Leverstock Green’s winless run extended to three games after Harpenden Town staged a second half comeback to overturn a half-time deficit and win Saturday’s SSML Premier Division game 2-1. On a difficult Pancake Lane pitch, both sides gave their all but Harpenden played the better football and ultimately deserved the win.

Leverstock were favouring a more direct style in the first half, and had the better of the early play. In the 6th minute Harpenden keeper Connor Samson came out of his area to cut out a through ball, but was caught out when the ball bounced over his head. Luke Marsh had a shot at the empty net but didn’t get enough behind it and a defender was able to get back and clear. Five minutes later Matt Bateman just failed to connect with a cross from Brima Johnson.

Harpenden had their first effort on goal in the 14th minute when James Yates cut in from the left and hit a shot across goal and just wide. However, a minute later a pass from David Lawrence put Bateman clean through, and Batemen placed an excellent chip over Samson to put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead.

The visitors had a good chance for an equaliser on 24 minutes when a short goal kick was intercepted by James Ewington, who headed straight for goal and looked set to score until Liam McCrohan got back and put in a superb sliding challenge to block the shot. Leverstock keeper Caolan Doyle-Creamer produced a great save in the 38th minute, getting down to turn away a shot from Yates with one hand. A minute before the break a pass from Curtis Donaldson but Bateman through again, and this time Bateman took the ball round Samson, but a defender got back to block his shot wide.

Harpenden were still a goal down at the break, but came close again in the 48th minute when a cross from the left was headed away by Alex Marsh, but only as far as Steve O’Reilly, whose shot from the edge of the box struck the crossbar. In the 56th minute a Leverstock defender slipped on the greasy surface and allowed Yates to have a run at goal and shoot home to level the scores at 1-1.

Leverstock found it difficult to create chances in the second half, but they had a good chance to go back in front on the hour when Donaldson’s pass put Jonathan Lacey through, but Samson did well to keep out Lacey’s shot. For the rest of the game, though, it seemed mostly a question of whether Harpenden would get the winner. Ewington shot over an empty net on 70 minutes after Doyle-Creamer had parried a shot, and six minutes later a pass allowed Ewington to get through between two Leverstock defenders, but Doyle-Creamer produced another great save to deny him.

On 80 minutes Ewington, who had scored six goals in his side’s previous game at Wembley, missed another good chance, sliding in at the near post to meet a cross but putting the ball wide. Three minutes later Leverstock were struggling to clear the ball from their own box. Ewington hit a shot which came back off the post, and Dave Keenleyside followed up to put the rebound in off the post. The Leverstock players and management protested that Keenleyside had been offside, but the goal stood.

Two minutes from time Ewington was denied again by another good save from Doyle-Creamer, keeping Leverstock still in the game through a lengthy period of stoppage time, but they were unable to find an equaliser and suffered only their second home league defeat of the season.

Leverstock are due to face Leighton Town at home on Tuesday night, but given the state of the pitch at the end of the game and the prospect of more rain, that game could be in doubt.

It was a frustrating evening for Leverstock Green as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a determined Colney Heath side in Tuesday night’s SSML Premier Division game at Pancake Lane.

Leverstock made a great start to the game, and were 1-0 up with just two minutes on the clock. Shane Wood’s long throw found Alex McCarthy unmarked to send a glancing header into the corner of the net.

Wood had the ball in the net again in the 8th minute, netting the rebound after a shot had been parried by keeper Steve Cunningham, but it was ruled out for offside. Colney Heath levelled the scores in the 17th minute as Jimmy Hill got on the end of a corner with a powerful header.

Leverstock were denied by the first of three goalline clearances in the 29th minute, as a thumping shot from Curtis Donaldson was headed off the line by Callum Dudrenec. Colney Heath went close again in the 40th minute when a shot from Harry Shepherd was deflected wide. From the resulting corner Leverstock broke quickly, with McCarthy getting the ball forward to David Lawrence, who sprinted away down the right before crossing for Donaldson, who was off-balance and put his shot over the bar. In the final minute of the half Lawrence was just wide with a shot.

Matt Evans made the first of three good saves in the 47th minute, tipping a header from Hill over the bar from Shepherd’s free kick. On 55 minutes Jack Waldren played a one-two with Chris Marsh before playing in Donaldson, whose shot went just wide of the near post.

Evans had to save again on 61 minutes, parrying away a shot from Osaman Allman, while three minutes later Lawrence was denied by the second goalline clearance of the night after Cunningham had failed to collect a cross. Leverstock were having more of the play in the second half, but too often failed to provide the final ball to create the chances their pressure merited.

In the 78th minute Matt Bateman hit a shot which Cunningham failed to hold onto at the first attempt, but just about gathered off the ground at the second attempt with Ross Adams coming in to try to force the ball home. Five minutes from time there was a third goalline clearance in the Colney Heath box, while a minute from time Evans produced the third of his good saves to tip over a shot from former Green player Reece Cameron.

Leverstock will feel they should have got all three points from this game, but Colney’s dogged display deserved a point. The two sides meet again on Saturday in the return fixture at The Recreation Ground. Man of the Match tonight was Scott Bonner, who gave an excellent display despite playing for most of the game with a bandage round his head after a first half injury.

Leverstock Green ended 2017 with a 2-2 draw against Berkhamsted in a top-of-the-table local derby in front of a bumper crowd at Pancake Lane on Saturday. It shows how far this Leverstock side has come over the last couple of months that they ended up disappointed at only getting a point against the unbeaten league leaders. Berkhamsted had been reduced to nine men after 80 minutes but held on through the remaining ten minutes plus an extra ten minutes of stoppage time to gain what for them was a very hard-won point.

The Pancake Lane pitch had taken the rain of the previous couple of days well, and no morning pitch inspection was required. A bigger problem for the players was the strong wind, with both sides hitting corners that cleared everybody in the box in the opening half hour. The visitors had the first effort on goal, with Max Farrelly’s long-range shot going over the bar in the 5th minute. Four minutes later at the other end a pass from Chris Marsh set up Matt Bateman for a shot which Berko keeper Carl Tasker did well to turn round the post. From the resulting corner a thumping shot from Curtis Donaldson brought another good save out of Tasker.

The referee got his notebook out for the first time in the 29th minute, booking Berko’s Kyle Anthony for a foul on Bateman, followed by a booking for Ashley Morrissey for complaining about the first yellow card. After a long period with no clear chances for either side, the game exploded into life with three goals in four minutes. In the 34th minute a pass from Ross Adams set up Bateman to stroke home a neat finish and put Leverstock in front against his former club. Bateman has now scored in the last ten league games he has appeared in.

However, the lead lasted less than two minutes. Morrissey made a run into the box and laid off to Farrelly, who sent a lob over Green keeper Matt Evans to equalise against his former club. Before another two minutes had passed, Ashton Campbell fired home a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner of the net to put Berko into a 2-1 lead. Leverstock then had a great chance to equalise almost immediately as Brima Johnson squared into the six yard box for David Lawrence, who didn’t get a proper contact on his shot and sliced it just wide of the post.

Leverstock went into half time trailing 2-1, but with little over three minutes of the second half played they were level again as Brima Johnson hit a stunning shot out of the blue from 25 yards which gave Tasker no chance.

The Green side had a lot more of the ball in the second half and were looking the more likely side to score. Alex Marsh curled an effort just over the bar on 61 minutes, and on 67 minutes Bateman had the ball in the net again after a Johnson shot had been parried, but was flagged for offside. On 67 minutes Chris Marsh hit a great shot from distance which struck the base of the post and went wide.

The controversy began two minutes later when Berko were reduced to ten men, with Steve Hawes being shown a straight red card for a strong challenge, and they were further reduced to nine men in the 80th minute when Jack Stevens got another straight red for a dangerous challenge. There might have been a third red card when Berko skipper Jon Munday reacted angrily to being penalised for a foul on Bateman, but Munday got away with just a yellow card. Mick Vipond was also sent off from the Berko bench.

With their ranks reduced, Berko set aside thoughts of winning the game and dug in. The Leverstock side were unable to make their numerical advantage tell over the closing minutes, with the Berko defence putting in a very determined display to ensure that Tasker did not have a serious save to make.

The two sides remain in 4th and 1st places respectively, although Berko’s lead at the top was reduced by Welwyn Garden City, who beat second-placed Harpenden Town to leapfrog them.

Next game for Leverstock is away to Wembley next Saturday.

 

Leverstock Green continued their stellar run of form as they notched their sixth straight league win in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division fixture against Edgware Town at Pancake Lane. The game was more evenly-contested than the 3-0 scoreline would suggest, although Leverstock certainly deserved the points.

There was a new signing in goal, although not an unfamiliar name. Matt Evans played for the Leverstock under-18s before going on to play SSML football for Tring Athletic and Sun Sports. It was an excellent debut performance by Evans, rewarded with a clean sheet.

Leverstock took the lead in the 12th minute, with Chris Marsh yet again providing the assist, as he swung over a free kick to the far post. Curtis Donaldson got on the end of it with a superb header which hit the inside of the post, but crossed the line as it bounced back across goal.

There could have been a second goal in the 19th minute when a long throw from Shane Wood was flicked on, but Ross Adams just failed to connect as the ball went across the face of goal. Edgware came close to an equaliser in the 26th minute from as the Green defence was undone by a short corner routine, but Evans produced a brilliant save to deny Mikkel James from point blank range.

Edgware made the stronger start to the second half, and came close again in the 49th minute when a flick on from a goal kick put the forward through, but Luke Nugent cleared the shot off the line. Five minutes later Evans pulled off another great save to turn a shot from Rio Beech round the post.

The game was still in the balance midway through the half, with Edgware working hard to close down the Leverstock forward line and limit their supply of chances, but the Green were gifted a second goal in the 68th minute. A misplaced pass from Mikkel James went straight to Jonathan Lacey, who needed no invitation to head for goal and confidently slot home past the keeper for his 10th goal of the season.

Two minutes later Marsh swung over another great free kick. Scott Bonner got a glancing touch, but Alex McCarthy, coming in behind, got the decisive touch off his head for the third Leverstock goal which ensured that the points would be going their way. Evans pulled off another couple of good saves in stoppage time to ensure that it would also be a second straight clean sheet for the Green side.

There were a number of impressive performances today, but the man-of-the-match award went to Luke Nugent.

Next Saturday Leverstock are away to Cockfosters.

Leverstock Green extended their winning run to four games and moved up another place to 7th in the SSML Premier Division with a 4-2 win over Hadley at Pancake Lane on Tuesday night. Hadley had been the only team to have beaten Leverstock in the previous ten games, but there was no repeat of that night’s performance as the Green side turned in another excellent display for a win that was perhaps more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

There was a scare in the opening minute when Hadley hit the post after a cross from the left wasn’t dealt with, but it was Leverstock who got the early goal. There was an element of fortune about it, as Chris Marsh floated in a cross from the left edge of the penalty area that was intended for David Lawrence, but the ball drifted off course and caught Hadley keeper Tom Le Tissier off his line, sailing over his hands into the net with just two minutes on the clock. Although Marsh has many assists this season, this was the first time he had found the net himself.

Liam McCrohan came closest to extending the Leverstock lead in the 24th minute when he got on the end of a Marsh corner with a header that was saved by Le Tissier, and two minutes later Lawrence hit a shot just wide. A somewhat harsh handball decision against Scott Bonner presented Hadley with a penalty five minutes before the break, and David Laird made no mistake from the spot to level the scores.

Leverstock went close to regaining the lead in the last minute of the half as Marsh played an exquisite ball through to Matt Bateman, but Bateman’s clipped effort came back off the post.

Four minutes into the second half Leverstock were back in front. A corner from Marsh was not dealt with by the Hadley defence, as Shane Wood firstly had a header at the far post that was blocked, and then lobbed the ball back across goal where Bateman came in to nod home from close range.

There could have been another goal within a minute as Chris Gosling’s pass put Adams through on goal, but a defender got back to block his shot. Hadley could have struck back on 62 minutes when the Green defence was caught out by Alfie Bartram’s ball from the back to put Jake King through, but he hurriedly hit his shot wide.

Three minutes later Leverstock were attacking again as Bateman had the ball and made a powerful run down to the bye-line before squaring for Ross Adams to finish from close range for a 3-1 lead, scoring in similar fashion to his goal in Saturday’s game.

On 72 minutes a well-worked goal made it 4-1 to Leverstock. Alex McCarthy started the move, finding Bateman who in turn fed Alex Marsh down the right. Marsh’s cross was missed by Adams, but the ball went to Bateman, who calmly turned and stroked home a shot from the edge of the box for his second of the night, taking his tally for the season into double figures from just 13 appearances. Casey Linsell should have made it five on 77 minutes but he headed over the bar from Lawrence’s cross.

The points looked safe, but with 8 minutes left Hadley were given a faint glimmer of hope when a challenge from Linsell resulted in the referee awarding another penalty, and Lewis Francis netted the spot kick to pull the score back to 4-2.

