered goals leaving them well in control of the game.

For the first time in this run of home games Leverstock played up the Pancake Lane slope in the first half, and Arlesey dominated the early stages of the game with the slope in their favour. They went close to scoring in the 3rd minute when a shot from Noah Costin beat Alfie Bonfield but was cleared off the line by Paplamin Jawara. However, in the 7th minute Reece Crowter, making his debut for Arlesey, hit a thunderous shot from outside the penalty area that gave Bonfield no chance and put the visitors into the lead.

Leverstock won their first corner of the game in the 11th minute, and Dan Pett’s cross found Paul Marks at the near post, but his header went wide. On 20 minutes Bonfield pulled off a good save to keep out a shot from Archie Sayer. On 27 minutes Leverstock had a free kick in a dangerous position when Rawn Seale was brought down just outside the D, but Jawara’s effort from the free kick went just wide. Two minutes later Rio Beach went close with a shot just over the angle, and soon after Leverstock were denied again as Jawara’s header from a corner was blocked on the line by the keeper’s legs.

This had been the Green side’s best spell of the game, but on 32 minutes they found themselves two goals down in unfortunate circumstances. From an Arlesey free kick near the centre circle, Bruno Brito had an effort towards goal that Bonfield should have gathered comfortably, but he couldn’t hold onto the ball and Sernad Hoxha was quick off the mark to follow in to net the rebound.

It was Arlesey’s turn to be back on top now, and a Bonfield save from a Crowter shot on 34 minutes prevented a third goal. Leverstock had a chance to pull a goal back on 42 minutes when a long pass from Ryan Carruthers put Seale in behind the defence and clean through, but Seale delayed his shot a moment too long and the chance went away. Further calamity followed a minute before the break as Crowter broke clear for Arlesey. Rio Beach chased back but was unable to stop Crowter going on to take the ball round Bonfield and slot it into the empty net, putting his side into a commanding 3-0 half time lead.

Leverstock had to push forward down the slope in the second half, but made little headway against a well-organised Arlesey defence. Early changes saw Ollie Cox and Ollie Lawford come off the bench, and both had efforts at goal but were off target. In pushing forward the Green side were liable to be caught on the break, and they were punished again in the 62nd minute as Costin broke away to score a fourth goal for Arlesey.

Leverstock finally got on the board in the 67th minute as Kian Wilkes got on the end of a Cox corner to head home and reduce the arrears to 1-4, but that did not prove to be the start of a comeback. Arlesey were well in control of the game and held onto their lead comfortably against a Green side that were looking a little dispirited by the end. It was the first time this season that Leverstock have lost a game by more than a single goal.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Wilkes 67)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Harry Bonner, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Paplamin Jawara, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Ethan Mooney (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 76 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Ryan Carruthers (12. Ollie Cox 49 mins), 11. Lewis Collins (16. Ollie Lawford 57 mins). Subs not used: 17. Adrian Pitfield, 18. Fergus Moore.
Arlesey Town (3) 4 (Crowter 7, 44, Hoxha 32, Costin 62)
Team: 1. Ryan Hillard, 2. Jesus Mendoza, 3. Tom Millett, 4. Shayan Ghamarinezhad, 5. Sernad Hoxha, 6. Luke Revells, 7. Alex Taylor, 8. Bruno Brito (12. Powell Ukah 83 mins), 9. Noah Costin (15. Muhammad Zilboud 84 mins), 10. Archie Sayer, 11. Reece Crowter. Subs not used: 14. Adam Randall, 16. Ethan Tuttle, 17. Louis Chadwick.

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(H) AFC Dunstable

The under-18s climbed off the bottom of the SCFYL Corinthian Division as they recorded their second league win of the season on Thursday night. The 3-1 victory over AFC Dunstable leapfrogged the Green side over both Dunstable clubs.

A penalty from Dan Payne in the 22nd minute, and a 38th minute goal from Ed Thackeray gave them a 2-0 half time lead, and although the visitors pulled a goal back midway through the second half, a goal from Oliver Sills in stoppage time sealed the points.

Fixture details on Full Time>>

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(H) Oxhey Jets

Leverstock Green’s winning run came to an end against against an improving Oxhey Jets side on Saturday. Oxhey keeper Lewis Todd was the hero for his side, pulling off several impressive saves, including a second half penalty.

