Leverstock Green are going through a sticky patch at the moment, as they fell to their third successive league defeat at home to London Colney on Saturday. It was a similar story to Tuesday night's defeat to Oxhey, with some very good chances being missed.

Leverstock opened the game brightly, and could have taken an early lead when a corner from Louis Bircham went right across the face of goal, but neither Adam Wallace or Liam Hind could put the ball away. However, it was the visitors who had the best early chance when Leverstock were caught on the break from their own corner. Spencer Clark-Mardel played the ball through to Jason Beck, but Kieran Jimmy, back in the Green goal after a spell out injured, dived to his right to save Beck's shot.

The Green had their first real opportunity in the 19th minute when Callum Wright's pass found Bircham inside the box. Bircham ran across the six-yard box to get an angle for a shot but eventually hooked his effort wide of the post. Beck had another near miss for the visitors on 22 minutes when Mark Woolley lost the ball in midfield, but his shot hit the post.

At this stage the game could have gone either way, but it was London Colney who took the lead in the 28th minute. Tom Smith clipped the ball in to the box, and Clark-Mardel finished well, flicking the ball over Jimmy into the net.

Leverstock should have been back on level terms in the 38th minute. Wallace exchanged passes with Hind and was put clean through, but like Bircham earlier he hooked his shot across goal and just wide of the far post.

In the opening minutes of the second half, there was a controversial moment involving Colney striker Beck, who appeared to raise his hand and punch Gavin Smith. The referee consulted his linesman, but the end result was only a yellow card for Beck, who was substituted shortly afterwards. Before that happened Beck played a pass to put Clark-Mardel through on goal, but Jimmy turned his shot round the post. However, the resulting corner wasn't cleared, and Greg Shaw hooked the ball home in the ensuing scramble to give his side a 2-0 lead in the 52nd minute.

There was another chance for Leverstock in the 64th minute when Bircham was found inside the box again. He couldn't get a shot in, but squared for Luke Warner-Eley, whose shot was blocked, as was the follow-up effort from Wallace. In general though, the second half was a disappointment from the Leverstock side. They should have had a penalty in stoppage time when David Sobers was pushed over inside the box, but instead the referee booked Sobers. In the 5th minute of stoppage time the Green finally pulled a goal back when a free kick from Warner-Eley went into the net via a deflection, but it was too late to rescue the game.

Dene Gardner's side are in need of a good result to get their season back on track, and they will hope to get something from Wednesday night's trip to Potters Bar to play Hadley, kick-off 7.45 pm.