Leverstock Green suffered a heartbreaking stoppage time defeat after a pulsating match in which they had led twice before falling to two late goals. Fergus Moore’s side put in a tremendous committed performance against a Harpenden side that are fancied to do very well this season, and certainly deserved at least a point for their efforts.

The Green side had an opening inside thirty seconds of the match as a through ball gave Isiah Noel-Williams a shooting chance, but his effort was saved. Instead it was Harpenden who took an early lead when Mulik Rickman was allowed too much time and space to line up a shot from outside the box into the bottom corner of the net with just a minute and forty seconds played.

However, Leverstock hit back, and were level in the 10th minute. Noel-Williams, who covered every blade of grass on the pitch today, delivered a cross from near the corner flag that went just over the head of Scott McGleish, but found Ollie Lawford at the far post with a looping header over the keeper for the equaliser.

Within two minutes the game had been turned around as Leverstock took the lead thanks to a howler from visiting keeper Emmanuel Olajide, who caught a cross comfortably, but then dropped it at the feet of Ethan Mooney, who wasted no time in stabbing the loose ball into the empty net.

Leverstock continued to push forward and created some half-chances, going closest to a third goal on 24 minutes when Paul Marks hit a shot just wide from the edge of the box. Three minutes later Ivan Machado hit a shot just over the bar for Harpenden. The visitors got back on level terms from a quick counter-attack in the 37th minute, ending with Harvey Scott squaring for Jimmy Hartley to shoot home from close range.

Leverstock were forced into a substitution just before half time after skipper Dan Weeks suffered a facial injury in a collision with keeper Juliusz Pazio, and Harpenden went close to going back in front in the last minute of the half, with a header from a free kick going just over the bar.

The second half was just as entertaining as the first had been. Three minutes into the half Leverstock went close again when McGleish flicked on Brima Johnson’s pass to Lawford, who sent over a cross that just eluded Noel-Williams. On the hour mark Lawford was replaced by Rawn Seale, who was quickly involved in the action. On 65 minutes a pass from McGleish put Seale through on goal, only for his shot to be saved by Olajide, however the loose ball found its way to Kian Wilkes, who crossed for Seale to shoot home from close range and put Leverstock back into the lead at 3-2.

Wilkes went close to adding another goal in the 73rd minute with a shot that flew just over the bar. Going into the last ten minutes of the game Leverstock were still leading, but there were signs that the side was tiring as Harpenden started to apply more pressure. The scores were levelled again in the 83rd minute when a cross from the left was not dealt with and Ryan Plowright headed home from six yards out.

Going into stoppage time, neither side was settling for the draw as both were still pushing forward. In the fourth minute of stoppage time Leverstock looked to have got away with one as Pazio turned a shot from the edge of the box onto the post, however the ball was not cleared, and when a cross was drilled in from the right it deflected into the net off Plowright, who knew little about it, but it proved to be the winner.

The three points took Harpenden above Leverstock at the top of the league, but there is much to build on from this performance, starting with next Saturday’s home match against Dunstable Town.

Leverstock Green (2) 3 (Lawford 10, Mooney 12, Seale 65)
Team: 1. Juliiusz Pazio, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks (15. Paplamin Jawara 43 mins), 5. Brima Johnson, 6. Paul Marks, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Kian Wilkes, 9. Scott McGleish (12. Mikkel James 73 mins), 10. Ollie Lawford (14. Rawn Seale 60 mins), 11. Isiah Noel-Williams. Subs not used: 17. Lewis Collins, 18. Alfie Bonfield.

Harpenden Town (2) 4 (Rickman 2, Hartley 37, Plowright 83, 90+4)
Team: 1. Emmanuel Olajide, 2. Toby Syme, 3. Dan Westmore (16. George Robinson 60 mins), 4. Ryan Plowright, 5. Dan Palmer, 6. Josh Dooley, 7. Harvey Scott, 8. Mulik Rickman, 9. Ivan Machado (15. Theo Costa 71 mins), 10. Joe Deveany, 11. Jimmy Hartley. Subs not used: 12. Connor Perlmutter, 14. Josh Rodrigues, 17. Ben Renwick.

