Alan Lee Reporting Premier Division

Leverstock Green 1 Crawley Green 3

Tuesday 31st January 2023

Leverstock Green were unable to follow up Saturday’s win at Harpenden as they crashed to a home defeat against Crawley Green on Tuesday night. After a tight first half the visitors took control in the second half with some clinical finishing as Leverstock were caught on the break too many times. There was a chance for Leverstock in the 5th minute as skipper Dan Weeks got on the end of a free kick from Ibrahim Nagheeb, but his header went over the bar. Crawley’s first near miss came in the 18th minute when an overhead kick from Brandon Carney struck the post.

Radu-Mihai Stefanoaica looked like Leverstock’s most dangerous player, and in the 22nd minute he made a strong run into the box and pulled the ball back into the six-yard box, but it was cleared. Six minutes later the action was at the other end as Austin Byfield dived low to turn away a shot from Joe Hankins. In the 33rd minute Elginey Daalberg went on a solo run from the halfway line to the edge of the penalty area but then hit his shot over the bar. Leverstock’s best chance of the half was in the 39th minute when a great pass from Dan Weeks put Stefanoaica in behind the defence, but after running across the face of the six-yard box, he hit his eventual shot wide. In the last minute of the half Dan Pett got on the end of a cross and turned quickly but his shot was saved.

The teams went in at half time with the game still goalless, but the second half was barely a minute old when Crawley Green took the lead. Leverstock were caught on the break from their own attack, and the ball was threaded through to Hankins, whose shot found the net despite Byfield getting a hand to it.

There was almost a second in the 53rd minute as Hankins slid in to meet a cross from Carney but it went just wide, and Carney hit the woodwork for a second time in the 57th minute as his free kick from distance hit the post. The second Crawley goal came in the 61st minute and again it was careless from Leverstock as they were caught by a quick breakaway from their own corner and Hankins was put through again to slot the ball past Byfield.

There was a let-off for Leverstock in the 70th minute when Carney was clean through and looked set to score but shot straight at Byfield. However, Leverstock couldn’t take advantage, and squandered two corners when the cross couldn’t beat the first man. On 76 minutes Leverstock had a promising attack which broke down on the halfway line, and again they were punished as the ball was quickly played out to the right and seconds later a cross came in which Carney finished from close range for the third Crawley

Leverstock had continued to push forward throughout the half but were unable to force visiting keeper Dan Gould into a serious save and could not force the ball home from a couple of goalmouth scrambles. Eventually in the 87th minute Chris Blunden pulled a goal back with a shot from the edge of the box, but that proved to be nothing more than consolation as Crawley Green came away with a deserved three points.

Man of the Match vs Crawley Green & Potton United