The referee hadn’t finished yet, awarding another penalty three minutes later, this time to Leverstock for handball in the box. Bateman stepped up to complete his hat-trick, but it was not to be as his spot-kick hit the bar and went over. With skipper Wood carrying an injury over the closing minutes the Green side were content to hang onto their two-goal lead and register another win.

Next up for Leverstock is a visit to fifth-placed Hoddesdon Town on Saturday.

Leverstock Green continued their rise up the table as a 5-3 win over third-placed Biggleswade F.C. took them up to 8th in the SSML Premier Division. This impressive result was Leverstock’s seventh win from their last ten games and their third league win in a row.

Top scorer Matt Bateman was unavailable for this one, but with last season’s sixty-goal partnership of Curtis Donaldson and Jonathan Lacey starting, there was no shortage of firepower in the Green line-up. There was a near-miss in the opening minute when David Lawrence put the ball over the bar, and in the 5th minute Lacey played a one-two with Lawrence before having his shot saved by Daniel Green in the visitors’ goal. Green was in action again three minutes later when Ross Adams won the ball in a tackle and exchanged passes with Lacey to go clean through, but his shot was kept out by the keeper’s legs.

Leverstock were worth a goal and it duly arrived in the 10th minute. Chris Marsh played a pass to Lacey, who with defenders between him and the goal had plenty to do, but Lacey rode a couple of challenges before striking home a shot from the edge of the box to open the scoring.

At the other end three minutes later Leverstock keeper Reuben Rabstein did well to keep out a free kick from George Riley. Seconds later the Green were attacking again and Lacey was only denied by a last-ditch challenge. Leverstock doubled their lead in the 16th minute as Chris Marsh floated a free kick into the box, Lawrence headed the ball across goal and Shane Wood came in to shoot home the second goal. In the 23rd minute it became 3-0 as Wood hurled a long throw into the Biggleswade box, and the ball looped off the head of one of their defenders and over Green into their own net to put the Leverstock supporters in dreamland.

The visitors had been disappointing up to this stage but having gone 3-0 down they finally started to play like a team challenging for promotion. In the 29th minute Lee Northfield set up a clear shooting chance for Alex Marsh – one of two players on the field with that name – but Rabstein pulled off a good save. Six minutes later Marsh got on the end of a free kick from Riley with a header, but didn’t get a strong enough touch to divert it inside the far post.

Another long throw from Wood caused more chaos in the Biggleswade box in the 37th minute, but both Lawrence and Lacey had efforts blocked in the ensuing scramble. An unfortunate moment for Rabstein gifted the visitors a way back into the game five minutes into the break. Biggleswade skipper Adam Hunt floated a cross into the box, and Rabstein seemed unsure whether to catch it or punch it, and in the end did neither as he palmed the ball into his own net.

That goal gave the visitors some hope of a comeback going into the second half, and those hopes grew within thirty seconds of the restart as they pulled another goal back. A pass from Hunt found Tom Cookman on the edge of the box, and a slip by Wood left Cookman with the chance to shoot home and reduce the arrears to 3-2.

With left back Taishan Griffith causing a lot of problems down the Leverstock flank, the Green lead looked somewhat precarious for a while, however Wood and his defence soon got their solidity back and settled down. The Leverstock side regained a two-goal cushion in the 67th minute as Lacey pushed forward from the halfway line and exchanged passes with Adams before producing another great finish, turning a defender in the box before shooting home the fourth Green goal.

Lacey went close to a hat-trick on 74 minutes when Donaldson set him up for a shot that deflected off a defender and hit the post before rebounding back into Green’s arms. Rabstein produced another great save to tip a shot from Justin Leavers over the bar a minute later. The action continued to go from end-to-end as a pass from Lawrence found Donaldson, whose shot was grabbed out of the air by Green.

Ten minutes from time the visitors went close again as Riley hit a free kick just over the bar, and two minutes later a cross from Griffith found Ryan Inskip, but he headed straight at Rabstein. Leverstock needed another goal to ensure the points, and it came in the 83rd minute. Alex McCarthy’s pass found Lacey out wide, and Lacey went on a great run to the bye-line before squaring for Adams to shoot home the fifth goal from close range.

Even then the scoring was not over as Marsh scored for Biggleswade in the 90th minute to pull the score back to 5-3, but that was as far as it went as Leverstock were soon celebrating the win over their biggest scalp so far on their run of form.

Leverstock are back in action on Tuesday night with a home game against Hadley – the only team to have beaten them in the last ten games.