After five straight seasons of losing their opening league game, Leverstock Green finally got a season off to the ideal start as they opened 2021/22 with a deserved win over Baldock Town. Fergus Moore and his management team took control of the side for the first time in a competitive game, and their team turned in a disciplined display, scoring twice in the first half and keeping the visitors at bay in the second half for a clean sheet. After a number of sin bins and red cards, the game ended with just 18 players on the pitch.

It was the new-look Leverstock side who had the first chances in the game. In the 16th minute Mikkel James found himself clean through, and tried to take the ball round Baldock keeper Cameron Groom, but Groom just about got a boot in to deny James. Five minutes later James was in again and got the ball past Groom, but it was cleared off the line by Daniel Harper.

On 25 minutes Groom was forced into action again to tip a cross from Paul Marks over the bar. Baldock did not clear the resulting corner, and in the ensuing scramble James appeared to be brought down, but the referee played on. However, seconds later Isiah Noel-Williams was brought down and this time the referee awarded the penalty. Kian Wilkes drilled the spot kick into the bottom corner despite Groom getting a hand to it to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute.

Leverstock keeper Alfie Bonfield was brought into action for the first time in the 38th minute, saving a low shot from Dylan Logan. It proved to be a crucial save, as a minute later Leverstock were at the other end as Noel-Williams went on a mazy run into the box, beating two defenders before sliding the ball past Groom to put Leverstock into a 2-0 lead.

The Green side took that lead into the second half and almost increased it on 57 minutes when James flicked on Bonfield’s goal kick into the path of Lewis Collins, who tried to lob Groom but didn’t get the ball high enough to beat the keeper. For much of the second half the Leverstock team had to dig deep as Baldock built up a sustained spell of pressure. On 69 minutes Rio Beach made a great tackle in the box to deny Baldock a chance.

Baldock were reduced to ten men on 76 minutes when Charlie Rome was sent to the sin-bin for dissent. Bonfield made his best save of the game three minutes later to turn away a shot from Jude White after the striker had burst through the middle. In the 83rd minute Baldock’s ranks were further reduced when skipper Josh Furness was sin-binned, and a minute later yet another sin-bin saw them down to eight men for a short time before Rome returned to put them back up to nine.

Leverstock sub Elgeniy Daalberg was denied a third goal in the 87th minute as his shot from a narrow angle was saved by Groom at the near post. As the game went into stoppage time it looked like Leverstock were a matter a minutes away from claiming the win, but then a bad tackle from Daalberg sparked a mass brawl.

After the dust had settled, the referee began dispensing cards, and there was a red for both sides, Daalberg for the tackle and Jude White for retaliation, reducing Baldock back to eight men. There was also a yellow card for each side, with Steve Hawes the Green recipient. In the end almost ten minutes of stoppage time were played before the referee blew the final whistle to herald an excellent three point start for the Leverstock side.

Leverstock Green (2) 2 (Wilkes 27 pen, Noel-Williams 39)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield (17. Tom Justin 73 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Paul Marks, 5. Brima Johnson, 6. Ryan Carruthers (20. Steve Hawes 63 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Kian Wilkes, 9. Mikkel James, 10. Isiah Noel-Williams, 11. Lewis Collins (14. Elgeniy Daalberg 72 mins). Subs not used: 12. Ollie Lawford, 16. Paplamin Jawara.

Baldock Town (0) 0
Team: 1. Cameron Groom, 2. Josh Furness, 3. Tommy Reynolds, 4. Alfie Warman, 5. Luke Rowland (15. Zachary Decker 84 mins), 6. Daniel Harper, 7. Dylan Logan, 8. Charlie Rome, 9. Lanrewaju Balogun (16. Theo Reed 66 mins), 10. Jude White, 11. Ashley Hay. Subs not used: 12. Luis Brooker, 13. Oliver Skinner, 14. Harry Baker.