Wodson Park

Ware F.C.
Wodson Park,
Wadesmill Road,
Ware,
Hertfordshire
SG12 0UQ

(A) Ware

Leverstock Green’s hopes of extending their FA Cup run were ended as they fell to a heavy defeat at divisional rivals Ware in the Preliminary Round. After a first half that was mostly evenly-matched, Leverstock found themselves 5-0 down before pulling back some respectability with three late goals.

Leverstock gave a first starting appearance to Ashton Corder, and the 16 year old again looked impressive as his pace and skill gave the home defence some problems. They had a chance in the 15th minute when Ware keeper Fred Burbidge couldn’t hold onto a corner under challenge from Archie Quinlan, but Carmicheal Uchenna’s shot from the loose ball was blocked on the line. Ware broke away and almost scored themselves as Samuel Mayuma headed over the bar from close range.

Ware were forced into a change in the 38th minute as Burbidge was injured in a collision with a teammate, and after five minutes of treatment was unable to continue and was replaced by sub keeper Marco Cavedaschi. However, it was the home side that took the lead in the 41st minute when Rechan Esprit was allowed to run far too easily through the Leverstock defence before slotting past Ryan North.

Leverstock almost equalised three minutes later when Uchenna hit a superb shot from the edge of the box, but it hit the underside of the bar and came down on the wrong side of the line, and nobody could put away the rebound. Deep into the time added on for Burbidge’s treatment, Ware added a crucial second goal as Josh Hutchinson headed home a corner from close range to give Leverstock an uphill task for the second half.

Ware should have had a third goal four minutes into the second half when Khale Da Costa had a free header from close range, but it was blocked. However, a minute later they did score the third as Ekow Coker came in unchallenged round the back of the Leverstock defence to send a header looping over North.

Leverstock made some substitutions and pushed forward to try to get themselves back into the game, but they left themselves vulnerable to Ware’s swift counter-attacks. In the 65th minute Mayuma broke away and took on Quinlan before squaring for Da Costa to slot home a simple fourth goal. In the 72nd minute Gucci Soulya was played clean through to score the fifth as Ware threatened to run riot.

With four minutes to play Leverstock scored what looked to be a consolation goal when Uchenna ran through to slot past Cavedaschi. But there was more to come in the 88th minute when Cavedaschi was caught out dribbling across his own box by Enoch Folorunsho, who had a tap-in to score a second Leverstock goal. And in the third minute of stoppage time Dan Pett played a ball forward to George Eldridge, who beat a defender before shooting home a goal to make it 5-3. With so little time left there was no chance of Leverstock completing an unlikely comeback, but it raised the question of what might have happened had they tested Cavedaschi earlier.

Ware (2) 5 (Esprit 41, Hutchinson 45+4, Coker 50, Da Costa 65, Soulya 72)
1. Fred Burbidge (13. Marco Cavedaschi 38 mins), 2. Max Granville, 3. David Sota, 19. Anthony Wordsworth (16. Gucci Soulya 62 mins), 5. Josh Okotcha, 6. Ekow Coker, 7. Khale Da Costa (12. Theo Ofori 70 mins), 8. Herbie Townsend (18. Jack Taylor 62 mins), 9. Josh Hutchinson (15. Reece Beckles-Richards 70 mins), 10. Rechan Esprit, 11. Samuel Mayuma. Subs not used: 14. Gabriel Ward, 17. Leigh Rose.
Leverstock Green (0) 3 (Uchenna 86, Folorunsho 88, Eldridge 90+3)
1. Ryan North, 2. Kombe Kawimbe, 3. Vladyslav Karuchok (12. Nat Connolly 51 mins), 4. Dan Pett, 20. Archie Quinlan, 6. Ryan Carruthers (18. Marcus Warren 51 mins), 7. Ashton Corder (15. George Eldridge 79 mins), 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jack Allen (16. Enoch Folorunsho 55 mins), 10. Ademide Baruwa, 11. Joe McCarthy (12. Timi Bada 58 mins). Sub not used: 17. Bruce Ovbiye, GK. Finlay Penniston-Walker.

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(A) Ware

Leverstock Green made it an amazing six wins in a row as they travelled to Ware for their final away game of the season and came away with a fully-deserved 2-0 win.

It was a strong start from the Leverstock side who could have taken the lead in the second minute. Carmicheal Uchenna’s cross went across the face of goal, before Iker Noguera Leon retrieved the ball and set up Ademide Baruwa for a shot which went just wide. Leon could have had a goal himself in the 7th minute as a slip from a defender left him clean through on goal, but his shot was well saved by home keeper Fred Burbidge. Two minutes later Leverstock had a corner, which Uchenna played short to Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica, whose shot from a narrow angle brought a superb one-handed save out of Burbidge. However, seconds later a pass from Uchenna put Joe McCarthy clean through, and McCarthy slipped the ball past Burbidge to put Leverstock into an overdue lead, despite protests for offside from the Ware players.

