Lords Builders Merchants Stadium

Leverstock Green F.C.

Pancake Lane,
Leverstock Green,
Hemel Hempstead,
Herts.
HP2 4NQ

(H) Beaconsfield Town

Leverstock Green’s Under-18s exited the FA Youth Cup at the Preliminary Round stage. They put up a good performance against a strong Beaconsfield academy side, and were in the game until being reduced to ten men during the second half.

After an even opening to the game, Beaconsfield took the lead in the 22nd minute with a finish from close range. However, the Green side levelled the game in the 35th minute. A through ball gave George Eldridge a run at goal and the striker finished superbly with a shot from just inside the box. There was an even better finish in first half stoppage time as Biscat Yilma broke away and scored with a superb chipped shot over Leverstock keeper Max Pepper to put Beaconsfield back in front at 2-1.

Leverstock had the chance of an equaliser early in the second half when Sonny Latham-Gough was through and took the ball past the keeper, but couldn’t get his shot on target. At the other end Pepper saved well to turn a free kickm from Liam Jenkins round the post in the 57th minute.

The key moment in the game came in the 68th minute when Leverstock were reduced to ten men. Ryan Barry was shown a straight red for pulling down a Beaconsfield forward who was through on goal. The result was a free kick just outside the box, and this time Jenkins fired a shot past Pepper to put Beaconsfield 3-1 up. The tie was now beyond the Leverstock side, and Beaconsfield added further goals in the 73rd and 81st minutes.

Max Pepper
Ryan Barry 🟥
Alfie Hart 🔻
Shae Robinson
Oscar Martin 🔻
Joe Sadler
Luca Crofts
Luke Dunton 🔻
Sonny Latham-Gough 🔻
Josh Weidner
George Eldridge âš½

Christopher McNamee
Freddie Turner 🟢 (for Hart 70)
Archie Baker 🟢 (for Martin 58)
Taylor Wilkinson-Ousby 🟢 (for Latham-Gough 79)
Matthew Brett 🟢 (for Dunton 70)
Leo Rumsby-Ferris

vs

(H) Cheshunt FC Development

Leverstock Green Reserves continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-1 win over Cheshunt FC Development on Tuesday night, which takes them up to 4th in the Herts Senior County League Premier Division table. Rodger Siluba and Michael Adriano scored the goals.

Harry Maloret
Mikey Havill-Tierney
Luc Dischamps
Jose Costa
Bobby O’Flynn
Freddie Newing
Connor McGinty
Rodger Siluba ⚽🔻
Callum Moore 🟨🔻
Schilo Mateta-Kanda 🟨🔻
Joe Dalli

Alex Vtornicov
Michael Adriano 🟢 ⚽ (for Mateta-Kanda)
Raymond John 🟢 (for Siluba)
Finlay Sykes 🟢 (for Moore)
Darren Bonfield

vs

(H) Elneny FC

Leverstock Green Reserves continued their impressive start to the season as they came from behind to beat Elneny FC 3-2 in Tuesday night’s HSCL Premier Division game. Callum Moore scored two goals, including the winning goal, taking his tally to five in three games. The other goal was an own goal.

Harry Maloret
Bobby O’Flynn 🔻
Freddie Newing
Jack Evans 🔻
Alex Vtornicov 🔻
Jack Child
Connor McGinty
Ronnie Brennan 🔻
Callum Moore ⚽⚽
Schilo Mateta-Kanda
Joe Dalli 🔻

Jose Costa 🟢 (for O’Flynn)
Michael Adriano 🟢 (for Evans)
Oscar Martin 🟨 🟢 (for Vtornicov)
Luc Dischamps 🟢 (for Brennan)
Rodger Siluba 🟢 (for Dalli)

vs

(H) Beaconsfield Town

Leverstock Green were on the verge of their first ever Southern League win, but a stoppage time equaliser meant that they had to be content with their first point instead. Fergus Moore had a depleted squad with four players away for this game, and Leverstock’s problems worsened during the game as three players picked up injuries.

