Leverstock Green played their final home match of the season on a swelteringly hot Bank Holiday Monday against Welwyn Garden City, and it was the already-crowned champions who came out on top with a 2-0 win.

After 25 minutes in which neither side created much in the way of chances, Leverstock were forced into a change when Jay Caines replaced Chris Marsh, who had been struggling since going down injured in the opening 30 seconds. A minute later the visitors took the lead when Jon Clements drilled home a low shot from just outside the penalty area.

They could have had a second goal two minutes later when Tyler Hatherly was set free down the right and crossed into the box, but Ash Kersey’s shot was saved by Matt Evans and a follow-up effort from Nick Elliott was blocked. On 31 minutes Kersey headed over the bar from a Jay Rolfe cross, and three minutes later Rolfe made a solo run from the halfway line before shooting wide.

In the closing minutes of the half there were promising moments for Leverstock when Caines got to the byeline and pulled the ball back for Reece Cameron, but he had his back to goal and couldn’t get in a shot, and Cameron later had a determined run at goal but was dispossessed before being able to shoot.

Four minutes into the second half Clements was clean through and looked set for his second, but Evans saved well. On 74 minutes Welwyn again went close to a second but Kersey was guilty of a glaring miss from close range. Chris Gosling had Leverstock’s best effort of the half on 82 minutes with a free kick that went just wide, but two minutes later Welwyn substitute Dan Bond sent a lob over Evans. Shane Wood did his best to clear off the line but could only head it onto the bar, and Bond followed in to head home Welwyn’s 100th league goal of the season to go with the 100 points that they also reached with this win.

Leverstock still have one league match to play, away to London Tigers on Wednesday night. The game is of little consequence itself with Tigers safe and Leverstock confirmed in 7th place, but players will be playing for their place in next Monday’s St Mary’s Cup final against Berkhamsted.

Leverstock Green were unable to build on Saturday’s win over St Margaretsbury as they crashed to a heavy home defeat against Holmer Green at Pancake Lane on Tuesday. Defensive mistakes in the first half contributed to their downfall, although Holmer were the better side and certainly deserved their win.

The visitors should have taken the lead in the 9th minute from a long throw into the box, but Matt Wooster shot over the bar from close range. Three minutes later Leverstock had three attempts at goal from a corner, but all three were blocked.

Holmer’s opening goal in the 25th minute came as a result of a short back pass. Matt Evans came out of his area and got his boot to the ball first, but was then out of position as the ball ran to Leo Blackman, who slotted home into the empty net.

Two minutes later Leverstock went close to an equaliser from a Brima Johnson long throw, but Jay Caines headed wide at the far post. Another defensive mistake in the 34th minute presented Pawel Kotwica with the ball in front of goal, and the Holmer striker gratefully accepted the chance to shoot past Evans for their second goal. Four minutes later it became even worse for Leverstock as Blackman turned neatly on the edge of the area and shot home a third goal for Holmer. Blackman might have completed his hat-trick two minutes later but Scott Bonner cleared his shot off the line.

Leverstock had a mountain to climb in the second half, and it became even higher on 54 minutes when Kotwica lobbed Evans for his second and Holmer’s fourth goal.

Two quick substitutions saw Scott Burge and Luke Preedy come off the bench, and suddenly Leverstock had a flurry of chances. On 58 minutes Chris Marsh was unlucky to hit the bar from a free kick 30 yards out. Two minutes later Burge was put clean through but his shot was saved by the keeper. A minute later Reece Cameron put David Lawrence in on goal, but his shot went across the face of goal. Finally on 63 minutes Cameron and Lawrence combined to put Burge in again and this time he shot home to pull a goal back for Leverstock.

That was as good as it got, though, as little else was created in the remaining minutes against a well-organised Holmer defence, and it was Holmer who looked more likely to add to their tally with a couple of chances on the break.

Leverstock play their penultimate league match on Saturday when they travel to Northwood F.C.’s ground to face London Tigers.

After a run of five league games without a win, Leverstock Green got back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over St Margaretsbury in Saturday’s game at Pancake Lane.

Leverstock had a good chance in the 7th minute when a free kick from Chris Gosling was headed down, but Scott Bonner shot over the bar. In the 15th minute Ross Adams played a free kick crossfield to Luke Nugent, whose cross was headed up in the air by a defender. Gosling laid the ball back to David Lawrence, who stroked home a nice shot from the edge of the penalty area through a crowd of players to put the Green into a 1-0 lead.

St Margaretsbury had a chance to equalise in the 23rd minute when Adams was adjudged to have committed a foul inside the box. Green keeper Matt Evans guessed the right way and may have saved Tom Cowell’s spot kick had it been on target, but Cowell’s kick went wide of the post to keep the score at 1-0 to Leverstock.

There was a flurry of chances early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Bonner headed over from Gosling’s corner. On 53 minutes Cowell tried curling a shot into the top corner for the visitors, but it went over the angle of post and bar. Two minutes later St Margaretsbury were unlucky when Rian Carroll connected with a superb dipping volley from over 30 yards out, but it hit the top of the crossbar. On the hour Nugent played a great ball to Gosling and continued his run to get on the end of Gosling’s eventual pass, but Nugent’s shot was saved by visiting keeper Adam Seymour, who also saved a follow-up effort from Jay Caines.

On 71 minutes Evans pulled off the only serious save he had to make in the game, turning away a free kick from Billy Murray. Two minutes later Leverstock doubled their lead. Substitute Nick Jackson ran with the ball down the left touchline before laying off to Reece Cameron, and Cameron did the rest, shrugging off a challenge on the edge of the box before driving home a low shot into the corner of the net.

It should have been 3-0 but for one of the misses of the season on 77 minutes. Luke Preedy tried to force the ball home in a goalmouth scramble following a corner, but it was blocked on the line. The rebound came out to Scott Bonner, who seemed certain to score, but in trying the blast the ball home, Bonner somehow put it over the bar from less than a yard out. However, the third goal arrived in style four minutes later as Jackson sent over a superb cross from the right and man-of-the-match Cameron slid in to connect with a cracking volley home for his second of the game.

Leverstock’s long-overdue three points keeps them in with a chance of a top-six finish, having made up two points on Hadley today, and the first of their three remaining league games is at home to Holmer Green on Tuesday evening.