Non-League and Academy football writer

On Wednesday evening I was at The Mile End Stadium, in east London, to watch Sporting Bengal United (they were top of the Essex Senior League going into this game), face Great Wakering Rovers in an Essex Senior League fixture. Both very good sides in this league, this game was won by the visiting side, with Great Wakering Rovers winning 4-1, thanks to a fine second half performance. Sporting Bengal United started the game well on Wednesday night. A powerful free-kick effort from distance by Steven Carvell went just wide of the Great Wakering goal, during the early stages of the match. A couple of minutes later, Sporting Bengal had two efforts saved by Luis Shamshoum. The first save from the young Great Wakering goalkeeper was to push away Shermandin Artmeladze’s effort from the edge of the penalty area, before the Great Wakering goalkeeper was able to close down his angles well at his near post, to keep out Christian Gyamfi’s effort from close range. After doing well during the early stages of the match, Sporting Bengal United managed to take the lead from a set-piece.

A free-kick delivery into the Great Wakering box by Steven Carvell, saw him find Christian Gyamfi in plenty of space inside the penalty area, with the centre-forward having time to head the ball into the goal, past Luis Shamshoum. After Great Wakering player Harry Talbot had had an effort saved from a free-kick, by Sidi Haidara, captain Ben Search hit an effort wide from the edge of the penalty area, for the away side. The game had now become a more even contest, and after Ben Search had a good, dipping free-kick effort saved by Haidara, Great Wakering Rovers got an equalising goal not long before half-time. The goal came from a corner kick which found a Great Wakering player, who finished well from inside the penalty area. The second half got off to a great start for the team from Essex, with a lofted pass over the Sporting Bengal United defence allowing one of the Great Wakering forwards to run into the penalty area and volley the ball into the goal, to make it 2-1 to Great Wakering. After Harry Talbot had hit a good effort from the right side of the Sporting Bengal penalty area, just wide of the goal, Sporting Bengal United had a player sent to the sin bin, by the referee.

Great Wakering Rovers continued to create chances during the second half. However, just after Shermandin Artmeladze lobbed an effort just wide of the Great Wakering goal from inside the Sporting Bengal penalty area, after meeting a good diagonal pass, the away side further extended their lead. A slightly fortunate volleyed clearance (the ball did take a slight deflection) up field from the left side of the pitch, saw Harry Talbot receive the ball, before taking the ball into the box and finishing well into the goal, despite shouts of offside. Soon after the game got started again, a long ball forward by Sporting Bengal United meant that Luis Shamshoum had to rush out of his goal to clear the ball. The ball then came to Juwara Alagi on the edge of the penalty area, but his effort was cleared off the line by a defender. At the opposite end of the pitch and after a long pass was not cleared properly by the Sporting Bengal United defence, a Great Wakering Rovers player took the ball off them, around the penalty area, and scored a goal to make it 4-1. In the final minutes of the game Luis Shamshoum saved a headed effort on goal from Daniel Pepple, before Shemarie Perkins-Palmer hit an effort wide from the edge of the penalty area for the away side, just before the referee sounded his whistle for full-time.