Leverstock continued to impress. In the 14th minute McCarthy got on the end of a long kick from Ashton Broome-Alexander and played in Stefanoaica, who could have had a go instead but backheeled to Leon, who slipped at the vital moment but still recovered to hit a shot just wide. Broome-Alexander was brought into action in the 29th minute to turn away Leigh Rose’s header from a corner. Leverstock then broke away to win a corner of their own. Leon chipped the corner to the near post where Uchenna came in unchallenged to meet it with an absolute bullet of a header into the top corner of the net to put Leverstock 2-0 up.

Ware might have pulled a goal back in the final minutes of the first half, but Samuel Kifwasima-Mayuma shot just over the bar after Broome-Alexander had punched away a corner in the 43rd minute, and shot wide from a good chance in stoppage time.

Leverstock could have added further goals in the second half.In the 49th minute a pass from Uchenna put Jeffrey Sekyere through on goal, but Sekyere seemed caught in two minds between aiming for the bottom corner and passing to Leon coming in at the far post and put it inbetween the two and wide. Three minutes later Baruwa played in Uchenna, who hit a fierce shot which brought another good save from Burbidge.

In the 58th minute McCarthy outstripped a defender down the left flank and sent over a low cross which just eluded the boot of Sekyere. A great shot from McCarthy brought an equally impressive save from Burbidge in the 74th minute. Five minutes later Stefanoaica had a run into the box but shot over the bar.

At the other end Broome-Alexander was dealing with all that Ware could throw at him, and in the end the two goals proved enough for another superb result which lifts Leverstock further up the table to 13th, with the possibility of a top half finish still alive with one game to play.

Ware (0) 0
1. Fred Burbidge, 2. Josh Okotcha, 3. David Sota, 4. Sami Moutawafiq (16. Rechan Esprit H/T), 5. Leigh Rose, 6. Jay Rolfe, 7. Reece Beckles-Richards (14. Johnny Allotey 62 mins), 8. Max Granville (15. Theo Ofori 65 mins), 9. Josh Hutchinson, 10. Gucci Soulya (19. Jack Taylor H/T), 11. Samuel Kifwasima-Mayuma. Sub not used: 17. Gabriel Ward.
Leverstock Green (2) 2 (McCarthy 9, Uchenna 30)
1. Ashton Broome-Alexander, 2. Callum Neal, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Pett, 5. Kombe Kawimbe, 6. Ademide Baruwa, 7. Joe McCarthy, 8. Carmicheal Uchenna, 9. Jeffrey Sekyere, 10. Iker Noguera Leon (17. Marcus Warren 79 mins), 11. Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica (15. George Eldridge 79 mins). Sub not used: 12. Ryan Carruthers, 14. Nat Connolly, 16. George Mitchell-Gears.

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(A) Ware

It was yet another draw for Leverstock Green as they continue to try to find the points to keep themselves in the Southern League. The 1-1 result at Ware was their third straight draw and their 12th in 27 league games.

Both sides had plenty of chances during the game. Jamie Breen hit a shot just over the angle for Leverstock in the 4th minute, while at the other end a minute later Jon Clements hit a shot across goal and wide. A Leverstock mistake in the 15th minute saw the ball given away to Joe Dearman, who ran through on goal but fortunately shot wide. A minute later it was Leverstock who took the lead. Breen made an excellent run down the left wing, beating three players before sending over a cross. Ademide Baruwa laid the ball back to Guiseppe Delgaudio, who struck a shot from the edge of the box which went in off the post for the opening goal.

There were chances for Leverstock to increase their lead. In the 22nd minute a shot from Breen was kept out by the keeper’s legs, while a minute later Baruwa put in a powerful challenge in the box to win the ball before hitting a sweet strike that curled just over the bar. Instead it was Ware that equalised in the 24th minute. Samuel Mayuma was allowed too much room to run at goal and hit a shot which Ryan North parried away, but George Ironton followed up and netted the rebound to level the scores.

The game was still level at the break, and early in the second half Leverstock had another couple of good chances. In the 48th minute Luke Beckwith broke away down the left. His shot was saved by keeper Fred Burbidge, and the rebound fell for Delgaudio, but Burbidge kept out his effort too. A minute later there was another chance for Delgaudio, who got on the end of a great cross from Kyle Connolly, but his header landed on top of the net.

