After scoring 12 goals in their previous two friendlies, Leverstock Green were given a reality check on Saturday as they were soundly beaten by a very good Haringey Borough side on a sweltering afternoon at Pancake Lane.

Leverstock made a bright start to the game, but in the 7th minute the Ryman League side showed their pace and power up front as they broke away from a Leverstock corner and Daniel Aristidou slotted home the opening goal.

They should have scored a second goal not long afterwards from another one-on-one situation, but the shot ended up in the side netting. However, on 22 minutes another breakaway allowed Ralston Gabriel to go clean through and put Haringey 2-0 up.

Following a water break Haringey put further pressure on the Green goal, with a goalline clearance from Shaun Owens and a good save from Callum Woods keeping them down to two goals at the break.

There was no let up from the Haringey side in the second half, though, with Anthony McDonald scoring a third goal on 51 minutes and Nana Asamoah adding the fourth five minutes later.

Haringey were equally impressive at the back, not allowing the Green side to create any chances. Two further goals in the last five minutes from McDonald and Gabriel completed the scoring.

Haringey were certainly the best side that Leverstock have faced in their pre-season, and manager Paul Hunt feels that defeat will be a good thing for his side, having ridden the crest of a wave in previous games, and that they will have to take this one on the chin and move on.

Leverstock have one more pre-season game to play, against Chalfont Wasps on Tuesday night, before their competitive season opens next Saturday with a Herts Charity Shield first round tie at home to London Colney.

Leverstock Green continued to bang in the goals as they took on Herts County League side Evergreen in Tuesday night’s pre-season friendly at Pancake Lane.

Curtis Donaldson got the ball rolling with two goals, before Lewis Bowers added two quick goals to make it 4-0. Jonathan Lacey maintained his record of scoring in every game with a solo run for the fifth goal, then Lewis Bowers completed a hat-trick of headers to make it 6-0. Another of the under-18 players, Louis Smith scored the seventh, before a late Evergreen goal completed a final score of 7-1.

Next up for the Green side is a home match against old SSML foes Haringey Borough, now playing in Division One North of the Ryman League. Kick-off is 3pm on Saturday.

Leverstock Green continued their pre-season build-up with a home game against Harpenden Town, and continued their impressive form with a 5-1 win against a side considered one of the favourites for promotion from the SSML Division One this season.

The Green side looked an attacking threat from the start on a warm and muggy afternoon. In the 8th minute Jonathan Lacey put the ball across the face of goal, and Ashley Addison had a shot blocked. Three minutes later Curtis Donaldson went on a great solo run before hitting a fierce shot that struck the base of the post.

It didn’t take Donaldson long to find the net, as he drove home a low shot to open the scoring in the 18th minute, and Ross Adams added a second goal four minutes later with another low shot that went in off the post.

Green keeper Callum Woods maintained his side’s two goal lead going into the break with a reaction save to tip the ball onto the bar as Harpenden took a quick free kick.

Harpenden pulled a goal back seven minutes into the second half, but Leverstock soon re-established their two goal lead as Lacey went on a mazy solo run into the box before shooting home for a third Green goal on 58 minutes.

Three minutes later Lacey was on the scoresheet again as he spotted the keeper off his line and netted with a long-distance lob, and Donaldson completed the scoring with an even longer-distance lob on 81 minutes. The second half saw several changes to the side, including the first Leverstock appearance for midfielder Ben Butler in four years.

Paul Hunt was pleased with his side’s performance and believes he is putting together a strong squad. Their next test is at home to Evergreen on Tuesday night, kick-off 6.45 pm.

AFC Dunstable, newly-promoted to the Southern League after winning the SSML Premier Division title last season, were the visitors to Pancake Lane for Leverstock Green’s second pre-season friendly on Tuesday night.

It was former Leverstock boss Steve Heath who guided them to the title, and it was another former Green man, Adiel Mannion, who put his side 1-0 up in this game. However, the scores were level before half-time as new signing Shaun Owens notched his first Leverstock goal.

Youngster Jonathan “JJ” Lacey continued his impressive start to the season, and looked to have scored another late winner as he put the Green side in front with a superb lob. However, the prolific BJ Christie netted an equaliser to leave a final score of 2-2 from a match which was a good workout for both sides.

The next visitors to Pancake Lane are SSML Division One side Harpenden Town, kick-off 3pm on Saturday.

Leverstock Green began their pre-season schedule with an impressive 2-1 win over a Proformance Global XI at Pancake Lane on Saturday.

The Leverstock side, containing a number of new players, did not get off to the best of starts as they were behind after little more than a minute when former Levy player David Sobers was allowed to run through and score. The visitors should have been 2-0 up on 21 minutes when Jesper Horseinek was clean through, but hit the post.

Leverstock’s first sight of goal came in the 35th minute when Aaron Lewis had a run into the box before hitting a shot that was turned round the post. Shaun Owens headed wide from the resulting corner. However, three minutes later, skipper Curtis Donaldson floated in a free kick from near the right touchline that eluded everyone in the box and went straight into the net for the equaliser.

It was a better start to the second half for the Green side, with forward Bradley Hedges having a couple of great chances within three minutes of the restart, but both were saved by the keeper. Hedges hit another shot into the side netting on 55 minutes.

The second half saw a number of changes to the Leverstock side, but eventually the winner was scored by a player who had been on the pitch for the whole game and had impressed everyone throughout. 17 year old Jonathan Lacey, one of the stars of last season’s under-18 side, went on a solo run before shooting home the deciding goal in the 83rd minute.

Paul Hunt was happy with his side’s performance, especially as it was their first game together, and was particularly impressed with the under-18 players that featured. He still has several players to bring in, and the next warm-up game sees last season’s SSML Premier Division champions AFC Dunstable visiting Pancake Lane on Tuesday night, kick-off around 6.45 pm.