Leverstock Green fell to their worst defeat of the season so far in Saturday’s visit to Chalfont St Peter. Most of the damage was done in a ten-minute spell during the first half, but this was generally a below-par performance, with Green contributing to their own downfall through poor defending. The standard of refereeing was also a concern, as Green managed to pick up eight yellow cards and one red card from a match that was no more dirty than any other game this season.

 

Things might have been different if Green had taken their first chance of the match. In the 14^th minute John Pedder played the ball through to Allan Arthur, who sidestepped a defender to open up a shooting chance, but keeper Shaka Mughal saved the shot with his legs. Green generally had the better of things early on, but a goal against the run of play in the 27^th minute changed the game. A pass from Jerome Okimo opened up the Green defence and put Bradley Bubb through, and he shot past Derek Lewis from a narrow angle to open the scoring.

 

Worse was to follow within three minutes. Okimo floated in a free kick from near the halfway line, and Barry Brosnan rose unchallenged to connect with a header that went in off the post for a second goal. Green might have pulled a goal back on 35 minutes when Josh Price delivered a free kick, but Lee Johnson headed well over. Instead, two minutes later Green’s inability to clear the ball allowed Bubb to knock the ball through to Terrel Lewis, who hit an impressive volley from the edge of the penalty area past Lewis to put Chalfont 3-0 ahead.

 

There was a glimmer of hope a minute before half-time when Green pulled a goal back. Mark Welling’s cross to the far post was punched away by Mughal, but only as far as Paul Matthews, whose header back towards goal was turned in by Johnson to reduce the arrears to 3-1. In stoppage time Green went close again when Louis West headed just over from Price’s free kick.

 

The second half started brightly for Green, with Pedder hitting a shot just wide from a corner on 50 minutes. However, with the referee seemingly penalising every Green challenge, their frustration grew amid an increasing tally of yellow cards that eventually took its toll. On the hour mark three yellow cards were shown in quick succession, the last of which was a second for West for an innocuous challenge which saw the young defender sent off.

 

Green’s hopes had faded by now, with Chalfont looking more likely to add to their score. However, wayward shooting and a great save by Lewis from Bubb’s header on 77 minutes kept them down to three until stoppage time when Darren Caseman was caught in possession by Okimo and ran on to shoot home the fourth.

 

There was still time for the referee to show two more yellow cards to Adam Hallissey and Ryan Upton, yet he failed to show a second yellow to Matthews for one of the few tackles in the game that actually merited a booking.

 

Team: Lewis, West, Price, Matthews, Johnson, Pedder (Boad), Bull (Caseman), Welling (Hallissey), Armstrong, Arthur, Upton.