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.

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.