A last-minute winner kept alive Leverstock Green's outside hopes of finishing runners-up in the SSML Premier Division, after they had let a two-goal half-time lead slip away. Not for the first time this season it was Steve Hatch who netted the crucial goal, as the Green won their 15th game of an 18-game unbeaten run.

Leverstock's current run of form saw them named as Premier Division Team of the Month for March by the SSML committee, and the award was made by league president Brian Smith before the game.

A worry for Green manager Steve Heath is the fitness of top scorer Louis Austin, who injured a toe in last Saturday's game. Austin failed a fitness test before this game and is doubtful for Tuesday night's Premier Division Cup final against Colney Heath.

A few other players were rested with the forthcoming cup finals in mind, but the Green side still got off to a great start. Lewis Pritchard could have put them in front in the opening minute, but he shot over the bar from Lee Stobbs' cross.

In the 6th minute Carl Tasker launched a huge goal kick downfield, which the Harefield defenders allowed to bounce. Bekim Culaj outpaced the defenders to run onto the ball and finished well by lobbing keeper Andrew Haggar to put the Green into a 1-0 lead. That was Leverstock's 150th goal in all competitions this season.

Hatch headed just wide from a Charlie Gorman corner on 10 minutes, and Steve Hutchins lobbed just over the bar on 16 minutes from a misdirected header by a Harefield defender. Leverstock's dominance merited more goals, and the second goal arrived on 36 minutes as Gorman floated a corner to the far post and Bill Morgan leapt above the rest to head home.

The situation looked comfortable enough at half time, but it proved to be anything but. Harefield made a change at half time, bringing on Jack Reader as a second forward. Leverstock made a sloppy start, and within 30 seconds of the restart, Hatch was caught dwelling on the ball just outside his own box by Sam Gomez, who won the ball and ran on to shoot low past Tasker and put his side back into the game.

The two-goal lead should have been restored three minutes later, as Stobbs broke away down the right and squared into the box to find Pritchard all alone, but he ballooned his shot over the bar.

Instead, the scores were levelled on 53 minutes and again it was Gomez, who showed good footwork on the edge of the box to shake off the attentions of two Green defenders and find space to drill a shot past Tasker for 2-2.

Steve Heath made two substitutions, bringing on Adam Hallissey and Craig Preston, but it was proving a frustrating half for his side, potentially good situations often being wasted by the wrong ball being played. Green felt they were denied a good shout for a penalty eight minutes from time when Hallissey appeared to be brought down from behind when clean through and about to shoot, the referee waving away the claims. Harefield went close to a winner themselves in the 87th minute, with Wayne Mills hitting a shot inches over the bar.

However, in the last minute Leverstock won a throw-in near the corner flag. Pritchard hurled a long one into the box, which was flicked on towards the far post, and Hatch came in to shoot home what proved to be the winner, the youngster atoning for his earlier error which had given Harefield a foothold in the game.

Harefield were reduced to ten men in stoppage time as former Green player Dan Picknell was shown a straight red card for a dangerous two-footed tackle, but for Leverstock it was another hard-earned three points. They will go into their final league match at Hertford next Saturday one goal short of a century of league goals, and needing a win to stand a chance of finishing higher than fourth.

Before that they face their first of their three cup finals on Tuesday night, against Colney Heath in the Premier Division Cup final at London Colney F.C., kick-off 7.45 pm.