Leverstock Green collected another three points, and extended their unbeaten league start to five games, in what was their toughest match so far against a robust Royston side. Green’s current run of form is all the more remarkable given their current injury problems. Allan Arthur and Mark Welling were still out injured, added to which Adam Collins was suspended. However, although the squad may be thin in numbers at the moment, it is not lacking in spirit.

 

The first half was a battle largely played out in midfield, with few chances for either side. On 22 minutes a looping header from Royston’s Jason Nash forced Green keeper Joel Canning into an acrobatic tip-over. A quickly-taken free kick by John Pedder on 36 minutes put Adam Hallissey through on goal, but a defender got back to tackle just as he was about to shoot. In the last minute of the half Pedder tried his luck from a free kick ten yards outside the box, but his shot curled just wide of the post.

 

By contrast, the second half opened with a flurry of action. A ball over the top from Steve Boad allowed James Armstrong to beat the offside trap for the first time all afternoon. Armstrong ran on to hit what was either a well-placed shot or a mishit square ball, but whatever the intention, the ball trickled past the outstretched hand of keeper Scott Statham into the corner of the net to put Green 1-0 up 26 seconds after the restart.

 

The lead lasted less than four minutes. Kojo Ofori went on a run into the Green half that was only temporarily delayed by Matt Plaskett’s challenge. Ofori still managed to push the ball through to David McMurrough, who hit a shot that Canning got a hand to, but couldn’t keep out, to level the scores.

 

Green almost retook the lead on 53 minutes when Lee Johnson got on the end of Paul Leslie’s free kick, but headed just over the bar. However, on 62 minutes Leslie lofted another free kick into the box, which Statham came out for, but missed. The ball hit the post and cannoned back into the six-yard box, where Hallissey was the first to reach it, and netted his fourth goal of the season to put Green back in front at 2-1.

 

Leslie’s free kicks were proving to be Green’s principal source of danger. On 76 minutes Johnson headed wide from another well-placed kick, but three minutes later Leslie’s free kick to the far post was headed back across goal, where Johnson was on hand to shoot home Green’s third goal from close range.

 

Royston played the last seven minutes with only ten men. Ofori was booked for a tackle, and immediately talked himself into a second yellow and an early bath. Green saw out the closing minutes of the game comfortably to ensure the points from a game that was seldom easy to watch.

 

Team: Canning, Burr, Leslie, Plaskett, Johnson, Boad, Sears, Sangster (Barber), Pedder, Armstrong, Hallissey.