Leverstock Green came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline after a topsy-turvy pre-season friendly at Broadfields United. Having come back from two goals down to take the lead, the match swung again in the opposite direction.

The home side took the lead in the 10th minute with a soft goal, a shot from the edge of the box that should have kept out but slipped over the Leverstock keeper’s hands into the net.

The Green side fought back and created some good chances. In the 15th minute Eyituoyo Akinbulumo pushed forward into the opposition half before laying off to Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, whose cross was headed wide by Guiseppe Delgaudio. On 21 minute a great pass from Luke Beckwith allowed Delgaudio to spin off his marker and go through on goal, but his eventual shot was saved by the keeper. Two minutes later another pass from Beckwith put Stefanoaica away down the right, but his shot across goal just eluded Delgaudio at the far post.

Having looked good value for an equaliser, instead Leverstock found themselves two goals down in the 25th minute. The Broadfields right-back was left alone in acres of space to receive a pass and deliver a cross which was headed home.

There was another near miss for Leverstock in the 32nd minute as a corner from Beckwith found Dan Weeks with a header that was blocked by the keeper. The rebound went straight back to Weeks but he shot over the bar from close range. Finally in the 36th minute Leverstock found the net as Stefanoaica headed for goal, but finding his path blocked he laid the ball back to Delgaudio, who hit a low shot into the corner of the net to pull a goal back.

There were several substitutions made at half time, and two of them combined to level the scores in the 47th minute as Lewis Collins threaded a pass to Rawn Seale, who slotted the ball under the keeper for the equaliser. In the 58th minute Leverstock were in front for the first time as Beckwith set up Collins to shoot home the goal to put them 3-2 up.

However, the lead only lasted five minutes, as a calamitous mix up between goalkeeper and defender gifted a chance for Broadfields to shoot home the equaliser.

Leverstock continued to look good going forward. In the 70th minute Jaden Newman was twice denied by the keeper, turning his shot wide then saving his header from the resulting corner. A trialist should have put the Green back in front in the 77th minute after setup work from Newman and Seale, but headed across goal when it looked easier to score. Four minutes later Leverstock paid the price for missed chances as more sloppy defending allowed Broadfields to go back in front at 4-3. Leverstock missed a further two glaring chances over the remaining minutes to save the game, and there is still much work to do before next Saturday’s FA Cup tie and the start of Southern League fixtures the following Saturday.

Leverstock Green were beaten 4-0 at Rayners Lane in Saturday’s pre-season friendly.

The home side will also be competing in Step 4 for the first time this season after promotion. Although the result looked convincing, the main difference between the sides was the quality of finishing. Leverstock created chances, including in the 14th minute when an excellent cross from Ethan Mooney found Rawn Seale in front of goal, but they weren’t put away. Rayners Lane had threatened little until the 30th minute when they scored on the break. Seven minutes later Liam Gauthier did well tip a shot over the bar, but the resulting corner was headed home for a 2-0 Rayners lead. Two more clinical finishes in the 49th and 60th minute left a final score of 4-0.

Leverstock Green got off to a fast start as their pre-season preparation begin with a friendly away to Broadfields United. The Green side were 4-0 up in 20 minutes, and although the home side dominated the second half and staged a comeback, Leverstock came away with the win.

Ollie Cox had already hit a shot just wide after 30 seconds before putting Leverstock a goal up in the 2nd minute, slotting home a low shot. New signing Luke Beckwith made it 2-0 in the 7th minute with an excellent shot, and in the 16th minute Beckwith scored his second, getting on the end of a cross from Chris Blunden to score from close range. Blunden scored himself in the 20th minute with a solo run and shot to make it 4-0 to Leverstock.

The first half was cut short after a nasty injury to Alex Marsh, who was caught by a boot in the face. Fergus Moore made a number of changes for the second half, and Broadfields had much the better of things. Leverstock still had their chances, with Elgeniy Daalberg being denied by the keeper when clean through in the 50th minute. Broadfields pulled their first goal back in the 58th minute, a goalline clearance from Brad Robinson not being enough to prevent a goal from the rebound.

A harsh penalty decision allowed Broadfields to pull a second goal back from the spot in the 69th minute, and when they pulled it back to 4-3 in the 75th minute it looked like a complete turnaround might be on the cards. However, Leverstock had a penalty of their own two minutes later when Ibrahim Nagheeb was brought down, and new signing George Mitchell-Gears netted the spot kick for a 5-3 lead, which remained until the end of the game.