Leverstock Green could have put themselves 12 points clear of the relegation zone with a win tonight, but they had to settle for a draw against Enfield, which maintains their nine-point gap above the drop zone. It wasn’t a great performance by the Leverstock side, but a point was a reasonable return in a nervy game of high stakes.

It was a bright start for the Green side, with Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica twice getting in behind his defender early on, the second time running on into the box to bring a good save out of visiting keeper George Edgeworth in the 7th minute. However, Leverstock found themselves a goal down in the 16th minute with a rare mistake from keeper Ashton Broome-Alexander, allowing a soft effort from Bradley McClenaghan into the net.

For the next 20 minutes the Leverstock side were struggling to put anything together and didn’t look like getting back into the game. However, in the 39th minute there was more good work from Stefanoaica, who got in behind the defence again and crossed into the six-yard box, where Marcus Warren was on hand to finish from close range for the equaliser.

The goal lifted the Green side, and they might have gone in front before the break. In the 43rd minute Dan Pett’s header from a free kick was deflected wide, and in the goalmouth scramble from the ensuing corner, Stefanoaica had an effort turned round the post by Edgeworth.

The second half was a somewhat scrappy affair with neither side creating much in the way of clear-cut chances. Enfield were unlucky when Kieran Southgate hit the bar with a curling shot in the 82nd minute, but Leverstock should have won the game in stoppage time. A through pass put substitute Iker Noguera Leon through on goal, and Leon took the ball past Edgeworth, but then hit his shot into the side netting.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Warren 39)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 20. Olusegun Adedipe (14. Dan Casey 76 mins), 6. Ademide Baruwa, 7. Joe McCarthy, 8. Carmicheal Uchenna (12. Ryan Carruthers 33 mins), 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (16. Iker Noguera Leon 78 mins). Subs not used: 15. Callum Donnelly, 18. Jack Allen.
Enfield (1) 1 (McClenaghan 16)
1. George David Edgeworth, 2. Aundre Wholas-Spencer (15. Tajuddin Bello 67 mins), 3. Charlie Anderson, 4. Sam Coombes, 5. Matthew Hurley, 6. Toib Adeyemi, 7. Joni Vukaj, 8. Nathan Brathwaite (18. Izuchuckwu Okafor 73 mins), 12. George Sykes (11. Kieran Southgate 80 mins), 14. Samir Ali (10. Joe Gregory 69 mins), 20. Bradley McClenaghan (16. Freddy Moncur 66 mins).

Prior to this match Leverstock Green had won their last four home matches, but they were unable to make it five in a row as a disappointing performance saw them go down 2-0 to Hertford Town in Tuesday night’s Southern League fixture.

It was a generally scrappy match, with few chances for either side. Leverstock had the game’s first clear chance in the 15th minute when a pass from Carmicheal Uchenna put Jeffrey Sekyere through on goal, but his eventual shot was straight at keeper James Callan. Two minutes later Iker Noguera Leon made a run into the box and hit a rasping shot from a narrow angle, but Callan turned it wide.

Hertford had a great chance to open the scoring in the 40th minute, but a shot from point-blank range was deflected wide of the post off one of their own players. However, within a minute they did find the net, as Marcus Painter found space on the edge of the box to hit a low shot past Ashton Broome-Alexander.

The second half was equally low on quality, with Leverstock being unable to hang onto the ball or do anything with it in the last third of the field. They were still in the game until the 76th minute when Hertford broke away down the right. Zen Cunningham’s cross found Painter, whose shot was saved, but Noah Mosanya bundled the rebound home to put Hertford 2-0 up, a lead that was not threatened in the remaining minutes of the game.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe (14. Dan Casey 79 mins), 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 20. Olesegun Adedipe, 6. Nar Connolly (12. Ryan Carruthers 66 mins), 7. Iker Noguera Leon (16. Callum Neal 79 mins), 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Ademide Baruwa, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (18. Jack Allen 61 mins). Sub not used: 15. Callum Donnelly.
Hertford Town (1) 2 (Painter 40, Mosanya 76)
1. James Callan, 2. Albert McGregor, 3. Isaac Evans, 4. Kieran Barnes, 5. Nader Zeddini, 6. Ben Herd, 7. Jesus Mendoza (14. Zen Cunningham 67 mins), 8. Reiss Webber, 9. Noah Mosanya, 10. Billy Mardell-Smith, 11. Marcus Painter. Subs not used: 12. Lene Burden, 16. George Evans, 17. Finley Lynch, 18. Jamal Obeng.

Leverstock Green pulled a further three points away from the relegation zone with a crucial 2-1 win against Marlow in Saturday’s Southern League fixture, their fourth win in the last five games.

