Leverstock Green reached the second round of the FA Carlsberg Vase as they came out on top in a nine-goal thriller against Essex Senior League side Enfield 1893. This was a superb advert for football and a game that left nobody wanting for entertainment or goals. Steve Heath's side again showed their character as they fought back from 0-1, 1-3 and 3-4 down to eventually prevail.

It was obvious that this was going to be no ordinary game when the visitors were awarded a penalty within 15 seconds of the kick-off. Steve Hatch was penalised for pulling back an Enfield attacker inside the box, and the spot kick was dispatched by Sherwin Stanley to give Enfield the lead with just over a minute on the clock.

Green could have been two down in the fourth minute as they were under pressure again, but Mark Shadbolt cleared a shot from Lee Sontag off the line. Instead the scores were soon levelled. Charlie Gorman floated a free kick to the far post, where Hatch headed the ball back across goal, and Lee Bircham got up to head home an 8th minute equaliser for the Green.

The scores were not level for long, though. On 11 minutes an Enfield corner was not cleared, and the loose ball broke for Paul Oshin to shoot home from a narrow angle and restore the visitors' lead. It could have been worse a minute later, Carl Tasker came out of his penalty area to chest away a long ball, but it only went as far as Neal Hughes, who took the ball round Tasker but saw his shot kept out by another goalline clearance from Shadbolt. However, on 18 minutes, when Stanley's powerful run forward was blocked, the ball broke to the right for Hughes, who drilled the ball home from the edge of the box to put Enfield into a 3-1 lead.

The goals kept on coming, though. In the 20th minute Steve Hutchins floated a ball into the box, and Enfield defender Chris Green slipped over to leave Adam Hallissey all alone to shoot home and put Green back in the game at 2-3. A minute later Bircham curled in a cross which was met by a powerful header from Gorman. Enfield keeper John Hickman did well to turn the ball away, but as Hallissey chased the rebound, he was tripped inside the box by a defender. The referee pointed to the penalty spot again, and although Hickman got a firm hand to Bircham's spot-kick, he couldn't keep the ball out, and an astonishing period of six goals in the opening 22 minutes ended with the scores at 3-3.

The remainder of the first half was relatively quiet, with Leverstock going closest to adding another when Bill Morgan shot just wide on 29 minutes. The second half continued the pattern, but it was Enfield who scored next with an unfortunate goal from Green's perspective on 59 minutes. A free kick was floated into the box, and Tasker was decisive as he came out to punch the ball away. However, the ball cannoned off Enfield's Paul Oshin back towards goal, and this time Shadbolt couldn't clear the ball off the line and Enfield were back in front at 4-3. Tasker had to produce a good save to keep out a shot from Hughes two minutes later, and on 65 minutes Enfield sub Geoffrey Ockran played a great one-two with Stanley that cut through the Green defence, but he ran on to shoot wide.

Steve Heath's first substitution was enforced, as the injured Bircham was replaced by Craig Preston, but his next two changes were attacking ones as Lee Stobbs and Lewis Pritchard entered the action. As the game entered the last ten minutes, Leverstock hadn't had a clear chance in the second half. However, on 82 minutes Pritchard's persistence paid off as he chased a seemingly lost cause to the bye-line and forced a corner. Gorman floated the corner kick to the far post, where Hatch came round the back to head home and put Green back on level terms at 4-4.

Enfield's weakness at set-pieces could be attributed to the fact that keeper Hickman was clearly less than 100% fit, but they paid the price again as the game ticked into the 89th minute. Leverstock won another corner, Gorman floated it to the far post again, and Hatch won the ball again. This time Hatch headed it back across goal, where Hallissey stooped to head home from a yard out and put the Green in front for the first time in the match at 5-4.

Five minutes of stoppage time were played, most of which were spent by Louis Austin and Gorman shielding the ball in the corners. There was an anxious moment when Enfield won a free kick in a dangerous position, but Tasker claimed the ball safely, and a few seconds later the final whistle went to end a truly memorable game and put Leverstock Green into the hat for Monday's second round draw, having scored eleven goals in their two Vase ties so far. Leverstock's unbeaten run in all competitions now stretches to eleven games.