It was another heartbreaking ending for Leverstock Green as they were denied a deserved win by a controversial stoppage time penalty decision. Leverstock had dominated the game despite playing with ten men for much of it, but let a two-goal lead slip over the closing minutes.

Leverstock were already without their two top goalscorers, with both Joe McCarthy and Iker Noguera Leon missing the game through suspension and injury respectively. The game was played in heavy rain throughout, with the newly-laid pitch at Chesham holding up well, although the ball was being increasingly held up by surface water during the game.

The home side could have gone in front in the second minute, but Bakary Daffeh put the ball over the bar from close range. The incident that changed the game occurred in the 14th minute, as both Kombe Kawimbe and an opponent slid in for a 50-50 challenge. Kawimbe got to the ball first and cleared it 20 yards, but his momentum took him through into the opponent. It would have been a harsh yellow card, but the referee showed Kawimbe a straight red card. In the immediate aftermatch both Fergus Moore and Scott McGleish were dismissed from the Leverstock dugout for their protests.

The injustice only served to motivate the ten man Leverstock side. In the 23rd minute a ball into the box from Vlad Karuchok just eluded George Mitchell-Gears. Wil Turner shot into the side netting for Aylesbury in the 26th minute, but two minutes later Leverstock took the lead. A free kick was cleared to the edge of the box, where Ryan Carruthers picked it up and and fired a shot into the top corner of the net.

Ademide Baruwa came close to adding a second goal in the 31st minute but his shot curled just wide of the post. Aylebury might have equalised in the 41st minute but Jake Bewley’s long-range shot cannoned off the bar.

Leverstock continued to work hard and have the better of the game in the second half. Ashton Corder came off the bench in the 54th minute and within five minutes had made an impact. A back pass was sent back towards keeper Jack Hopwood, but the ball held up and Corder nipped in to get the ball first, taking it around Hopwood before slotting into the empty net from a narrow angle to put Leverstock 2-0 up.

There was almost a third goal in the 74th minute. The ball was played forward to Corder and Hopwood came way out of his goal to challenge, but Corder won the challenge and sent a chip towards goal from 40 yards which looked like it was going in but landed inches wide of the goal. Leverstock’s new signing Romari Forde made his debut from the bench and had a chance to score in the 83rd minute from Corder’s pass, but Hopwood came off his line and saved well.

At the other end Sonny French was through on goal in the 86th minute, but Ryan North pulled off a save and it looked like Leverstock were heading for a deserved three points. But in the 88th minute a shot from Ike Okwusogu found the corner of the net to pull a goal back for Aylesbury.

Four minutes of stoppage time were signalled but two minutes into stoppages an Aylesbury player was through on goal. North dived at his feet and appeared to win the ball, but the player fell over his outstretched arm. To the disbelief of much of the stadium the referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Finlay Reeves netted the spot kick to earn a point for his side that had looked very unlikely a few minutes earlier. Leverstock were left with only a point to show from a superb performance battling the odds.

Aylesbury United (0) 2 (Okwusogu 88, Reeves 90+3 pen)
1. Jack Hopwood, 2. Frankie Bircham (14. Pooya Karimi 64 mins), 3. Jake Bewley, 4. Sonny French, 5. Archie Quinlan, 6. Chase Matthew (16. Ike Okwusogu H/T), 7. Rocko Tamplin (15. Sam Bajaha H/T), 8. Nathan Brown, 9. Finlay Reeves, 10. Bakary Daffeh, 11. Wil Turner. Subs not used: 17. Lee Stobbs, 18. Marvin Emmanuel.
Leverstock Green (1) 2 (Carruthers 28, Corder 59)
1. Ryan North, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Vlad Karuchok, 4. George Mitchell-Gears, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ryan Carruthers (17. Marcus Warren 77 mins), 7. Ademide Baruwa, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Jack Allen (12. Ashton Corder 54 mins), 10. Nat Connolly, 11. Timi Bada (15. Romari Forde 64 mins). Sub not used: 14. Callum Donnelly, 16. Aldo Petagine.

Leverstock Green started their second season in the Southern League with a solid point from a goalless draw away to Aylesbury United. It was a game of few chances, although had Leverstock been awarded a penalty for a blatant handball early in the second half, it could have been a different result.

The first half saw Leverstock generally with more of the ball, although they did not make the most of it. Jeffrey Sekyere, who was a key factor in last season’s “great escape” has rejoined on loan from Wealdstone and played up front today, but rarely had a chance to show his skill and pace against a stubborn Ducks defence. Leverstock won several corners during the first half, but the delivery was disappointing with the ball not reaching the danger zone from any of them.

The game’s controversial moment came in the 50th minute. A Leverstock cross was quite clearly batted down by the arm of an Aylesbury defender inside the box, and although just about everybody in the ground thought it was a penalty, the match officials felt it was accidental and played on.

