Enfield thru to vase round 3

[SirGarfieldSober]

this is a copy of the match report from the leverstock green website - best report i've seen of a game all season -

good luck to leverstock green for the rest of their season - friendly bunch and a nice club.

 

 

 

Leverstock Green exited the FA Carlsberg Vase in heartbreaking fashion as they lost a penalty shoot-out to Enfield 1893 after another 120 minutes had failed to separate the two sides in this Second Round replay. Even the shoot-out went the full distance with the tie finally being decided in sudden death.

 

Enfield had started the game looking the better side and had some early chances. In the 7th minute a long-range shot from John Bricknell was deflected just wide off a Green defender, and a minute later Lee Benmore had a shooting chance in front of goal but hit his shot straight at Carl Tasker.

 

On 19 minutes a shot from Russell Williamson went across the face of goal where Elliot Crosbie slid in and looked certain to score, but somehow he only managed to divert the ball back across goal where Tasker gathered it. Finally on 25 minutes Enfield took the lead with Benmore's well-struck shot from the edge of the box.

 

Leverstock had shown little up to this point but the goal brought them to life. On 29 minutes Max Farrelly went on a surging run into the Enfield box but slipped his eventual shot across the face of goal. On 36 minutes a good piece of football saw Lee Stobbs and Lewis Pritchard exchange passes before Stobbs squared into the box for Farrelly, whose first-time shot flew just over the bar. There was another chance on 39 minutes when keeper James May flapped at a Stobbs corner, but Ricco Biggi couldn't keep his shot under the bar.

 

In the last minute of the half, Enfield caused trouble for themselves by playing the ball back towards their own goal, and under pressure from Stobbs they surrendered possession in their own box. Pritchard pounced on the loose ball and drilled a low shot into the corner of the net for a deserved equaliser on the stroke of half time.

 

Just like in the first game, it was the Green who had much the better of the second half, and they had two very good chances to take the lead. On 57 minutes Stobbs lobbed in a great cross from the right touchline which found Bekim Culaj coming in unmarked, but Culaj headed wide from six yards out.

 

Three minutes later a run down the left wing by Culaj had Enfield under pressure again. The ball was worked to Dan Griggs, who struck a shot from outside the box that hit the hand of Bricknell inside the box. The referee adjudged that it was deliberate and awarded the penalty. Lee Bircham stepped up to take it, but the skipper's spot-kick jinx continued as May saved his penalty and Ben Butler put the rebound wide. It was Bircham's third successive missed penalty.

 

Enfield thought they had a winner five minutes from time when Paul Oshin headed home Bradley Drisdale's cross, but the linesman's offside flag cut short their celebrations and the 90 minutes finished with the score still 1-1.

 

Nine minutes into the first period of extra time Enfield went back in front. A shot from outside the box was partially blocked, but the ball trickled through to Ashley Taylor-Forbes, who had time and space to shoot home. However, in a frantic period of pressure in the last minute of the half, Pritchard shot home another equaliser, showing great persistence to follow up after two earlier efforts were blocked.

 

The game threatened to boil over in the second period after a retaliation to a strong challenge from Griggs almost led to a mass brawl, but the referee kept things under control by showing yellow cards to both players. Enfield threatened from a corner in stoppage time, but a goalline clearance from Butler ensured that extra time would end with the sides still locked together at 2-2.

 

Butler opened the penalty shoot-out with a successful kick, levelled up by Wes Borghys. Bircham exorcised his demons by scoring Green's second kick, with Enfield keeper May also findind the net for 2-2. May then saved Griggs' penalty, only for Tasker to respond by saving from Taylor-Forbes to keep the scores level. Pritchard and Benmore made it 3-3 before Steve Hatch and Ben Shannon both scored from their sides' fifth attempts. That took the shoot-out to sudden-death. Adam Hallissey stepped up for Green, but saw his kick saved by May. It fell to Guy Bonwick to score the penalty that won the shoot-out 5-4 for Enfield.

 

Leverstock had given everything in a heroic performance, but to no avail. Steve Heath must now lift his exhausted side before Saturday's local derby at home to Tring Athletic in the league.

 

 

Enfield 1893: 1. James May, 2. Tony Dawkins, 3. Ben Shannon, 4. Paul Oshin, 5. Guy Bonwick, 6. Chris Green (14. Wesley Borghys 79 mins), 7. Russell Williamson (12. Geoffrey Ocran 96 mins), 8. John Bricknell (15. Bradley Drisdale 63 mins), 9. Elliot Crosbie, 10. Ashley Taylor-Forbes, 11. Lee Benmore. Subs not used: 16. Lee Newton, 17. Christian Beaupierre.

Leverstock Green: 1. Carl Tasker, 2. Lee Bircham, 3. Mark Shadbolt, 4. Steve Hatch, 5. Ricardo Biggi, 6. Lee Stobbs (14. Adam Hallissey 105 mins), 7. Dan Griggs, 8. Max Farrelly (12. Paul Insley 79 mins), 9. Bekim Culaj, 10. Ben Butler, 11. Lewis Pritchard. Sub not used: 15. Gareth Tinsley.

 

[J B Skinner]

A good report and unbiased .

[manontheinside]

at least we have some idea of the Enfield lineup, I am told their website is deliberately exclusive of player details as their manager is paranoid of other clubs poaching his players

[Eastside Urchin]

Believe me he isn't the only manager who gets like that