Leverstock welcomed back midfielder Ademide Baruwa, who rejoined from Northwood during the week, and after starting on the bench Baruwa was quickly into the action, replacing Marcus Warren, who had an eye injury, in the 17th minute. Another early enforced change saw Joe McCarthy, back from a two-game suspension, having to leave the game injured in the 24th minute to be replaced by Iker Noguera Leon.

The first half saw little in the way of clear-cut chances for either side. Late in the half Marlow won two free kicks in dangerous positions just outside the box, but both of them were hit straight at the wall. In the last minute of the half Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica’s pass gave Carmicheal Uchenna a run at goal, but his shot from a narrow angle was saved by keeper James Sharlott.

Two goals early in the second half put Leverstock in control. In the 49th minute a neat passing move was completed when Uchenna’s pass put Jeffrey Sekyere through on goal, and the club’s top scorer made no mistake, slipping the ball under Sharlott to open the scoring. Another impressive goal came three minutes later. Leon’s pass put Sekyere away down the left channel, and his low cross into the box was met by Stefanoaica to finish from close range for a 2-0 Leverstock lead.

There could have been further goals, with Baruwa having a shot saved by Sharlott in the 63rd minute, and Sekyere dribbling through only to shoot over the bar in the 66th minute.

Marlow had shown little threat to the Leverstock goal, but there was a danger sign in the 79th minute when Sebastian D’Aversa hit a shot just wide. Five minutes later the same player was there on the edge of the box when the ball dropped to him, and finished with a shot into the corner of the net to pull a goal back and ensure another nervous finish for the Leverstock followers.

The two-goal lead could have been re-established in the 87th minute when Rio Beach broke away and set up Jack Allen, but Allen’s first shot was blocked and his follow-up effort was kept out by Sharlott’s legs.More than eight minutes of stoppage time were played, but as has been the case in recent games, Leverstock held their nerve and were able to get the win over the line.

Leverstock Green (0) 2 (Sekyere 49, Stefanoaica 52)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 20. Olusegun Adedipe, 6. Nat Connolly (15. Callum Donnelly 79 mins), 7. Joe McCarthy (16. Iker Noguera Leon 24 mins), 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren (12. Ademide Baruwa 18 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (18. Jack Allen 73 mins). Sub not used: 14. Dan Casey.
Marlow (0) 1 (D’Aversa 84)
1. James Sharlott, 4. Jacob Wilson (12. Flavio Gyawu-Kyem 60 mins), 5. Sebastian D’Aversa, 6. Alex Salmon, 7. Toby Raggett (2. Abdallah Khalil 73 mins), 8. Chris Ovenden, 10. Harvey Maudner (16. Kwesi Ntim 60 mins), 15. Alfie Agar, 17. Chris Lutonadio, 19. Enrique Tiamuna (9. Shamar Moore 59 mins), 21. Jack Empson (11. Patryk Bozych 87 mins).

Leverstock Green added another crucial three points to their total with an impressive win over bottom side AFC Dunstable in Tuesday night’s Southern League Division One Central fixture.

An early goal was vital for the Leverstock side to settle their nerves, and it took just six minutes for them to open the scoring, as Iker Noguera Leon had a shooting chance on the edge of the box and hit a low shot out of the reach of keeper Noah Vaughan into the corner of the net. The second goal was not long arriving, as George Mitchell-Gears fired home a half-volley from just inside the box to notch the first goal of his current spell at the club.

There could have been a third in the 23rd minute as a neat passing move put Leon through on goal, but Vaughan got a hand to his shot to tip it round the post. Five minutes later Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica made a run into the box but his shot from a narrow angle was kept out by Vaughan’s legs. Leon had another shooting chance in the 38th minute but hit it straight at Vaughan.

The young AFC Dunstable side came more into the game in the last ten minutes of the half, and a foul from Olusegun Adedipe gave them a free kick just outside the box, but the shot was saved by Ashton Broome-Alexander.

Leverstock struggled to make any further ground early in the second half, and Broome-Alexander had to make another good save in the 59th minute to keep out a shot from a narrow angle. A double substitution on the hour saw Jack Allen and Luke Beckwith introduced, and added some pep to the Leverstock side.

Broome-Alexander made another crucial save in the 68th minute to punch away a dangerous cross, and within a minute Leverstock had their third goal. Allen hit a shot from the edge of the box which took a deflection off a defender and looped up over Vaughan’s head into the net as the big striker scored his first goal for the club.

Leverstock were playing with more freedom now, and top scorer Jeffrey Sekyere added his name to the scoresheet in the 78th minute, cutting in from the left on a solo run before drilling home a low shot from a narrow angle. There was more to come in the first minute of stoppage time as Allen went on a solo run into the box before firing home his second of the night and completing Leverstock’s biggest ever win in the Southern League.

