After two straight wins and five games unbeaten, Leverstock Green were unable to keep their run of results going despite a good performance away to playoff contenders Biggleswade FC. A goal midway through the second half decided a game in which Leverstock were missing skipper Dan Pett, who was unavailable, and the suspended Joe McCarthy.

Leverstock might have gone in front in the 15th minute when a corner from Carmicheal Uchenna looked to be going straight in at the far post until it was headed off the line by Sonny Coughlin-Brown. In the 38th minute Iker Noguera Leon tried a clever free kick routine to put Jeffrey Sekyere in on goal, but he miscued his shot wide.

Green keeper Ashton Broome-Alexander did well to turn a long-range shot from Michael Fisher wide in the 42nd minute, while another free kick from Leon was headed wide by Uchenna in the 45th minute. Broome-Alexander pulled off another great save in stoppage time to deny Alex Marsh from point blank range.

It was a similar story in the second half, with Broome-Alexander called into action again in the 54th minute to tip over a rasping shot from Tom Coles. Leverstock had a chance four minutes later when a great pass from George Mitchell-Gears gave Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica a run at goal, but his shot went into the side netting. A minute later Mitchell-Gears had a chance himself from a free kick, but his header was straight at the keeper.

The winning goal came in the 71st minute and it was very tough on Broome-Alexander, who first of all got a fingertip to a shot from Marsh to turn in onto the post, then got a hand to the follow-up effort from Bradley Bell, but could do nothing to stop Ryan Gray following in to net the rebound.

Leverstock were unable to find an equaliser in the remaining minutes, and there was a messy end to the game when skipper Ryan Carruthers was sent off for two yellow cards within a minute during stoppage time, and coach Aaron Eales was also dismissed for something said to the referee.

Biggleswade FC (0) 1 (Bell 71)
1. George Rose, 2. Harry Jones (12. Leo Jenkins 32 mins), 3. Lawrie Marsh, 4. Michael Fisher, 5. Billy Baird (16. Luke Oswick 68 mins), 6. Michael Simpson (14. Ethan Kessel 68 mins), 7. Alex Marsh, 8. Rio Martucci (15. Bradley Bell 68 mins), 9. Temi Akinbusoye, 10. Tom Coles, 11. Sonny Coughlin-Brown (17. Ryan Gray 50 mins).
Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Rio Beach, 18. Tommy Boxer (14. Dan Casey 9 mins), 20. Olusegun Adedipe, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Iker Noguera Leon (19. Jack Allen 76 mins), 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. George Mitchell-Gears (12. Luke Beckwith 78 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica. Subs not used: 15. Nat Connolly, 16. Callum Donnelly.

Leverstock Green led three times in Monday night’s game away to Biggleswade FC, but they had to be content with a point and will be quite grateful for that point after the home side came very close to snatching the win at the death.

The Leverstock side was boosted by the return of both Dan Pett and top scorer Guiseppe Delgaudio from injury, and they thought they had taken the lead in the third minute. Lewis Collins was put clear down the right and crossed into the box where Luke Beckwith put it away from close range, however the goal was disallowed for a questionable offside decision. In the 21st minute it was the turn of the home side to put the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled out by an offside flag.

Two minutes later a pass from Rio Beach put Beckwith in behind the defence and through on goal. Beckwith looked set to finish, but instead squared across goal where Delgaudio came in at the far post to finish, and this time there was no flag as Leverstock took a 1-0 lead. In the 32nd minute Delgaudio might have had a second when he spotted the keeper off his line and launched a chip from distance, but it landed just wide.

Three minutes before half time the scores were level as Amir Hadi made something out of nothing with an outstanding finish from a very narrow angle.

Leverstock were back in front in the 63rd minute, and it was a second goal for Delgaudio, whose low shot from the edge of the penalty area wasn’t the hardest but left the home keeper standing and watching it go in.

The 2-1 lead lasted seven minutes, as Biggleswade substitute Ethan Kessel finished from close range to level the scores at 2-2. However, almost straight from the restart Collins won the ball and headed for goal before squaring for Beckwith to score and put Leverstock back into an immediate lead at 3-2.

In the 74th minute Alfie Bonfield produced a great save to keep out a shot from Hadi, with Eyituoyo Akinbulumo completing the clearance with a header off the line. With a couple of minutes to go Isaiah Hilaire might have added a further Leverstock goal, but had the ball taken off his toe by a defender when just about to shoot. As the game went into five minutes added time Leverstock were still holding their lead, but the home side’s persistence paid off in the second added minute when Dan Carey-Evans volleyed home from inside the box to level the scores at 3-3.

Biggleswade certainly weren’t settling for the point, and piled pressure on the Leverstock goal over the remaining minutes, hitting the bar on one occasion, but Leverstock held out for a very well-deserved point from a very entertaining game of football.

Biggleswade FC (1) 3 (Hadi 42, Kessel 70, Carey-Evans 90+2)
1. George Rose, 2. Adam Hunt, 3. Adam Wedd, 4. Lawrence Marsh, 5. Adam Tilson (16. Dan Carey-Evans 60 mins), 6. Charlie Hayford (17. Lee Northfield 67 mins), 7. Amir Hadi, 8. Luke Oswick (15. Ben Ellison-Tope 67 mins), 9. Daniel Bond (14. Ethan Kessel 67 mins), 10. Patrick McCafferty (12. Michael Simpson H/T), 11. Peter Holmes.
Leverstock Green (1) 3 (Delgaudio 23, 63, Beckwith 71)
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Ethan Mooney, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Gary Connolly (19. Scott McGleish 75 mins), 18. Eyituoyo Akinbulumo, 7. Lewis Collins (12. Ademide Baruwa 87 mins), 8. Dan Pett (6. Ryan Carruthers 68 mins), 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (15. Isaiah Hilaire 75 mins), 10. Lewis Croucher (14. Nat Connolly 77 mins), 11. Luke Beckwith.