It was then the turn of North to keep Leverstock in the game with a series of great saves, firstly in the 50th minute to deny Stefanos Georgiou from point blank range. North saved again from Dearman in the 53rd minute, and denied Georgiou again two minute later, saving with his legs.

Beckwith went very close with a superb long-range strike in the 62nd minute that flew just over the bar, and North produced his best save of the game in the 75th minute to turn away a fierce strike from Ironton. Neither side was able to break the deadlock over the remaining minutes, and both sides are still looking for their first wins of 2025.

Ware (1) 1 (Ironton 24)
1. Fred Burbidge, 2. Stefanos Georgiou (12. Johnny Allotey 63 mins), 3. Joe Dearman, 4. Chukuma Okotcha, 5. Jay Rolfe, 6. Mackye Townsend-West, 7. George Ironton (16. Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo), 8. Max Granville, 9. Jon Clements, 10. Samuel Mayuma, 11. Gabriel Chapps (15. Thomas Kay 9 mins). Subs not used: 14. David Sota, 19. Lewis Thomas.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Delgaudio 16)
1. Ryan North, 2. Lucas Georgiou (12. Lewis Collins 72 mins), 3. Jamie Breen (18. Marcus Warren 79 mins), 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Oliwier Fusiek, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Nat Connolly 63 mins), 7. Kyle Connolly, 8. Dan Pett, 9. Guiseppe Delgaudio (15. Keanu Fleming 72 mins), 10. Luke Beckwith, 11. Ademide Baruwa (17. Rawn Seale 52 mins).

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(A) Hoddesdon Town

Leverstock Green suffered spot kick agony as they went out of the Premier Division Cup at the first round stage in a penalty shoot-out. The Green side were very hard done by to lose in such a way after fully playing their part in an exciting cup tie that was fast, frantic and full-blooded throughout.

Hoddesdon had the game’s first near-miss in the 8th minute when Connor Scully broke through after a deflection and hit a shot that brought a great save out of Liam Jahn. However, it was Leverstock who had more of the chances later in the half. In the 24th minute a pass from Curtis Donaldson put Jonathan Lacey in on goal to hit a shot from a narrow angle that was just over the bar. On 30 minutes Leverstock broke quickly from a poor Hoddesdon corner. Lewis Bowers raced into the opposition half and set up Donaldson, whose shot was saved, and Shane Wood’s effort from the rebound was cleared off the line by defender Reece Hackney. Two minutes later Wood had another effort cleared off the line in a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

The game was goalless at half time, but the second half continued the frantic pace of the first half and the goals soon came. With just over a minute played Lewis Smith was put through on goal, but his shot was turned round the post by keeper Harry Smart. Leverstock played a short corner routine, and Donaldson delivered a cross which was perfectly floated for Lewis Bowers to thunder into the six-yard box and head the opening goal.

The lead lasted for ten minutes. A rare piece of slack Leverstock defending saw Wood lose the ball in the box and then overstretch to put in a tackle, resulting in a penalty to Hoddesdon. Charlie Edwards made no mistake from the spot to level the score at 1-1.

However, the Green side continued to push forward. On 59 minutes Donaldson hit a shot from the edge of the box into the side netting. Two minutes later Bowers headed a kick from Jahn onto Lacey, who was tripped in the box resulting in another penalty. Bowers smashed home the spot kick to put Leverstock back in front at 2-1.

This time the lead lasted less than a minute, though, as the Green defence struggled to clear a cross, and in the resulting scramble Brett O’Connor netted from close range to level at 2-2.

On 66 minutes Leverstock were reduced to ten men when Ross Adams was adjudged to have stamped on a Hoddesdon defender in a tussle and was shown a straight red card. However, the ten men remained competitive for the rest of the game. On 79 minutes Leverstock had a great chance on the break with two against two, but Donaldson’s pass was just too far ahead of Bowers, allowing Smart to get there first to clear. Seconds later Donaldson hit a stinger of a shot which Smart did very well to turn over the bar. Hoddesdon had the better of the last few minutes and might have won it in the last minute when a cross from Fraser John found Leigh Rose in front of goal, but he headed straight at Jahn.

With the score 2-2 at the final whistle, the game went into a penalty shoot-out, which was decided by one unfortunate moment as 17 year old Oliseh Okwudi put Leverstock’s second kick over the bar. Neither keeper got close to saving any of the other nine, with Jason Brown scoring the final kick to win it 5-4 for Hoddesdon.

Despite the final outcome, the performance was a continuation of the Leverstock side’s excellent form over the last couple of games, and they should be in confident mood for Saturday’s visit to neighbours Berkhamsted for a league match.

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