7/10/06: FA Vase First Round

Wellingborough Town 0 Leverstock Green 4

 

Another week and another marvellous result for Leverstock Green, as they progressed to the second round of the FA Vase at the expense of highly-rated Wellingborough Town. The "Doughboys" went into this game on top of the United Counties League, on a ten-game winning streak and with a squad containing many players with experience at higher levels.However, their top scorer, former England semi-pro international Darren Collins, was marked out of the game by 17-year old Louis West, and at the other end the in-form James Armstrong weighed in with a superb hat-trick.

 

The home side had more of the early play, and Green keeper Mark Davidson was first brought into action in the 8^th minute to tip over a looping header from Collins. However, Green went close to taking the lead on 17 minutes when Steve Boad got on the end of Josh Price’s corner with a free header which was destined for the top corner until David Bond headed it off the line. Wellingborough should have gone in front on 22 minutes when Green were caught out by Tim Wooding’s quickly-taken free kick, but Collins headed over the bar from in front of goal six yards out.

 

The game was finely balanced at this point, but a quick double strike by Armstrong turned the game in Green’s favour. On 29 minutes Price floated in a free kick from distance which was flicked on by Boad. Dale Sears played a pass which found its way through a crowd of players to Armstrong on the edge of the six-yard box, and he turned and quickly dispatched a shot past keeper John Hughes to put Green in front.

 

Three minutes later, Armstrong picked up the ball on the right edge of the penalty area, and went on a darting run into the box which took him past two defenders. He then sidestepped Hughes, and after momentarily losing his balance, recovered to slot the ball past the covering defenders on the line for a superb solo goal and a 2-0 lead for Leverstock. The lead could have been reduced a minute later when Bond burst through, but his shot on the run was turned away by Davidson, and Green held their two-goal lead until the break.

 

If the half-time score was impressive, it didn’t take long for Green to raise the bar further. Boad lofted a pass from the halfway line which allowed Armstrong to outpace two defenders, and from the edge of the penalty area he sent a superb lob over Hughes into the net to put Green into a 3-0 lead just 25 seconds after the restart.

 

In the 50^th minute the roles were reversed. Boad’s run through the middle was picked out by Armstrong’s chipped pass from the left touchline, and Boad controlled the ball before firing past Hughes from the edge of the penalty area for a fourth goal which left the home crowd shellshocked.

 

At 4-0 the game was effectively over, although Wellingborough continued to push forward in search of a consolation goal. Bond hit a shot just wide, Kevin Slinn had a header well saved by Davidson, and they were unlucky on several other occasions, but Green were destined to be only the second side to shut them out this season.

 

Midway through the half Armstrong was replaced by Allan Arthur, and as he left the field he was even sportingly applauded by the home supporters after another man-of-the-match performance which took his season’s tally to 12 goals, seven of them in the last four games.

 

Team: Davidson, Plaskett, Leslie, Price, West, Boad, Sears (Burr), Welling (Barber),

Sangster, Armstrong (Arthur), Caseman.

 

To complete another all-round good day for the club, the reserves beat Oxhey Jets 5-2 in a home league match.

 

On Tuesday night the first team are at home to Biggleswade United in a league match. The youth team has a big night on Wednesday when they are at home to Harrow Borough in the 2^nd qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup. Next Saturday the first team are away to Colney Heath, while the reserves are at home to Sun Postal Sports in the Reserve Challenge Trophy.