Leverstock Green finally won their first cup tie of the season, and it was a well-deserved result as an excellent performance took them into the last 8 of the Premier Division Cup with a 3-1 win over Dunstable Town.

There were a number of players missing from tonight’s game, including the cup-tied Conor Blake and Connor Church and the suspended Cass Grant, but the squad still produced one of their best displays of the season on a wet and windy night at Pancake Lane.

It was the visitors who had the game’s first chance in the 24th minute when Eric Ameyaw headed wide from a good position, but seconds later Leverstock were on the attack, with Frankie Jowle sending in a cross from the left. The ball dropped in the box for Adiel Mannion, who turned and shot home into the corner of the net to put the Green 1-0 up.

Dunstable went close again in the 28th minute when Seb Smith hit a free kick just over the bar, while a minute later at the other end Louie Griffiths had a good shooting chance on the edge of the box but hit it over the bar.

Leverstock had another chance on 35 minutes when Jowle slid in to meet Kai Stonnell’s ball across goal, but it was blocked wide. Jowle took the resulting corner and found Jamie Ovington, but he headed over the bar. Dunstable went close to an equaliser on 41 minutes when Davide Pobbe struck a free kick from a narrow angle which hit the bar and bounced down onto the line, and somehow in the ensuing scramble the ball was cleared. However they did equalise in first half stoppage time as Pobbe’s corner was not cleared and Luke Little fired home a shot from eight yards out.

Leverstock continued to play well in the second half, and after ten minutes they went back in front as Jowle again found Ovington from a corner, but this time the header was on target. Keeper Dan Gould scooped the ball away, but after consulting his linesman the referee adjudged that the ball had crossed the line and gave the goal.

The visitors had fewer chances in the second half, with a cross-shot from Daniel Trif which went just wide of the far post on 76 minutes being their nearest to an equaliser. Two minutes later Leverstock went close to a third when a cross from Alex Ward found Steve Hawes, who couldn’t direct his header on target, but the ball was only cleared as far as Jowle, who lashed home a shot from a narrow angle to add the deserved third goal.