Match Report
Saturday 2nd April 2016 Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Leverstock Green (0) 0
Welwyn Garden City (1) 2 Parkinson 42, Kersey 65
at Pancake Lane

A third straight defeat kept Leverstock Green still looking nervously over their shoulders, although results elsewhere meant that they still maintained a five-point cushion over the five sides below them. This was a game that Leverstock should have won during a first half where they were the better side and created a number of good chances, but the ball wouldn't go in the net and a red card early in the second half scuppered their chances.

Leverstock made an excellent start to the game, winning a couple of corners in the opening minute, and in the second minute a shot from Curtis Donaldson that was heading for the top corner brought a great save out of Welwyn keeper Kieron Clayton, who was the Leverstock under-18 side keeper two seasons ago. A minute later Alex McCarthy came in for a header at the far post, but it went wide.

On 18 minutes a cross from Ryan Laville found Lewis Cruwys at the far post, but his header was cleared off the line. Cruwys was denied again on 27 minutes when he connected with a Donaldson cross at the far post, but his first-time volley was saved by Clayton. Within a minute Cruwys floated a cross to the far post for Ollie Buckley, who got there ahead of Clayton but lifted the ball over the bar. In the 32nd minute Buckley won the ball near the corner flag and cut inside before hitting a shot that came back off the post. Two minutes later Cruwys had a great chance inside the box but his shot was saved by the legs of Clayton.

At the other end Welwyn had created a few chances but not extended Liam Jahn. There was a moment of controversy around 40 minutes when the referee spotted that Ryan Laville was not wearing shinpads. Laville was asked to leave the field but was then booked moments later for re-entering the field of play without permission, when, on his manager's instructions, he hadn't actually left the field to put the shinpads on.

The booking proved costly later, and also contributed to the Green side losing their focus for a few minutes. In the 42nd minute former Green player David Parkinson took advantage by getting in behind the defence to run clear and shoot the visitors into a 1-0 lead. It could have been worse a couple of minutes later when Leverstock gave the ball away in their own half and Ash Kersey went clean through, but Jahn saved his shot.

There was still much to play for in the second half with Leverstock having the slope in their favour, but just six minutes into the half Laville received a harsh second yellow card for a challenge, and Leverstock were down to ten men.

A minute later Parkinson was clean through for Welwyn but Jahn saved again, however on 65 minutes a ball from Parkinson put Kersey through to shoot Welwyn into a 2-0 lead.

The Green side were not able to create the same momentum in the second half as they had in the first, and the visitors' lead did not look threatened until the closing minutes when a shot from Donaldson brought a good save out of Clayton.

Leverstock have only two days to recover before their next game, away to Hadley on Monday night.

Leverstock Green: 1. Liam Jahn, 2. Tommy Walsh (12. Dan Bourne 72 mins), 3. Dan Hartley, 4. Curtis Donaldson, 5. Joe Horwood, 6. Jack Copson, 7. Ashley Addison (15. Danny Fielding 72 mins), 8. Alex McCarthy, 9. Lewis Cruwys, 10. Ollie Buckley, 11. Ryan Laville. Subs not used: 14. Tyler Osborne, 16. Dan O'Donnell.
Welwyn Garden City: 1. Kieron Clayton, 2. Sam Perrin, 3. Jay Welsh, 4. Danny Payne (16. Carl Mensah 78 mins), 5. Yasin Boodhoo, 6. John McGrandles, 7. David Parkinson, 8. Daryl Smith (14. Nathan Dimmock 61 mins), 9. Ash Kersey, 10. Luke Robbins, 11. Jason Caswell (12. Josh Bronti 66 mins). Sub not used: 17. Jay Lovell.