The story of Nat Connolly’s rise through the levels to go on to make 100 appearances for Leverstock Green is inspiring.
The all-action midfield general had racked up over a century of appearances for Totternhoe at Step 7 by the age of 21 to earn his chance with Green in the summer of 2023.
His determined displays in the engine room of the side helped the club secure promotion into the Southern League where Connolly has thrived over the past 14 months.
“I remember joining the club and worrying that the jump in level would be too much for me,” he admitted to us. “I’d previously played all of my football at Step 7, so I didn’t know if I would be able to get to grips with Step 5.
“I joined the club not knowing anyone and feeling that I had a lot to prove, but I was made to feel welcome by everyone straight away and that really helped me to hit the ground running.
“With the help and support of those around me, I knuckled down, worked hard and that first season was really memorable as we secured promotion into the Southern League.
“Then the question is can I do it at Step 4? Last season we managed to achieve our objective of staying at this level and I was pleased with the way in which I adapted to the added demands of this level.
“To have reached 100 appearances in just under two and-a-half seasons means a lot. I am proud to have established myself in the team and I’m really enjoying my football amongst some great people.”
Saturday’s 100th game saw Connolly put in an energetic display in a 1-1 draw at Northwood.
“I felt that I played well,” he added. “I try and base my game on energy and I made sure that I kept the levels high. I tried to get forward a bit more and almost nicked a goal at one point.
“We weren’t happy with our first half performance, but we managed to get a grip of things after the break and deservedly equalised. Sadly, it was too little too late in terms of being able to find a winner and we had to be content with a point in the end.
“We know that we need to start turning some of our draws into wins in order to start climbing the table.
“There have already been a few surprise results this season throughout the division; it’s clear that everyone is capable of beating each other and it’s going to be very competitive once more.
“First and foremost our main aim is to survive, but I believe that we can achieve more and there is no reason why we can't improve upon last season’s finishing position. We’ve got a season’s experience under our belt now and we know that we have to pick up as many points as we can early on to give us a base to build on for the second half of the season.
“We seem to perform well against the better teams, but it’s the games against those teams around us where we need to start picking up more points.
“In terms of personal targets, I just want to keep enjoying my football and continue to play regularly.”
A home game against high-flying Ware is next up for Connolly and his team-mates at the weekend.
IMAGE: Leverstock Green FC
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