Leverstock Green may not be having much luck in cup competitions this season, but they are doing fine in the league at the moment. On Saturday they came from behind to win 2-1 at Harpenden Town, their second straight SSML Premier Division win and their first away points of the season.

The Green side didn’t make the best of starts to the game, and Harpenden dominated the early stages. Two efforts were blocked in a goalmouth scramble in the 5th minute before the home side opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Mo Koita played a one-two with Bobby Dance to cut through the Leverstock defence before lashing home a superb shot from a narrow angle.

Former Green player Connor Deadman hit a shot over the bar in the 12th minute as Harpenden continued in control. Leverstock were forced into an early substitution when Steve Hawes had to go off with a back problem, to be replaced by Bryn Rigarlsford, making his debut for the first team.

The substitution seemed to spark some life into the Leverstock team, and they came back into the game towards the end of the half. Adiel Mannion hit a shot over the bar, and Jack Stevens headed over from a corner as the Green side finished the half in a more positive mood.

That carried over into the second half as Leverstock started strongly. Two minutes in a cross from Mannion went across the face of the Harpenden goal, just eluding both Luke Peerless and Frankie Jowle. Harpenden had a couple of chances on the break, but it was Leverstock that were having more of the ball. On 57 minutes Rigarlsford hit a good effort from distance over the bar, and three minutes later Rigarlsford was found again on the overlap by a long pass from Stevens, but again his effort went over the bar.

In the 68th minute Leverstock made their second change, with Louie Griffiths coming on for Peerless, and within two minutes Griffiths was playing a huge part in the Leverstock equaliser. After good work from Mannion, Griffiths played a square ball across the box. Rigarlsford could have had a go, but cleverly dummied to let the ball run through for Jowle, who had the time and space to control the ball and shoot home into the roof of the net.

The Green side had their tails up now, and seven minutes later they had a great chance when a foul from Josh Humbert brought down John Smith just outside the box. Smith got up to take the free kick himself, and drilled it low past the wall into the bottom corner of the net to put the Green into a 2-1 lead.

In the 82nd minute Smith had another crack at a free kick from a good position, but this time brought a great save out of Harpenden keeper Alex Desmond. Harpenden pushed strongly for an equaliser in the closing minutes, and Matt Fallon had to dive to turn a shot round the post in stoppage time, but Leverstock held out for a deserved three points.

 

Leverstock Green followed up last week’s win at Wembley with another good performance, but they were unfortunate to come away from Saturday’s visit to Harpenden Town with nothing. Former Green keeper Carl Tasker was in inspired form in the Harpenden goal, and a late header from a corner clinched their 1-0 win.

There were three more new players in the Leverstock squad today. Defender Grant Fry has joined on loan from AFC Dunstable, while forward William Akinola and midfielder Jamie Fulton have joined from Northwood.

There were plenty of chances for both sides in the first half. In the 9th minute a corner from Kerran Lataille dropped for Seldyn Grant, whose shot was saved by the legs of Tasker. Two minutes later at the other end a shot from Archie McLelland was cleared off the line. On 22 minutes there was a let-off for Leverstock as a stray back pass put Harry Hunt through on goal, but his shot went across goal and wide. Two minutes later there was another chance for the Green, as a goal kick from Ryan Schmid found Luke Nugent, who passed to set up a shooting chance for Reece Cameron, but it went wide.

In the 27th minute a great pass from Mark Smith put Luis Brooker through, but Tasker did well to tip his shot over the bar. There was another chance for Grant three minutes later from a free kick, but his effort went into the side netting, as did an effort from Brooker two minutes later after a pass from Lataille put him through on goal.

Five minutes before the break the home side had another chance when the ball was given away on the halfway line. James Yates ran on and hit a shot which hit the underside of the bar and came down on the right side of the line from the Leverstock perspective. On 42 minutes Fry made a run down the left and squared for Smith, whose shot was kept out by another good save from Tasker.

Three minutes into the second half Tasker saved again, turning a shot from Lataille round the post after a good cross from Nugent. Fulton came off the bench for his debut in the 57th minute and quickly started to make an impression, hitting a shot which brought another save out of Tasker.

The second half generally produced fewer chances than the first, and with the minutes ticking down, it looked like the game was heading for a goalless draw, especially after Schmid produced a great save in the 89th minute to turn a shot round the post. However, from the resulting corner Will McLelland got up highest to head into the corner of the net to put the home side in front.

Even then Leverstock had two good chances to get a point out of the game. In the last minute Paplamin Jawara was sent clear down the left and had players queuing up in the box to score, but his cross was cleared by the first defender. In stoppage time Harry Barratt went on a great run down the left and was able to square the ball to set up a great chance for Luke Preedy, who hit his shot well but it was tipped over the bar by a brilliant save from Tasker.

That proved enough to clinch the win for Harpenden, but there were plenty of positives for the young Leverstock team to take from this performance. Next up is a tough visit to Baldock Town on Wednesday night.

Leverstock Green’s joy following their 5-0 win over Sun Sports on Saturday was short-lived, with the likelihood that the three points will be lost due to Sun having to fold their first team due to ground issues, plus a comprehensive defeat at newly-promoted Harpenden Town on a wet and windy Tuesday night meaning that they will be probably be stuck on zero points again before their next game.

The tone of this game was set in the opening minute, as Leverstock inexplicably gave the ball away outside their own penalty area, leaving James Ewington with a free run at goal to slot past Reuben Rabstein for the opening goal with only 21 seconds on the clock.

Leverstock went close to an equaliser in the 2nd minute as a shot deflected off a defender onto the post, but that was a brief moment of promise as the Green side struggled to make any impact on the game against a Harpenden side that attacked with pace and in numbers, while always seeming to have two players around any Leverstock player who received the ball to his feet. There was another chance in the 18th minute when a cross from Brima Johnson was flicked on to Luca DeMare, but his shot was saved by the keeper. Harpenden doubled their lead in the 26th minute in a frantic goalmouth scramble following a corner. An initial effort hit the bar, but the ball was eventually bundled over the line by Ewington.

The arrears could have been reduced in the 35th minute when Leverstock broke quickly from a Harpenden corner. Reynaldo Carbon’s pass put Jonathan Lacey through on goal, but his shot went across goal and wide. Two minutes later Harpenden had a free kick on the halfway line. The ball was floated into the box, and Matt Sutton had a free header to make it 3-0 to the home side.

The second half saw Leverstock trying to push forward, but to little effect, and Harpenden always looked dangerous on the break. They should have had a fourth goal in the 53rd minute when a tackle by Reece Fallon on a forward who was clean through was a fraction too late for the ball, but Ewington’s penalty was well saved by Rabstein. However, Ewington made up for it in the 68th minute as he took advantage of another Leverstock giveaway in their own half, taking the ball round Rabstein before slotting home for his hat-trick.

Eight minutes from time two Green subs combined as Luke Nugent’s pass found Nick Jackson in space inside the box, but Jackson’s shot was tipped over the bar to deny the Leverstock side even a consolation goal on a miserable night.

Next up is a home game against Wembley on Saturday.