(H) Colney Heath

Leverstock Green suffered another heavy home defeat on Tuesday night to a strong Colney Heath side. The Green side started the match well, and had plenty of possession over the opening 15 minutes, although didn’t create any chances during this time.

The game’s first effort on goal came in the 15th minute, and it was from former Green striker Chris Blunden, who turned and shot home from the edge of the penalty area to open the scoring.

Reece Cameron had Leverstock’s first serious shot in the 23rd minute, an effort from distance which went over the angle of post and bar. The game was still evenly-contested at this stage, but a mistake from keeper Ryan Schmid allowed Blunden an easy second goal in the 37th minute, which left Leverstock with a mountain to climb in the second half.

Schmid did well to tip over a header from a corner in the 52nd minute, but had no chance two minutes later when Jack Woods hit a shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the net for the third goal. In the 76th minute Schmid was adjudged to have bundled over an opponent inside the box, allowing Blunden to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot. Colney added their fifth in the 81st minute when Woods crossed for Andy Sears-Black to head home, the margin of victory not flattering to a side who completely controlled the second half.

Leverstock continue their quest for crucial points with a trip to Potton United on Saturday.

 

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(H) Baldock Town

Leverstock Green fell to their third defeat in a row, but they were unlucky to get nothing out of a game in which the strong wind played havoc throughout. Baldock won the game with two goals midway through the first half, but Leverstock had three good chances and a penalty shout turned down.

The Green side made a good start to the game and almost had a chance in the opening thirty seconds when Reece Cameron hooked a pass through to Lewis Collins, but a defender got in just ahead of Collins. 15 minutes into the game Collins had a genuine chance when a pass from Jamie Fulton put him clean through, but Baldock keeper Adam Harpur pulled off a great save to keep it out, and Toby Syme’s effort on the rebound was blocked wide. The effect of the wind was demonstrated when Mark Smith took the resulting corner – the ball got halfway towards the goal but then turned back towards him.

Having done well over the opening 20 minutes, Leverstock then found themselves behind in the 21st minute when Daril Ngwala hit a shot from the edge of the penalty area which was just out of Ryan Schmid’s reach and crept inside the post. Worse was to follow four minutes later when Kieran Barnes hit a shot from distance which Schmid parried away, but Charlie Payne followed up to net the rebound and put Baldock into a 2-0 lead.

Late in the first half Leverstock were denied a chance to get back into the game. There appeared to be a clear handball by a Baldock defender in the penalty area, but the referee waved away the claims for a spot kick.

Two minutes into the second half there was another big moment for the Green side when a poor back header gave Cameron the chance of a clear shot at goal. Harpur got a hand to the shot, but it was still heading for the net until defender Marcus Crowther scrambled back to clear it off the line.

Cameron was denied again in the 64th minute as he hit a great shot from the edge of the box which was tipped over the bar by Harpur.

There was little else in the way of chances during the second half, with Baldock creating little to trouble Schmid, but Leverstock just couldn’t find the goal to get them back into the game.

Next up for Matt Harding’s side is a home game against Colney Heath on Tuesday night, kick-off 7.45 pm.

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(H) Biggleswade United

It was a very inexperienced Leverstock Green side that took the field against 4th placed Biggleswade United, and the outcome was predictably one-sided, although three of the visitors’ goals came from unstoppable strikes as against only two from defensive mistakes.

With goalkeeper Ryan Schmid being recalled by Kings Langley for one game, plus all three central defenders on loan from AFC Dunstable being unavailable, and with both Mark Smith and Luke Preedy being suspended after their red cards last week, Matt Harding was missing the spine of the team that had played so well against Biggleswade F.C. in midweek. Apart from skipper Seldyn Grant, all the players in the squad were 20 years old or younger.

Having said that, the Green side came very close to going in front inside thirty seconds. Attacking straight from the kick-off, Luke Nugent played the ball out to Wesley Iroegbu, and when Iroegbu’s cross to the near post wasn’t cleared, Nugent came in with a shot which was cleared off the line by defender Joe Gauge. There was another good chance in the 12th minute when Jamie Fulton played a through ball to Lejhai Henriques, who attempted a lob over the keeper, but it was blocked.

The makeshift Green defence, lacking any specialist centre-backs, had done well against the visitors’ attacks initially, but in the 14th minute Joe Hankins hit a superb shot from outside the box which gave debutant keeper George Waters no chance as it flew into the net to open the scoring. There was another impressive strike in the 22nd minute from former Leverstock striker David Parkinson, who turned inside the box and drilled home a shot from a narrow angle in at the near post for their second goal.

A goal-line clearance from Toby Syme prevented a third goal in the 30th minute, and Hankins was close to his second five minutes later with a shot that went just over the bar. However, just as they had started the half well, the Leverstock side ended the half well, and came close to pulling a goal back in the 43rd minute when an excellent dipping shot from Iroegbu was tipped over the bar by keeper Ollie Leslie.

The visitors continued their dominance in the second half, but despite early chances, it look them until the 62nd minute to add the third goal, when Hankins was put through, and although his shot from a narrow angle hit the post, Jaiden Irish got to the rebound first to put the ball into the net. The fourth goal arrived within two minutes, though, and this one was something of a soft goal as the Green defence fluffed at least two chances to clear the ball from their own box before Taylor Rhiney had a simple finish to slot home.

Two goals in such quick succession could have opened the floodgates, and on 69 minutes it should have been five when Seldyn Grant was adjudged to have brought down an opponent in the box, but Kane Farrell hit the bar with his penalty. The fifth goal did arrive five minutes later when Rhiney hit a tremendous long-distance strike that gave Waters absolutely no chance, but that turned out to be the extent of the scoring.

The Leverstock side is in the midst of a tough run of games, with next Saturday bringing a trip to Biggleswade F.C.

 

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(H) Biggleswade F.C.

Leverstock Green pulled off a surprise result on Tuesday night, holding title favourites Biggleswade F.C. to a 1-1 draw at Pancake Lane. It was a fully-deserved point for Matt Harding’s side, who turned in a fantastic defensive display, disciplined, dogged and determined throughout. Two of the star performers for Leverstock were Harry Barrett and Kane O’Neil, who had both played for the under-18s against Boreham Wood the previous night. The central defensive positions were filled by two players on loan from AFC Dunstable, Terry Griffiths and Luke Abrahams.

After a quiet opening to the match, the visitors had their first chance in the 11th minute when a goalmouth scramble ensued after a shot was blocked. Ryan Schmid made a save, but the key block was by Griffiths, who cleared a shot from Justin Leavers off the line. On 23 minutes a quickly-taken free kick allowed Tom Cookman to get in a cross for Lee Northfield, but again Leverstock defended well and didn’t allow him to get a shot away. A minute later Northfield had another chance from a cross by Lawrie Marsh, but his shot went just wide.

Leverstock won their first corner in the 29th minute, and Mark Smith’s great cross wasn’t gathered by the keeper, but as the ball went across the face of goal an effort from Griffiths was blocked. Three minutes later, Leverstock found themselves in front through something of a gift of a goal. Visiting keeper Sam Wyer went to gather a ball that should have been a comfortable take, but somehow dropped it. Wesley Iroegbu picked up the loose ball and calmly slotted it into the net for a 1-0 lead.

However, the lead only lasted 8 minutes, and for the second time in four days Leverstock suffered from the instant impact of a substitute. Michael Simpson came off the bench to replace Conor Inskip, and within seconds had delivered the cross which found Cookman to head home emphatically for the equaliser.

In the second half Biggleswade had the slope in their favour and launched a constant stream of attacks at the Leverstock goal, but ended up frustrated by the determination of the Green defence to not concede. Ten minutes into the half the visitors had a great chance when Cookman forced himself clean through, but Schmid threw himself at Cookman’s shot and deflected it over the bar with his legs for a brilliant save from point blank range. Four minutes later Schmid denied Cookman again with a block at the near post. On 64 minutes it was Barrett who was throwing himself at a shot from Marsh to block it away.

Leverstock didn’t get out of their own half a great deal, but on 67 minutes a free kick from Smith caused another nervous moment for Wyer as he dropped the ball again, but this time the danger was cleared. Soon after Schmid made another save with his legs to deny Marsh, and on 73 minutes Leavers was unlucky when his shot hit the post.

