When Ware comfortably beat Leverstock in their FA Cup meeting in the previous month no-one could have envisaged this complete turn round in so short a time. It’s difficult to determine quite what’s gone wrong. Manager Paul Halsey managed to retain a good proportion of last season’s squad and appeared to strengthen it with some astute new signings.
Early results did nothing to undermine the belief that Ware could improve on last year’s seventh place. But after three draws they have now lost the next three league games with progressively worse scores.
Excuses were made about the defeat to Welwyn Garden City. Some players were missing and the 3-0 reverse didn’t reflect the run of the game. But heavier defeats have followed and against teams hardly setting the division alight. Leverstock Green were the latest, gaining their first league victory of the season by a five-goal margin. It was Ware’s fourth consecutive defeat in cup and league, four games in which they have conceded 19 goals.
Yet again they started by demonstrating that they had the measure of their opponents. It was enough for those of a Blue persuasion to feel their side had the better of the first half, moving the ball around slickly at times and creating more and better chances than their hosts. Not least a scramble in front of Ryan North’s goal that finally saw the ball cleared just over his cross bar.
Even so it was a defender’s slip on the surface covered in some first half rain that allowed the Green’s Iker Leon possession. After that there were no excuses as he dribbled his way to a well taken goal.
Could Ware respond? Well, it looked like it but chances came and went, and the home side’s defence with Kombe Kawimbe prominent, stood firm. Things were made easier for them three minutes before half time when Max Granville was dismissed. Having picked up a yellow card for a foul tackle his comments to the injured player were deemed too much by the referee. Granville now faces a three-match ban.
The second half started well with Reece Beckles-Richards coming off the bench at Anthony Wordsworth’s expense. Kicking down the slope Ware had the better of things and the home side seemed to be pinned back in their own half. Whether they were planning to just concede territory and block Ware out, or the Blues’ ten men were going all out for the points, it looked good for the visitors.
Ten minutes in however a poor back pass left Fred Burbidge exposed. Joe McCarthy just pipped him to the ball, took it round the keeper and virtually walked it into the net. A lucky break for the home side? The trouble is that there have been a number of such lucky breaks for Ware’s opponents lately. Can it all be bad luck?
The temptation would be to say that heads dropped and a collapse followed. In fact, Ware continued to look for chances and with Theo Ofori coming off the bench and later Gucci Soulya, looked to be capable of a goal. At one point Jack Grosvenor’s header came back off a post though an offside flag was raised to take the gloss from the effort.
Things finally came undone on eighty minutes. Timi Bada, himself only two minutes into the fray from the subs bench, fired home a great shot. With Ware playing three at the back to give more weight to the goal hunting up front Bada had the time and space to pick his shot. Seen from behind it was all too obviously goal bound, finding Burbidge’s net just inside his post.
Two goals in a minute of added time, first from Leon again and then Jack Allen completed a miserable evening for Ware. A defeat like this to a side that had themselves been struggling offers no vision of immediate recovery. But the season goes on and Ware travel to MK Irish on Saturday ever hopeful of turning things round. .
Line-ups and cards
Ware: Fred Burbidge, Finlay Titchmarsh, David Sota (Theo Ofori 64mins), Max Granville, Jay Rolfe, Jack Grosvenor, Khale Da Costa (Gucci Soulya 71mins), Josh Hutchinson, Rechan Esprit, Sam Mayuma, Anthony Wordsworth (C) (Reece Beckles-Richards 46mins). Unused subs: Josh Okotcha, Ekow Coker.
Yellow cards: Khale Da Costa 31mins, Max Granville 42mins.
Red card: Max Granville 43mins.
Leverstock Green: Ryan North, Callum Neal (Aldo Petagine 83mins), Vladislav Karuchoc, George Mitchell-Gears, Kombe Kawimbe, Ryan Carruthers (C), Ademide Baruwa, Nat Connolly (Jack Allen 63mins), Joe McCarthy (Timi Bada 78mins), Marcus Warren (Ashton Corder 83mins), Iker Leon. Unused sub: Dan Pett.
Yellow cards: Callum Neal 13mins, Marcus Warren 23mins.