Two minutes later Nat Connolly had one of Leverstock’s best chances when a cross was headed down into his path, but his shot from close range was over the bar. The Leverstock defence did a good job of containing any threat from the Aylesbury side, meaning that keeper Harry Way had little to do other then collect crosses, which he did confidently. Jed Layman’s shot across goal in the 55th minute was as close as the home side came to a goal.

In the 68th minute Leverstock won a free kick in a dangerous position, but Ryan Carruthers’ shot was straight at keeper Jack Hopwood. Juan Pablo Velasco had a shot in the 83rd minute but again it was comfortable for Hopwood. Leverstock could have won the game in stoppage time when Justin Dass had the clearest shooting chance of the game, but his shot was blocked as was a follow-up effort.

Aylesbury United 0
1. Jack Hopwood, 2. Liam Batchelor-Morgan, 3. Jake Bewley, 4. Jack Wood, 5. Charley Tuttle, 6. Brandon Green, 7. London Brookshaw, 8. Hayden Beadle, 9. Leandro Jardim (14. Powfil Raposo 53 mins), 10. Remel Larwood (15. Nasha Mukwada 9 mins), 11. Jed Layman. Subs not used: 12. Sonny French, 16. Ben Peters, 17. Kacper Kloc.
Leverstock Green 0
1. Harry Way, 2. Dan Casey (15. Callum Neal 66 mins), 3. Rio Beach (16. Aldo Petagine 76 mins), 4. Josh Dooley, 5. Matt Forkin, 6. Ryan Carruthers, 7. Juan Pablo Velasco, 8. John Gyabaah, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere (19. Joel Onu 85 mins), 10. Nat Connolly (14. Oliver Glimas 81 mins), 11. Kai Nemoto (12. Justin Dass 68 mins).

Leverstock Green are still looking for their first point in the Southern League after falling to a 1-0 defeat at Aylesbury United on Tuesday night, but they deserved at least a point after a second half display in which they were well on top and did everything but score.

The goal that turned out to be the winner was scored in the 5th minute of the game. Alfie Bonfield was off his line when Morrison Hashii hit a lobbed shot from 30 yards out, and Bonfield slipped as he tried to backpedal and couldn’t keep the ball out.

Leverstock came close to an equaliser in the 14th minute when good buildup play from Ethan Mooney and Rio Beach on the left set up Dan Pett for a shot which went just wide. Three minutes later Bonfield did well to deny Hashii from close range after the striker met a cross at the near post. There was another Leverstock chance in the 23rd minute as a pass from Pett put Luke Beckwith in on goal, but home keeper Jack Hopwood pulled off a one-handed save to keep out Beckwith’s shot.

The second half saw Leverstock much more on the front foot. The early introduction of Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica and Guiseppe Delgaudio gave them more presence up front, and Delgaudio had a half chance on 63 minutes from an Ademide Baruwa pass, but couldn’t get his shot on target. Four minutes later Josh Dooley got on the end of a Pett corner but his header was cleared off the line.

Jamie Breen came off the bench on 70 minutes and was another threat, giving the Leverstock side genuine width and pace, and he delivered a series of excellent crosses into the Aylesbury six-yard box, but nobody was able to apply the finishing touch.

Stefanoaica had his most threatening run at goal in the 90th minute, but his eventual shot took a deflection and was punched away awkwardly by Hopwood. Two minutes later Breen worked himself a shooting chance but was unlucky as Hopwood kept it out with his boot. Deep into a lengthy period of stoppage time there was a strong shout for a Leverstock penalty but nothing was given.

Aylesbury eventually held out for the win, but the Green side’s second half performance should give them confidence that goals and results will come soon.

Aylesbury United (1) 1 (Hashii 5)
1. Jack Hopwood, 2. Liam Batchelor-Morgan, 3. Jake Bewley, 4. Jack Wood, 5. Kian Henry, 6. Ben Stallard, 7. William St. Clair-Burton, 18. Ben Peters (15. Songora-Mory Kone 74 mins), 9. Kamil Zielinksi, 10. Morrison Hashii, 11. Kwai Marsh-Brown (16. Zaid Hannachi 60 mins) (14. Josh Guthrie 87 mins). Subs not used: 12. Linidon Daka, 17. Kasper Kloc.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Ademide Baruwa, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Gary Connolly, 5. Josh Dooley, 6. Ryan Carruthers (16. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica 51 mins), 7. Luke Beckwith (15. Jaden Newman 85 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Rawn Seale (14. Guiseppe Delgaudio 61 mins), 10. Nat Connolly (12. Jamie Breen 70 mins), 11. Ethan Mooney. Sub not used: 17. Dan Weeks.