Leverstock Green won their second successive league match, with Curtis Donaldson scoring another double as they came from behind to beat Leighton Town 2-1 at Pancake Lane.

Leighton arrived having not yet won a league game since relegation from the Southern League, but they were ahead in the 7th minute. James Towell’s ball allowed Matthew Bateman to outstrip Rowland Smith down the left, and although Liam Jahn managed to parry away Bateman’s shot from a narrow angle, the rebound fell at the feet of Ben Gallant for a tap-in to open the scoring.

Their lead only lasted for six minutes, though. Jonathan Lacey threaded a great pass to put Curtis Donaldson through on goal, and he calmly slotted the ball past keeper Jack Sillitoe for the equaliser.

Two minutes later Lacey put over a good cross which was just too high for Lewis Bowers to get a clean header on, and Ross Adams shot wide from the loose ball. Leverstock went close again in the 21st minute when Karl Thomas headed just wide from a Donaldson free kick.

On 23 minutes Lacey delivered a corner which was headed away, but only as far as Donaldson just outside the box, and what followed was no surprise as Donaldson lashed home a volley to put Leverstock into a 2-1 lead.

Two minutes later at the other end Jahn had to turn a shot from Jordan Davis around the post. Later in the half Donaldson was just wide with another couple of efforts, and in the last minute of the half Lacey tried to chip Sillitoe from 25 yards, but it floated just over the bar.

The second half should have seen Leverstock add to their lead as the visitors were frequently guilty of giving the ball away in their own half. In the 50th minute Brima Johnson’s pass put Donaldson clean through again, and he looked to have completed a hat-trick as he slipped the ball past Sillitoe, but it drifted inches wide of the post. Three minutes later Shane Wood’s header from a corner was saved. On the hour Leverstock broke quickly from a Leighton free kick, with Bowers and Lacey combining to set up substitute Bradley Hedges, but his shot was saved.

Having not increased their lead, the Green side had to endure a nervous last 15 minutes as Leighton rallied towards the end. There were a couple of dangerous balls across the box, which no-one got on the end of, and six minutes from time Jahn had to react sharply to save from Lolu Onabolu from close range. Leighton had an even better chance in stoppage time as Matthew Hewitt got to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Mark Smith, but Smith’s shot brought out a great save from Jahn.

Leverstock manager Paul Hunt was pleased that his side continued their good work from the previous week, and although they should have won more comfortably, getting the three points was the most important thing.

This coming Wednesday night Leverstock are away to Hoddesdon Town in the first round of the Premier Division Cup (being played at Ware F.C.), and next Saturday they face a Dacorum Derby with a league visit to Berkhamsted.

Leverstock Green turned in a performance that was something of a disappointment after the previous week’s display, and they ended up on the losing side having been second best to a good Cockfosters side all afternoon.

Paul Hunt was missing key members of his back four, including skipper Shane Wood, Brima Johnson and George Biggadike, and it was a couple of mistakes at the back that cost them two goals from corners, although in truth the Green side produced little at the other end to threaten the Cockfosters keeper. Two new signings from Northwood, defender Rowland Smith and forward Issouf Coulibally made their debuts.

There was little in the way of chances at either end before Cockfosters took the lead in the 22nd minute. As a corner was driven into the six-yard box, Carl Resch came in unchallenged and clipped a low shot through a crowd of players into the net.

Cockfosters might have had a second goal on 38 minutes when Emmanuel Melford-Rowe went through two Leverstock tackles far too easily on a run at goal, but his shot was hit straight at Liam Jahn. Leverstock’s best moment of the first half came in the last minute when Zak Howells made a good run to the bye-line and pulled the ball back for Curtis Donaldson, but he shot over the bar.

The visitors had another great chance to double their lead with little more than a minute played in the second half as Jerry Maja ran onto a pass from Cameron Ferguson and took the ball past Jahn, but his shot was blocked by a Leverstock defender. Maja was denied again two minutes later when Joel Williams blocked his shot, and on 52 minutes a header from Melford-Rowe was cleared off the line by Jonathan Lacey.

At the other end six minutes later Lacey produced a dangerous ball across goal which had to be cleared by Melford-Rowe, and soon after Donaldson floated a good free kick to the far post but Lewis Bowers headed over the bar amid claims for a corner that wasn’t given.

Cockfosters finally added their second goal on 66 minutes in similar fashion to the first goal, with a corner dropping down to Maja, who again shot through a crowd of players with little challenge.

For the last five minutes Cockfosters played with ten men, having suffered an injury after using all three subs, but they were denied a third goal in the last minute as Jahn pulled off a great save to deny Ramone Cassidy-Sinclair. Deep into stoppage time Leverstock pulled a goal back as Lewis Bowers hit a shot which went in off the far post, but it was little more than a consolation and in truth made the game look closer than it actually was.

Next Saturday Leverstock travel to Edgware Town for a league match.

Leverstock Green got their first league points and goals of the season on the board as they swept away St Margaretsbury 5-1 in Saturday’s match at Pancake Lane. 17 year old Jonathan Lacey, who had impressed in the first few friendlies before going on holiday for three weeks, returned to the side today and took little time to make his mark, scoring a first half hat-trick.

The Green side looked dangerous from the start, and should have been in front in the 3rd minute, Lewis Bowers putting the ball over the bar from close range after Brima Johnson’s shot had been blocked on the line. Three minutes later Lacey was put clear, but his shot was saved by keeper Michael Corderoy, who also stopped the follow-up effort from Aaron Lewis. Finally in the 10th minute Ben Butler played a sideways ball to Lacey, who drilled home a shot from the edge of the box to give Leverstock a deserved lead.

Liam Jahn had little to do in the first half, but in the 12th minute had to dive to keep out a shot from George Beattie which was heading for the bottom corner. In the 16th minute Leverstock doubled their lead as Curtis Donaldson threaded a great pass through to Aaron Lewis, who neatly slotted home his first goal for the club.

It was 3-0 in the 23rd minute with Lewis the creator this time, as he played a square ball across the box which Corderoy failed to cut out, and Lacey pounced to smash home his second of the game. The best was yet to come from Lacey, though. In the 38th minute Donaldson’s corner was headed away, but only as far as Lacey, who watched the ball as it took an age to come down and connected with the sweetest of volleys from 20 yards which flew into the top corner to complete his hat-trick, giving Corderoy no chance.

Ben Butler came close to adding a fifth goal just before the break but his shot from distance was just wide. Leverstock continued to push forward in the second half. In the 48th minute Lewis was clean through but Corderoy saved with his boot. Ten minutes later a shot from Donaldson was deflected onto the bar after a Lacey corner hadn’t been cleared.

The visitors pulled a goal back in the 68th minute when Courtney Clay hit a shot from the edge of the box through a crowd of players, but this was not to be the start of an unlikely comeback. Two minutes later Donaldson hit a shot into the side netting, and on 74 minutes Donaldson ran onto a long kick from Jahn but hit his shot across goal and wide. Finally on 77 minutes Donaldson got onto the scoresheet as Ashley Addison put him through to slot home Leverstock’s 5th goal.

Two minutes from time a shot from Shaun Owens was deflected wide, and from the resulting corner Lewis Bowers was denied a deserved goal as his header was brilliantly saved by Corderoy. Despite not scoring, Bowers was named Man of the Match for his performance in leading the line, winning countless headers and flicks and working tirelessly throughout the game.

Green manager Paul Hunt was delighted with his side’s display, having felt that they didn’t get their reward for good performances in the previous two games: “Everything just clicked today, and we were unstoppable in the first half”.

Next up is the visit of Cockfosters to Pancake Lane for a league match next Saturday.