As the game wore on Biggleswade were getting increasingly anxious and looking less and less likely to break down the Green defence. Three minutes from time a shot from Northfield was deflected just wide, but the resulting corner was headed over the bar. Six minutes of stoppage time were played, but Leverstock kept their concentration until the end and held out for an excellent point which will no doubt also be welcomed by the other sides fighting for the Premier Division title.

The two sides meet again in the return fixture on Saturday week, but before that Leverstock host F.C.’s neighbours Biggleswade United this coming Saturday.

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(H) Stotfold

Leverstock Green had hoped that the visit of bottom club Stotfold would enable them to add to their points tally, but it proved not to be as a goal 15 minutes from time was enough for the visitors to claim the three points. On the balance of play and number of chances created, Stotfold certainly deserved their win. Three players were red carded as tempers boiled over in the last few minutes.

Stotfold’s first chance came in the 5th minute when Charlie Cullen blocked a clearance from Green keeper Ryan Schmid, but he shot wide of the target. Leverstock’s first attempt on goal was in the 11th minute when Kane O’Neil went on a run and squared the ball for Luke Preedy, who shot over the bar.

The Green skipper Shane Wood continues to be plagued by injuries, and had to leave this game after just 19 minutes, to be replaced by Jamie Fulton. Leverstock’s main source of attacks were the long goal kicks of Schmid, but Stotfold keeper Tyla Dickinson dealt with them well under pressure from the onrushing Preedy.

There was little in the way of further chances until the last minute of the half. A pass from Kerran Lataille found Preedy all alone out wide, and Preedy headed for goal and got a shot away, but it was comfortably fielded by Dickinson. Three minutes into stoppage time Stotfold went close as a shot from Zachery Decker went just wide of the post.

The early stages of the second half belonged to Stotfold. On 48 minutes Kai McArthur shot just over the bar, and four minutes later Eben Mbona struck the bar with a free kick from distance. A minute later Schmid parried away an effort by Jermaine Francis and a rebound effort went over the bar. Leverstock’s best moment of the half came in the 63rd minute when a cross from Harry Barrett found O’Neil at the far post, but his header went over the bar.

The game was still goalless with 15 minutes to go when Stotfold made their final substitution, bringing on Ryan McEvoy, and just seconds after coming onto the pitch McEvoy got in behind the Green defence to shoot past Schmid and put his side into the lead.

Leverstock pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but were still unable to find the necessary quality to create a clear-cut chance. In the last minute of the 90 they were reduced to ten men. Mark Smith had already been booked for an earlier foul, and an incident at a free kick saw him get a second yellow and a red card. In the last of the scheduled five minutes of stoppage time Leverstock had another free kick, which was floated into the box, but Dickinson did well to claim the ball. However, there were some afters involving players of both sides, and two red cards were shown for violent conduct, firstly to Stotfold’s George Ezekiel, and then to Preedy, who had been booked a couple of minutes earlier, but his dismissal was a straight red.

After today’s disappointing result, the Green side now face a tough run of games, with two of the next three being against title favourites Biggleswade F.C. The first of those is at Pancake Lane this coming Tuesday night.

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(H) Berkhamsted

Archie Taylor scored the goal as the under-18s were held to a 1-1 draw by Berkhamsted.

Starting XI:
Tom Palmer
Kane O’Neil
Reece Morley
Byron Lee-Clarke
Harry Barrett
Ben Harris
Zak McNicholas
Paplamin Jawara
Louis Griffiths
Archie Taylor
Alec Wallace
Substitutes (all used):
Josh Wilson
Liam Lindgren
Lewis Collins

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(H) AFC Hayes

The reserves trailed 1-0 at half time to AFC Hayes, but a second half equaliser from Wesley Iroegbu, his third goal in successive games, rescued a point.

Starting XI:
Harry Challis
Jake Deveraux
Louis Griffiths
Wesley Iroegbu
Liam Lindgren
Jack Manly
Reece Morley
Ude Osim
Lucas Preston
Quai Smith-Mckella
Alex Yearwood
Substitutes:
Adi Connolly
Jamal Howe
Alec Wallace

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