Leverstock Green suffered a heartbreaking stoppage time defeat after an excellent performance in Tuesday night’s SSML Premier Division game at Biggleswade United.

Adi Connolly was the Leverstock goalkeeper again this evening, and the 16 year old gave another outstanding performance. The home side also had a young keeper Cameron Groom giving an impressive display, including a penalty save.

Compared with the second half, the first half was relatively quiet. Biggleswade had the first chance on 13 minutes when Kai Ashley’s cross found Charlie Clayton, who couldn’t divert his effort on target. Connolly’s first save came in the 26th minute, gathering a long-range effort from Mahmut Caglar. On 34 minutes the home side cut through the Leverstock defence with a passing move, with Jaiden Irish and Enrique Amador combining to set up Clayton, but Connolly came off his line to charge down Clayton’s shot.

Leverstock didn’t threaten until the 41st minute when Louie Griffiths had a run across the box but couldn’t get a shot away, and a cross from Conor Blake was palmed away by Groom for their first corner of the game. In the last minute of the half it was Biggleswade who went close again as Carl Chambers chipped an effort onto the top of the crossbar.

Half time saw a change in the officiating team, as the referee had to leave the game with an injury. The senior linesman took over as referee, and Leverstock committee member Peter Hunt stepped in as a replacement linesman.

It had been the home side on top for most of the first half, but the second half started very differently. Leverstock pushed forward, and with less than a minute played they were awarded a penalty after Adiel Mannion was pushed over in the box. Skipper John Smith stepped up to take the kick, but Groom got down well to turn his effort round the post.

Groom denied Leverstock again in the 50th minute as Dan Weeks got on the end of a Frankie Jowle corner, but his header was palmed away by the young keeper. Connolly made another save in the 57th minute to keep the scores level, while three minutes later Smith got on the end of a Jowle free kick but headed wide.

The game was very much open and end-to-end by this stage, and in the 64th minute Steve Hawes hit the game’s best effort so far as he struck a long-range effort that rattled the crossbar. Five minutes later a low cross from Biggleswade sub Kieron Igbanoi caused chaos in the Green box, but somehow the home side failed to score in the ensuing scramble. In the 81st minute Biggleswade had a free kick in a dangerous position, but Caglar’s effort went just wide, and a minute later Connolly pulled off a save from point-blank range to deny Lorrell Smith.

Five minutes from time Kai Stonnell hit two shots over the bar in quick succession, and both Luke Peerless and John Smith had shots going just wide in the closing minutes. The game could have gone either way, but in the end it went the way of the home side as Lorrell Smith came in to head home a cross from close range ten seconds into stoppage time. Biggleswade could have added a second on the break deep into stoppage time as Leverstock pushed forward, but Connolly saved brilliantly again with his legs to deny David Parkinson.

Even with the defeat, it was another encouraging performance against a side in the top six, and the team never stopped battling all night.

After five straight cup ties, Leverstock Green returned to league action and returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 win at Biggleswade United. It was far from a classic performance by the Green side, but a single first half goal and another clean sheet added up to three valuable points. There was a new signing on display in Jack Stevens, signed from Berkhamsted. Stevens has previously played in the Leverstock under-18 side, while also playing in the first team at Kings Langley.

Leverstock almost went in front with just over a minute played. Alex Condon got on the end of a free kick with a header that brought a good save out of home keeper Dean Bull, and Chris Blunden put the rebound wide. Biggleswade had their first effort on goal in the 9th minute, a shot from Dylan Logan which was gathered by Arvydas Kacinkevicius.

The game’s only goal came in the 16th minute. A pass from Luke Preedy should have been cut out by a defender, but the defender slipped to leave Jonathan Lacey through on goal, and the Green’s top scorer produced a typically cool finish to slot the ball past Bull into the net.