The game’s main talking point came very early on. In the third minute of the game Leverstock keeper Alfie Bonfield came racing out of his penalty area to meet oncoming Jets striker Sean Geordmaina. Bonfield slid into Geordmaina with a challenge that was high and reckless after the ball had already gone. Everyone in the ground expected a red card to be shown, including the Leverstock management team, who were considering their options, but after consulting with his linesman, the referee only produced a yellow card for Bonfield. Meanwhile Geordmaina required lengthy treatment and was taken to hospital with facial injuries.

The Green side were very lucky to still have eleven men, and they should have gone in front in the 11th minute when a pass from Paplamin Jawara put Lewis Collins in behind the defence, but Collins put his shot across goal and wide. However three minutes later a similar lofted pass from Dan Weeks allowed Rawn Seale to beat the last defender, and Seale successfully slotted the ball past Todd to put Leverstock into the lead.

Leverstock continued to push forward, although they could not create any more chances, and on 21 minutes Oxhey levelled the scores when Kyal Williams had the space inside the box to turn and fire a shot past Bonfield into the corner of the net. Two minutes before half time the turnaround was complete when Williams lofted a ball from over 40 yards that was probably intended as a cross, but Bonfield was helpless as the ball dipped over his outstretched arm into the top corner of the net.

Leverstock made a brighter start to the second half, and had a golden opportunity to pull back level in the 51st minute when Rio Beach was brought down inside the box. The referee awarded the penalty, but Jawara’s spot kick brought out a great save from Todd.

Todd continued to frustrate the Green side, pulling off another save to keep out a long-range effort from Jawara on 63 minutes. The rest of the Jets defence were also doing their jobs well, throwing themselves at the ball to block shots and crosses, while Leverstock had a number of other efforts which missed the target.

On 76 minutes Oxhey were reduced to ten men temporarily when Daryl Bryan-Samuels was sin-binned for dissent aimed at the linesman, but Leverstock could not make the extra man tell during the ten-minute period. In the 83rd minute Todd saved again to keep out a header from Dan Pett, and on 87 minutes Jawara shot over the bar from a good chance.

As Leverstock continued to push forward for the equaliser they left themselves vulnerable to the counter-attack, and in the 90th minute Oxhey should have sealed the game when Ricardo Adewuyi was clean through. Bonfield saved his shot, but the rebound fell to Theo Costa, who had an open goal but shot over the bar. Oxhey could have been made to pay for that in stoppage time when Pett was through on goal, but Todd pulled off another incredible save to keep out his shot, and Oxhey held on for the win.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Seale 14)
Team: 1.Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield (14. Mikkel James 81 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Ryan Carruthers (17. Dan Pett 66 mins), 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Paplamin Jawara, 11. Lewis Collins (16. Ollie Lawford 73 mins). Subs not used: 12. Harry Bonner, 18. Bradley Robinson.
Oxhey Jets (2) 2 (Williams 21, 43)
Team: 1. Lewis Todd, 2. Kenny Nobrega, 3. Daryl Bryan-Samuels, 4. Harry Beaumont, 5. Ferrell Charles, 6. Onome Emovon, 7. Ricardo Adewuyi, 8. Ben Barnett, 9. Sean Geordmaina, 10. Vass Mandeville, 11. Kyal Williams. Subs used: 12. Tom Inch, 14. Theo Costa, 15. Craig Abu-Adjei. Subs not used: 16. Kyle Matthew, 17. Vagnol Kediambiko.

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(H) Crawley Green

Leverstock Green extended their run of league wins to three and moved up to third in the SSML Premier Division table after a convincing win over Crawley Green in Saturday’s game at Pancake Lane. The damage was done by a scintillating display of attacking football in the first half from Fergus Moore’s side.

The visitors had the game’s first chance in the opening minute when Zion Selassie-Yoseph got on the end of a cross but headed over from close range. Instead it was Leverstock who opened the scoring in the second minute. Adrian Pitfield played the ball forward, and Ollie Lawford flicked it on to Ethan Mooney, who sidestepped keeper Sam Fearon and slotted home.

However, the lead didn’t last for long. In the 5th minute Crawley Green pushed forward, and Luke Andrews hit a shot from distance which hit the inside of the post and flew into the opposite corner of the net.

Leverstock shrugged off the setback and continued to attack. In the 10th minute visiting keeper Fearon pulled off a double save, keeping out a shot from Mooney and Paplamin Jawara’s shot from the rebound. Dan Pett hit a shot just over the bar in the 19th minute. On 22 minutes a pass from Kian Wilkes gave Lewis Collins a run at goal. Collins couldn’t hit his shot on target on this occasion, however two minutes later a great pass from Pitfield put Collins through on goal and this time he slotted the ball home confidently to put Leverstock back in front.

Fearon produced another double save in the 29th minute, keeping out Pett’s shot and his second attempt from the rebound. Three minutes later a pass from Pett found Collins in the box with plenty to do, but Collins twisted and turned past two defenders, bursting through to slot home a brilliant third goal for Leverstock.

Fearon was in action again in the 35th minute, turning away Lawford’s shot. However, a minute later a Leverstock corner was not cleared. After a couple of blocked attempts at goal, Pett laid the ball back to Wilkes, who drilled home a shot from just inside the box to put Leverstock 4-1 up.

The visitors turned in a better display in the second half, although Leverstock still had chances to add to their lead. On 56 minutes Fearon denied Lawford again, turning his shot onto the post, and there were a number of other efforts just off target. Leverstock seldom looked like conceding, although in the 72nd minute Alfie Bonfield was extended to keep out a header from Joe Hankins.

The Leverstock side played the last 15 minutes of the game with ten men. With all three subs already used, Pitfield had to leave the game with an injury. The closest they came to adding to their tally was four minutes from time when Paul Marks got on the end of a Pett corner but headed just wide.

Leverstock Green (4) 4 (Mooney 2, Collins 24, 32, Wilkes 36)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Ethan Mooney (18. Rawn Seale 66 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Ollie Lawford (16. Mikkel James 58 mins), 10. Paplamin Jawara, 11. Lewis Collins (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 73 mins). Subs not used: 12. Ryan Carruthers, 17. Bradley Robinson.
Crawley Green (1) 1 (Andrews 5)
1. Sam Fearon, 2. Adam Hughes, 3. Isiah Brown-Smith, 4. Joe Hubbard, 5. Marlon Burton, 6. Kieran Floyd, 7. Lewis Osbourne (16. Ollie Brannan 59 mins), 8. Luke Andrews (14. Joe Hankins 45 mins), 9. Zion Selassie-Yoseph, 10. Brendan Cowell (15. Kieran Marone 62 mins), 11. Dan Blackman. Subs not used: 12. Wes Iroegbu, 17. Jarred Isles.

Man of the match Lewis Collins receiving his award from match ball sponsor Jim Doble:

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(H) Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted win 4-2 on penalties.

Leverstock Green put up a tremendous performance against their Southern League neighbours Berkhamsted, but for the second time this season they were beaten in a penalty shoot-out. The Green side soaked up a lot of pressure from the Berko side, but created some good chances themselves in a competitive game that could have gone either way in the 90 minutes. Both sides made a number of changes from their previous games, and the Leverstock side included Ollie Cox, playing his first game since returning to the club from Leighton Town.

The visitors went close in the second minute of the game when Phil Draycott’s cross from the left found Alie Bangura six yards out, but Green keeper Juliusz Pazio kept his shot out. Pazio saved another shot from Lewis Toomey in the 11th minute, and comfortably gathered a number of other shots from distance. Leverstock had a few long-range efforts themselves which were saved by visiting keeper Xavi Comas Leon, but the best effort of the half came in stoppage time when Cox’s effort from 20 yards was turned round the post by Leon.

The second half was big on effort from both sides but short of goalmouth action for much of the half. Berko had a golden opportunity to open the scoring in the 66th minute when Alie Bangura was tripped on a run into the box, but Lewis Toomey skied the resulting penalty way over the bar.

Three minutes from time Leverstock had a couple of good chances to win the game. Firstly a pass from Ryan Carruthers put Ethan Mooney through on goal, but his shot went just wide. Soon after there was another chance when a cross from Elgeniy Daalberg found Ollie Lawford in front of goal in space, but Lawford’s first touch let him down, and his shot was closed down.

With the deadlock still unbroken after 90 minutes, the tie went to penalties. Kian Wilkes took the first kick, but it was saved by Leon, and although Mooney and Paplamin Jawara were both successful, Lawford’s kick was also saved. Meanwhile Berko scored all four of their kicks to win the shootout 4-2, and will now face a home tie against Hemel Hempstead Town in the next round.