Visitors Beaconsfield got off to a bad start when they were reduced to ten men in just the third minute of the game. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica was clean through on goal until a foul from Juan Velasco brought him down, and the referee showed Velasco a straight red card for the professional foul.

Leverstock’s injury problems started in the 28th minute when Rawn Seale had to be replaced by Alie Bangura due to a groin problem. Up to this point the visitors had seen more of the ball despite being down to ten men. Leverstock’s first big chance came in the 38th minute when Stefanoaica broke away again, and laid off to set up Bangura with a chance, but his shot was comfortably saved by keeper Edward Brearey. In the last minute of the half Beaconsfield went close when a shot from Josh Marcon went across goal and just wide, while a minute later at the other end Brearey pulled off two good saves to keep out shots from Bangura and Stefanoaica in quick succession.

Leverstock were forced into a half time change when Rio Beach had to leave the game injured, to be replaced by Ademide Baruwa. Beaconsfield had a near miss early in the second half when Dembele shot just over from close range. In the 60th minute Jamie Breen powered into the box on a solo run but shot over the bar. Six minutes later the visitors were close again with a shot just wide from Eremide Lawal.

Leverstock were forced into another change in the 66th minute when Baruwa had to go off injured after only 21 minutes in the game, and was replaced by youngster Connor McGinty. There were still chances at both ends, with a cross from Bangura just eluding Lewis Collins at the far post in the 73rd minute, and Nat Connolly and Jamie Breen having to make goalline clearances from successive corners three minutes later. Beaconsfield were denied again in the 83rd minute when Alfie Bonfield kept out a shot from Avtandiki Akhsiashvili.

The game looked like ending in a draw until Leverstock finally broke the deadlock in the 86th minute. Bangura got to the bye-line and stood up a great cross which was headed home by Stefanoaica to put the Green into a 1-0 lead.

However, in the third minute of stoppage time Leverstock gave away a free kick in a dangerous position. As the ball was floated in, Bonfield called for it but did not get to the ball before Germaine Dua got there first with a header to level the scores and clinch a point which his side certainly deserved for the way they had played throughout with ten men.

Leverstock now face a Bank Holiday Monday trip to Barton Rovers, and although there will be a couple of players returning for that one, the injury problems mean the squad will be stretched to its limits.

Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Stefanoaica 86)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Jamie Breen, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Josh Dooley, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Lewis Collins (17, Scott McGleish 79 mins), 8. Nat Connolly, 9. Rawn Seale (12. Alie Bangura 28 mins), 10. Rio Beach (14. Ademide Baruwa H/T) (16. Connor McGinty 66 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Sub not used: 15. Alfie Herd.
Beaconsfield Town (0) 1 (Dua 90+3)
1. Edward Brearey, 2. Alex Peapell, 3. Juan Gonzalez Velasco, 4. Matthew Harriot (16. Iker Noguera Leon 89 mins), 5. Ben Tricker, 6. Germaine Dua, 7. Eremide Lawal (17. Jamil Yusuf 90+1 mins), 8. Joshua Marcon (15. Jadyn Dundas 84 mins), 9. Jamie Davies, 10. Akiel Raffie (12. Alex Mapp 90+4 mins), 11. Baiai Dembele (14. Avtandili Akhsiashvili 65 mins)

vs

(H) Kings Langley U18 Red

vs

(H) London Cheetahs

Leverstock Green Reserves pulled off a superb comeback on Tuesday night to keep their unbeaten league start intact. 2-0 down going into stoppage time, goals from Callum Moore and Connor McGinty rescued a 2-2 draw against London Cheetahs.