Lacey had another run at goal in the 28th minute, but this time his shot went just wide. Five minutes later the home side had a chance when Logan played the ball in to Sam Holmes, but his shot from a narrow angle hit the frame of the goal. Two minutes before the break Biggleswade were forced into a substitution, and seconds later they were reduced to ten men when Liam Andrews was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Alex Witham. Leverstock went close again in first half stoppage time when a free kick from Lacey found Condon, whose header across goal went just wide of the far post.

Three minutes into the second half Lacey went close again as he rode a challenge inside the box before hitting a shot just wide. In general, though, it was a frustrating half for Leverstock, who could not get their passing game going and came under a lot of pressure from the home side’s ten men.

Kacinkevicius produced two great saves in quick succession just before the hour mark to preserve his side’s lead, firstly turning away a shot from Kane Farrell, and then getting down well to turn a low shot from Rafe Goodman around the post. Leverstock’s best chance of a second goal came in the 79th minute when Lacey had a run down the middle and could have finished himself, but instead laid off to Blunden, whose shot was kept out by a great sliding block from Jaiden Irish.

While their forward play may not have been great, the Leverstock defence, led by Jude Bell in the absence through injury of Shane Wood, looked solid, and when a Biggleswade free kick in a dangerous position deep into stoppage time was hit wide by Tash Andrews, the three points were secured.

Leverstock have two further league games this week, the first of them being away to Cockfosters on Tuesday night, kick-off 7.45 pm.

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Leverstock Green’s winning run came to an end at six matches, and they suffered their first league defeat in two months in Saturday’s visit to Biggleswade United, one of only two matches in the SSML Premier Division to survive the weather. The home side were well-deserving of their win, being much the better side and playing some excellent passing football around the penalty area which the Green side could not cope with.

Scott Dash was without several key players for this game, including Curtis Donaldson, Jonathan Lacey, Scott Bonner and Brima Johnson, although new signing Jack Waldren from Kings Langley made his debut in the starting line-up. The Leverstock side certainly made a good start to the game, with Ross Adams hitting a dipping shot just over the bar in the third minute after an exchange of passes with David Lawrence. In the 7th minute a poor clearance by the home keeper gave the ball to Waldren, who delivered a great cross for Matt Bateman to send a header into the top corner of the net and give Leverstock a 1-0 lead.

However, the lead was short-lived, with Biggleswade’s Nick Elliot going down in the box under challenge from Luke Nugent three minutes later. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Abraham Eze netted the spot kick to level the scores in the 11th minute.

A further blow occurred three minutes later when skipper Shane Wood picked up an injury and was unable to continue. Curtis Bird replaced Wood in what was now a very young back four. A moment of hesitancy in the defence allowed Eze to score his second goal in the 17th minute as he nipped in to get on the end of a ball across the box and shoot into the top corner of the net for a 2-1 Biggleswade lead.

Leverstock pushed for an equaliser, with Bateman having a header saved in the 23rd minute and Chris Marsh hitting a chip just over the angle of post and bar a minute later. The turning point of the game came three minutes before the break when it looked as though Leverstock did have an equaliser, as Marsh swung in a free kick and Bateman came in to head home, but a questionable offside flag from the linesman cut short the celebrations. Within seconds the ball was at the other end and Eze beat two defenders before slipping the ball past Matt Evans to complete his hat-trick and send his side into the break with a 3-1 lead.

Biggleswade continued to impress with their passing football in the second half, and only a series of excellent saves from Matt Evans prevented them from increasing their lead. Leverstock didn’t look like getting back into the game until they pulled a goal back in the 77th minute. Waldren’s corner found Ross Adams sliding in with an effort which took a big deflection on its way into the net, and put the game back in the balance at 3-2.

However, they were only back in the game for three minutes, as Lee Bilcock slid in at the far post to meet a cross in the 80th minute to put Biggleswade 4-2 up, and a minute from time a solo run and shot from Charisma Agyemang completed the rout at 5-2.

The Leverstock side will look to bounce back from this defeat with next Saturday’s visit to Holmer Green.

The highlight reel made by the Biggleswade United media team is below: