Drinks on Sobers as brave Levy Green keep FA Cup dreams alive

Green should have been in front within 30 seconds of the kick-off. A slip in the Biggleswade defence left David Sobers clean through on goal, but he shot straight at home keeper Rui Goncalves.

In the fourth minute, Sobers had another chance from a pass by Louis Bircham, but his eventual shot was over the bar.

The game went through a spell where there were no clear chances for either side, but in the 38th minute another fine pass from Bircham put Callum Wright through. However, as he tried to take the ball round Goncalves he was dispossessed.

A minute later Green keeper Kieran Jimmy had to come racing out of his area to tackle Jack Boyd.

Before half-time, Lee Gardner’s pass gave Bircham a run at goal, but he couldn’t fashion a shooting chance.

The second half opened with Levy looking much the livelier of the two sides, and Somers cut in and beat a defender before laying off to Bircham on the overlap, but Bircham’s shot went over.

Having started the second half so well, it was a blow for Green when they fell behind after 54 minutes from another goal conceded from a corner.

It was a quality strike from Lee Bilcock, who received the ball on the far side of the penalty area and brought it down to hit a shot into the top corner of the net.

Leverstock almost hit back within a minute when Somers pulled the ball back for Bircham, but his shot was curling away and just missed the far post.

Green manager Dene Gardner made his first substitution after 72 minutes, bringing on Dene Gardner for Sledge Mubama, and it proved to be an inspired change.

Within a minute, Gardner was set free down the right and drove in a low cross. Any one of three players could have finished it off, but it was home defender Adam Drakulic who got the touch to turn the ball past his own keeper for the equaliser.

Leverstock had their tails up now, and two further substitutions were made with ten minutes left as Billy Smith and Jimmy Talbot came into the game.

These changes proved to be as effective as the first substitution as the two players were instrumental in creating the winning goal.

Talbot’s pass set Smith away down the left, and as Smith cut into the penalty area he put the ball across goal, where Sobers stuck out a boot and just managed to divert the ball inside the post to send Leverstock through to the next round.