Non-League and Academy football writer

On Saturday afternoon I traveled to south London, to watch an Isthmian League Premier Division fixture between seventh place Carshalton Athletic, and sixth place Wingate & Finchley, at the War Memorial Sports Ground. This game promised to be a good one, and it certainly lived up to it, with the game ending 3-2 to Wingate & Finchley. This was a thrilling and eventful game of football, which was won by Wingate & Finchley, thanks to their clinical finishing on the day. The visiting team started the game better than Carshalton Athletic did. After winning the ball in midfield early on in the game, Anointed Chukwu went forward with the ball, before having a low effort on goal saved by Carshalton goakeeper Daniel O’Donovan. Shortly after that chance for the away side, Elliot Long received the ball inside the Carshalton box, however, he had an effort from close range saved by O’Donovan. Not long before that chance for Wingate, the referee had gone down with an injury. He would have to stop the game shortly afterwards, as he could not continue. One of the linesmen swapped places with the referee, and I believe that one of the staff from the dug-outs, would step in to replace the linesman, who had now become the referee.

After Carshalton goalkeeper Daniel O’Donovan had collided with a teammate on the edge of his box, Wingate & Finchley player Joshua Dawodu picked up the ball, however, O’Donovan made a decent save as he recovered well. Tommy Bradford had an effort tipped over the Wingate goal by goalkeeper Ben Goode, before Danny Bassett had an effort saved by Goode. Carshalton had grown into the game, and after former Brighton & Hove Albion academy player Matt Everitt had headed an effort wide from a cross for the home side, Ben Goode made a fine save to stop Andre Coker’s effort from inside the Wingate & Finchley penalty area. Paris Hamilton-Downes then had an effort from inside the Wingate box, really well saved by Goode, with Carshalton getting closer to taking the lead in the game. After Andre Coker had received the ball inside the Wingate box, the Carshalton centre-forward took the ball around Ben Goode, but his resulting effort went wide of the goal. Danny Bassett then did well to turn his way past William Cracknell inside the Wingate box, before having an effort on goal kept out by the impressive Ben Goode.

Wingate & Finchley took the lead in the 45th minute of the first half. A good and well weighted forward pass by Elliot Long found Anointed Chukwu, in behind the Carshalton defence. The Wingate centre-forward entered the Carshalton penalty area, from where he finished well, low past Daniel O’Donovan, and into the goal. Matt Everitt had an effort from distance deflected behind the Wingate goal, to bring a very eventful first half to an end. Early on in the second half, Wingate & Finchley doubled their advantage in the game. After picking up the ball on the edge of the Carshalton box, the influential Elliot Long hit a powerful effort past O’Donovan and into the goal, to make it 2-0. Ruben Carvalho hit an effort (via a deflection), over the Carshalton goal, following a free-kick from distance. However, in the 66th minute of the game, the home side managed to get a goal back. Mark Marshall’s cross into the Wingate box was headed home at the near post by Oluwabunmi Babajide. A couple of minutes later Kwaku Frimpong hit an effort over Ben Goode’s goal, from inside the Wingate penalty area. 

Wingate & Finchley regained their two goal lead in minute 69 of the game, courtesy of a great goal from the excellent Elliot Long. After turning on the ball on the edge of the Carshalton box, Long surged into the penalty area with the ball, before clinically finding the bottom left corner of O’Donovan’s goal. Carshalton Athletic tried their best to find a way back into the game as it progressed. Oluwabunmi Babajide hit an effort over Ben Goode’s goal from the edge of the box. Matt Everitt’s low effort from the edge of the Wingate & Finchley penalty area, was turned into his own goal by the unfortunate William Cracknell, to make it 3-2 in the game. However, Wingate managed to hold own to their lead, to move into the play-off places of the Isthmian League Premier Division. Ben Goode made countless top saves for the away side, but it was attacking-midfielder Elliot Long, who with two goals and an assist, was my player of the match. He now has 11 league goals this season, and every time that I have seen him play this season, he has been very good.