Leverstock Green 0
Team: 1. Juliusz Pazio, 2. Harry Bonner (17. Adrian Pitfield 73 mins), 3. Bradley Robinson, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paplamin Jawara, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Kian Wilkes, 9. Mikkel James (14. Ollie Lawford 86 mins), 10. Ollie Cox (16. Paul Marks 78 mins), 11. Elgeniy Daalberg. Subs not used: 12. Lewis Collins, 18. Rawn Seale.
Penalties: Wilkes (saved), Mooney, Jawara, Lawford (saved).
Berkhamsted 0
Team: 1. Xavi Comas Leon, 2. Mohamed Bangura, 3. Matt Cooper, 4. Lucas Kirkpatrick, 5. Robbie Goodman, 6. Charlie Briggs, 7. Phil Draycott, 8. Connor Toomey (14. Adam Watkins 56 mins), 9. Lewis Toomey, 10. James Verney (16. Jake Tabor 76 mins), 11. Alie Bangura. Subs not used: 12. Ryan Kinnane, 15. Max Farrelly.
Penalties: Briggs, Draycott, Watkins, A.Bangura.

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(H) Broadfields United

Leverstock Green continued their run of good form as they notched up their fourth win from the last five league games. It was a first home game in six weeks for Fergus Moore’s side, and they came back from an early deficit to win 3-1 against a good Broadfields United side.

The Green side went close to taking an early lead when Ryan Carruthers hit a shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 6th minute, but it came back off the base of the post. Instead it was visitors Broadfields who struck first in the 9th minute, as a cross came over from the right and Rhys Ellis got on the end of it to shoot past Alfie Bonfield.

However, Leverstock were soon back in the game. Rawn Seale had already had a couple of shouts for a penalty which had been turned down by the referee, but when he was clearly tripped by Aldis Aliu, there was no hesitation in awarding a spot kick, which was calmly slotted home by Ollie Lawford for a 16th minute equaliser.

In the 24th minute Lawford and Seale combined to put Lewis Collins through on goal, but Collins’ shot drifted just wide of the far post. A shot from Lawford brought a good save out of visiting keeper Matt Faley in the 32nd minute, and a minute later at the other end Bonfield pulled off a good save to turn away a shot from Connor Spinks. Collins twice threatened with solo runs, firstly in the 32nd minute when his eventual shot was gathered by Faley, and again seven minutes later when his shot brought a great save out of Faley.

The scores were level after an evenly-contested half, and in the early stages of the second half it was Broadfields who had the better of things attacking down the slope, with Rico Clarke-Rowe hitting a shot just wide in the 49th minute.

Fergus Moore made his first change in the 65th minute, replacing Lawford with Paplamin Jawara, and barely a minute later his side had taken the lead. Ethan Mooney got to the bye-line and delivered the ball across the face of goal, and Collins slid in at the far post to stab the ball home.

The game was still finely poised going into the final minutes, with Broadfields still showing plenty of attacking threat, but in the 90th minute a mistake by the visitors inside their own box was pounced on by Elginey Daalberg, who shot home a third goal which ensured that Leverstock would take all three points.

Leverstock take a break from league action on Tuesday night as they entertain neighbours Berkhamsted in the first round of the Herts Senior Cup.

Leverstock Green (1) 3 (Lawford 16 pen, Collins 66, Daalberg 90)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Paul Marks, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Lewis Collins (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 81 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale (16. Mikkel James 90+1 mins), 10. Ollie Lawford (17. Paplamin Jawara 65 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 12. Harry Bonner, 18. Bradley Robinson.
Broadfields United (1) 1 (Ellis 9)
Team: 1. Matt Faley, 2. Francis Tango, 3. George Harsini (14. Max Walcott 83 mins), 4. Kyle Brooks, 5. Callum Rogers, 6. Nate Lewis-Robinson, 7. Aldis Aliu, 8. Rhys Ellis, 9. Connor Spinks, 10. Rico Clarke-Rowe, 11. Jamie Davey (15. Rob Blennerhassett 83 mins). Subs not used: 12. Liam O’Keefe, 16. Billy Smith, 17. Darren Brown.

Match ball sponsor Roger Stokes named Ethan Mooney as Man of the Match, and is pictured here presenting the award. (Photo by Tony Smart)

A selection of match photos taken by Paul Holdrick:

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(H) Harpenden Town

The under-18s suffered an unfortunate last-minute defeat in Thursday night’s SCFYL Corinthian Division game at Pancake Lane.

After a goalless first half, Harpenden took an early lead in the second half, but were then reduced to ten men. Leo Broom equalised for Leverstock with 20 minutes to play, but in the dying moments of the game Harpenden scored a winner.

>>Details on Full Time

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