Leverstock Green’s unbeaten league record finally came to an end at the 14^th game in disappointing fashion against Kingsbury London Tigers at Pancake Lane. Leverstock were missing both of their regular centre-backs, with Lee Johnson unavailable and Louis West injured, and the side was feeling the after-effects of Tuesday night’s extra time marathon, but this was still a poor performance against a Kingsbury side that defended well and attacked with speed and incision.

 

Kingsbury took only 8 minutes to demonstrate the potential of their forward line. Tarik Ellekhlifi played a through ball from his own half which allowed Hardy Moreitz to outpace Chris Burr down the left, and he ran on to shoot past Mark Davidson and put the visitors into a surprise early lead.

 

They should have doubled their lead three minutes later when Moreitz squared across the penalty area to find Paulius Olikauskas unmarked in front of goal, but he shot wide. At the other end Green were creating very little, and their only near miss of the first half came on 15 minutes when Josh Price’s free kick dropped for James Armstrong on the edge of the six-yard box, but his shot was cleared off the line.

 

In the second half Kingsbury defended in numbers, and Leverstock were unable to break them down. On 56 minutes Matt Plaskett headed just wide from Price’s corner. Two minutes later Paul Leslie’s free kick to the far post was headed back across goal by Allan Arthur for Plaskett, but his header was saved on the line by the keeper.

 

Most of the game was being played in the Kingsbury half, but they still threatened on the break, and in the 64^th minute Jamalar Rahman fired home a shot from the edge of the penalty area to put his side 2-0 up and leave Green with a mountain to climb.

 

Mick Vipond’s final throw of the dice was to bring on Adam Hallissey with 20 minutes remaining, and within four minutes he got on the end of a cross from Price with a header which beat the keeper, but was cleared off the line by a defender. Dale Sears had a shot cleared off the line from the resulting corner as it was becoming clear that this was not going to be Green’s day. Deep into stoppage time Hallissey hit the bar with a header, and soon after the final whistle confirmed Leverstock’s first defeat, and also their first blank scoresheet of the season.

 

Team: Davidson, Burr (Welling), Leslie, Plaskett, Price, Caseman, Sears, Sangster (Chamberlin), Armstrong, Arthur, Upton (Hallissey)