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.