Leverstock Green (2) 5 (Leon 6, Mitchell-Gears 11, Allen 69, 90+1, Sekyere 78)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 6. Ryan Carruthers (15. Nat Connolly 65 mins), 7. Iker Noguera Leon (18. Jack Allen 61 mins), 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. George Mitchell-Gears (16. Marcus Warren 70 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (12. Luke Beckwith 61 mins). Sub not used: 14. Dan Casey.
AFC Dunstable (0) 0
1. Noah Vaughan, 2. Aaron Addy (12. Tyrelle Joseph 80 mins), 3. Wallace Clark, 4. James Doherty, 5. Mohibur Rahman, 6.Jamie De Beer, 7. Alfie Carrington (12. Jeffery Yeboah H/T), 8. Jeremy Amissah (14. Benjamin Burt 51 mins), 9. Shea Greene, 11. Cyril Mensah (17. Christopher Carter 69 mins), 15. Jake Cowley (16. Jude Slough 89 mins).

It was a second straight win for Leverstock Green and a very impressive result against second-placed Hitchin Town in a see-saw game of three penalties. A superb finish from substitute Iker Noguera Leon late in the game proved to be the winner.

The visitors had the game’s first serious attempt on goal in the 19th minute when Kye Tearle hit a shot from the edge of the box just over the bar. Leverstock were unlucky not to take the lead in the 24th minute. As the ball came into the box, Joe McCarthy got in ahead of keeper Tyler McGregor and tried to take the ball around him, but McGregor scrambled back and pulled off a save to keep out McCarthy’s shot.

Hitchin went in front from the game’s first penalty in the 30th minute. Olusegun Adedipe was penalised for a late challenge just inside the box, and Taylor Rhiney made no mistake from the spot. Leverstock should have been level before the break. In the 41st minute Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica’s pass gave McCarthy a run at goal, and McCarthy laid off to set up Jeffrey Sekyere with a clear chance, but his shot went over the bar.

Hitchin took their lead into the break, but Leverstock fought back strongly in the second half. In the 59th minute Carmicheal Uchenna went on a solo run which took him past a number of defenders before laying off to Stefanoaica, who controlled the ball and drilled it into the bottom corner to level the scores and notch his second goal in two games.

It got better for Leverstock. In the 74th minute McGregor was adjudged to have fouled McCarthy as the two challenged for the ball, and the referee awarded the second penalty of the game. Sekyere sent McGregor the wrong way to put Leverstock into a 2-1 lead. It was a short-lived lead though, as two minutes later the referee was pointing to the spot again when a tackle from Dan Pett brought down a Hitchin player just inside the box. Rhiney stepped up again and was successful again to level the scores at 2-2.

In the 82nd minute Stefanoaica was replaced by Iker Noguera Leon, and the Spanish striker got his first touch of the ball two minutes later when a pass from Uchenna put him in behind the last defender, and Leon ran on to slot the ball past McGregor superbly to put Leverstock back in front at 3-2.

Once again the Leverstock faithful had to endure five minutes of stoppage time with a slender lead, and there was a nervous moment when a corner was given away and everyone including McGregor came up for it, but the danger was cleared and Leverstock held on for a fully-deserved win against a Hitchin side that didn’t really create a single clear-cut chance in open play or force a serious save out of Ashton Broome-Alexander. Leverstock’s unbeaten run extends to five games, and the three points takes them further clear of the relegation zone and moves them up a place in the Division One Central table.

Leverstock Green (0) 3 (Stefanoaica 59, Sekyere 74 pen, Leon 84)
1 Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 20. Olusegun Adedipe (14. Dan Casey 64 mins), 6.Carmicheal Uchenna (15. Callum Donnelly 88 mins), 7. Joe McCarthy, 8. orge Mitchell-Gears, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Marcus Warren (12. Ryan Carruthers 71 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (16. Iker Noguera Leon 82 mins). Sub not used: 18. Jack Allen.
Hitchin Town (1) 2 (Rhiney 30 pen, 76 pen)
1. Tyler McGregor, 2. Kye Tearle, 3. Callum Kane, 4. Brett Longden (12. Toby Syme 82 mins), 5. Charlie Briggs, 6. Ciaren Jones, 7. Liam Brooks (16. Diogo Freitas-Gouveia 83 mins), 8. Josh Coldicott-Stevens (15. Kavan Cotter 73 mins), 9. Taylor Rhiney, 10. Lewis Franklin, 11. Callum Nicolson. Subs not used: 14. Blue Joy, 17. Fernando Bell-Toxtle.