Starting XI:
Harry Maloret
Alex Vtornicov 🟨 🔻
Freddie Newing 🟨
Jose Costa
Jack Child
Reece Marchant 🔻
Connor McGinty âš½
Raymond John 🔻
Callum Moore âš½
Schilo Mateta Kanda 🔻
Ronnie Brennan

Substitutes:
Joe Dalli 🟢 (for John)
Ethan Horwood
Jack Evans 🟢 (for Marchant)
Rodger Siluba 🟢 (for Kanda)
Cole Riley-Snow 🟢 (for Vtornicov)

vs

(H) Heybridge Swifts

It was another frustrating day for Leverstock Green, who turned in an excellent performance against Isthmian North side Heybridge Swifts, but couldn’t put away the chances they created. A defensive lapse in the second half allowed the visitors to net an equaliser which means that Leverstock have to make the awkward journey to the Essex coast on Tuesday night for a replay of this Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round tie.

It started well for Leverstock, who put away the first real chance they created in the 16th minute. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica’s put Guiseppe Delgaudio clean through, and Delgaudio ran on to take the ball past keeper Callum Chafer before slotting into the empty net for a 1-0 lead.

In the 22nd minute Stefanoaica played a one-two with Callum Neal before running on to hit a shot from a narrow angle that was cleared off the line, with Leverstock having a very strong shout for a handball, but the referee waved away any protests. Heybridge offered little threat in the first half, with their best effort being a shot from Alfie Cutbush that went just over the angle of post and bar in the 32nd minute.

The second half saw Leverstock continue to play well and create chances. A pass from Neal in the 62nd minute put Stefanoaica in behind the visitors’ defence, but his eventual shot was straight at Chafer. Two minutes later an excellent cross from Stefanoaica found substitute Rawn Seale in space at the far post but Seale’s header went over the bar.

Leverstock were denied again in the 68th minute when a header from Josh Dooley was cleared off the line by Joseph Adewunmi and again four minutes later. A flick from Seale put Stefanoaica away down the right, and when Stefanoaica’s cross came over Seale was there to meet it but his shot was kept out by a great save from Chafer.

Despite the string of chances, Leverstock’s lead was still only a single goal, and in the 75th minute they were punished for a mistake at the back. Alfie Bonfield did very well to keep out a point-blank shot from Andrew Fennell, but could do nothing as Ben Allen netted the rebound for the Heybridge equaliser.

Just before the equaliser, summer signing Alie Bangura came off the bench for his Leverstock debut, and he was quickly in the action. On 81 minutes a pass from Seale put Bangura away down the left to make a dangerous run into the box, but his ball across the face of goal was just behind Lewis Collins. There was a golden opportunity to win the game in the 90th minute as Collins broke clear and set up a clear shooting chance for Dan Pett on the edge of the box, but Pett’s shot went wildly over the bar. A minute into stoppage time there was an equally clear opportunity for Heybridge to win the game as a cross found Fennell at the far post with a free header, but it went wide.

Both sides will go into the hat for Monday’s First Round Qualifying draw, and they will meet again at Scraley Road on Tuesday night.

Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Delgaudio 16)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Jamie Breen, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Josh Dooley, 6. Nat Connolly (14. Ryan Carruthers 83 mins), 7. Luke Beckwith (16. Lewis Collins 67 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (18. Rawn Seale 59 mins), 10. Rio Beach, 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (12. Alie Bangura 74 mins). Subs not used: 16. Ethan Mooney, 17. Jaden Newman, GK. Darren Bonfield.
Heybridge Swifts (0) 1 (Allen 75)
1. Callum Chafer, 2. Jamie Bennett (9. Andrew Fennell 69 mins), 19. Chris Gregan, 4. Alfie Cutbush, 5. Joseph Adewunmi, 6. Danny Nesbitt, 10. Jack Adlington-Pile, 11. Emmanuel Osei-Owusu (12. Lester Ward 63 mins), 16. Luca Albon (8. Nicholas Brown H/T), 17. Ben Allen, 18. Samuel Adetiba (15. Scott Sloots H/T). Subs not used: 13. Rohan Taheny-Clarke, 14. Lewis Browne, 20. Toby Robinson.

vs