Leverstock Green suffered a heartbreaking last-gasp loss to Tring Athletic, who completed a comeback from 2-0 to win 3-2 from a corner in the sixth minute of stoppage time. It was a tremendous performance from a new-look Green side against one of the title contenders, and certainly deserved a point, but it was not to be.

Manager Mark Royal brought in four new players to the starting line-up for this game. With Shane Wood still not being ready for a full return from injury and Jude Bell unavailable, Abdul Musaia came into the back four. Fahmy Mohamed, Jay Kossifos and Gursewak Jagdev were included in an attempt to bolster the Leverstock attack, and it was evident from the start that the Green side looked more lively up front than they had in recent games.

It was Tring who had the first chances of the game, with Jack Read hitting a volley just wide in the 3rd minute, and Ashton Campbell going clean through in the 5th minute only to shoot into the side netting. Leverstock’s first near miss came in the 10th minute when Brima Johnson sent over a great cross from the left touchline which found the head of Kossifos, but Tring keeper Dave Saunders kept out the header and recovered just in time to grab the ball as Alex Witham came in for the rebound. A minute later a good build-up ended with Witham hitting a shot that Saunders parried away, but Mohamed came in to net the rebound and put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead.

For the remainder of the half it was Tring that had the vast majority of the chances, but too many of their efforts were off-target. When they did hit the target, Green keeper Frankie Atwell produced some great saves to keep them out. Atwell blocked an close-range effort from Read on 27 minutes and turned a shot from Campbell round the post four minutes later.

Leverstock still threatened on the break, with Jagdev running onto a ball over the top but being denied by Saunders on 32 minutes, and Kossifos having a shot saved after a run at goal soon after. Atwell tipped over a long-range shot from Ben Johnson on 35 minutes, and three minutes later Kieran Turner hit the post with a header as Tring continued to pile on the pressure, but still had not found the net by the time the break arrived.

Five minutes into the second half things got even better for Leverstock. Mark Smith pushed forward and laid the ball out to Mohamed, who delivered a superb cross for Kossifos to direct a header into the corner of the net for a 2-0 Green lead.

However, Tring were far from beaten, and finally broke down the stubborn Green resistance four minutes later when a corner was headed away, but only as far as Turner, who shot home the goal that put Tring back into the match.

A double substitution from Tring proved crucial as the two players who came off the bench combined to set up the equaliser on 72 minutes, with former Green player Roy Byron squaring for James Verney to score from close range.

As the game went into stoppage time the Green side did their best to hold onto what they had, keeping the ball deep in the Tring half, but Tring finally managed to get the ball away for one last attack which resulted in a corner. Over five minutes of stoppage time had been played when the corner came over and Mark Riddick headed the winning goal, with the referee eventually blowing for time almost immediately after the restart.

It was very harsh on Leverstock, who had put up a brave resistance against a strong side, but there are plenty of positives to take from this game into the next one, which is another tough game away to third-placed Hadley next Saturday.

 

Visitors Potton United came out on top in Saturday’s SSML Premier Division match, which was played in dreadful conditions. On an already cold day, heavy rain throughout the first half became even heavier in the second half as both sets of players struggled on the Pancake Lane pitch. Despite the conditions it was an entertaining game in which Leverstock twice took the lead, only to quickly lose it both times, before Potton scored two second half goals to claim the three points.

There was yet another new name in the Leverstock goal, with new signing Frankie Atwell being brought in to replace Caolan Doyle-Creamer, who became the third Green keeper on the injury list in midweek. Atwell made an uncertain start, dropping a cross from Danny Webb in the 4th minute. The ball dropped at the feet of Gareth Hunt, who hit an instant shot but Jude Bell kept it out with a superb goalline clearance. Two minutes later Webb was clean through on goal but Atwell stretched out an arm to deflect his shot away.

In the 8th minute Leverstock broke away after Potton messed up a free kick routine, but Luke Nugent’s ball across goal found no-on on the end of it. A minute later at the other end Ryan Don hit a shot just wide for Potton. Leverstock went close in the 22nd minute when a curled shot from Alex Witham went just over the bar, but two minutes later they were ahead. Reynaldo Carbon took advantage of an underhit back pass to go clean through and slot a neat finish past Potton keeper Tyler Josephs.

However, the lead only lasted two minutes, as Jack Newland crossed to the far post for Webb to head an equaliser for Potton. Webb had another chance a minute later, but Atwell produced a good save to turn his shot away. Leverstock went back in front in the 32nd minute with an unusual goal, as Mark Smith curled in a corner towards the near post and it went straight in without touching anyone else. Again, though, the Green could not hold onto the lead as Potton equalised three minutes later. Brima Johnson was hesitant in dealing with a cross from the left, and it allowed Webb to get in a shot from close range past Atwell for 2-2.

Half time saw Leverstock reorganise their defence with Shane Wood having to leave the game. However, five minutes into the second half the visitors went in front for the first time as the Green defence was caught short by a Potton breakaway. Leverstock only had two back, who both got in saving tackles, but Potton had a third player on the overlap as Webb came in to shoot home his second goal.

Leverstock twice went close to an equaliser, with Witham hitting a shot just wide in the 63rd minute, and a minute later Carbon delivered a cross from the left touchline which hit the bar and rebounded back into play but eluded all the Green players around the six-yard box. Atwell made a couple of good saves to keep Leverstock in the game, and on 68 minutes made another good save to keep out a shot from Jim Burnside, but the ball was not cleared and Webb pounced to shoot home the goal which completed his hat-trick and put Potton into a 4-2 lead.

Still there were further chances for Leverstock, but they were not getting the luck. A pass from Goode put Lewis Davis through on 72 minutes, but his shot was saved and Carbon’s effort from the rebound was blocked. A minute later Witham got on the end of a cross with a volley that went just over the bar.

Such were the conditions that the referee blew for time exactly on 90 minutes, and both sets of players immediately sprinted for the dressing rooms. Leverstock’s next game is at home to London Colney on Tuesday night, but that one will be very much “weather permitting” after the battering that the pitch took today.