Non-League and Academy football writer

Tower Hamlets welcomed Hoddesdon Town to The Mile End Stadium on Wednesday night, in east London, in a Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Division One South fixture. Tower Hamlets started the match in 13th place in the league. The visiting team, Hoddesdon Town, started the match in 19th place in the league, albeit with a number of games in hand over the teams around them in the table. The match finished 1-1, and it was a really competitive game of football, between two sides who gave their all on the night. Early on in the match and after Dion Laughton had managed to get onto the ball following a clearance, the Hoddesdon Town centre-forward tested the Tower Hamlets goalkeeper Oliver Skibinski from around 20 yards out. However, the Tower Hamlets goalkeeper was able to save and gather the ball. Dion Laughton would send a good, lofted effort over Oliver Skibinski’s goal, a couple of minutes later, before Blue Gallagher hit a powerful, looping effort from the edge of the Tower Hamlets box, onto their crossbar.

Hoddesdon Town had started the game better than the home side, however, it was against the run of play that the first goal of the game arrived. The ball had been worked out to Tower Hamlets player Mekai Fadina on the right side of the pitch, and he would then pass the ball across to Solomon Asomah in the centre of the Hoddesdon Town penalty area, from where the former Sungate FC player finished clinically into the goal. Shortly after the game had resumed following the opening goal, Solomon Asomah put a good and very promising ball right across the face of the Hoddesdon goal from the right flank, only just missing a teammate in front of the goal. Kiernan Hughes-Mason’s Tower Hamlets side had really improved since taking the lead in the game. The Tower Hamlets player-manager would whip a good effort from distance on the left side of the pitch, not far over the Hoddesdon goal, before at the opposite end of the pitch, Oliver Skibinski pushed behind a deflected, volleyed effort on goal. Oliver Skibinski would make another save a couple of minutes later, and after a Tower Hamlets headed effort following a powerful Kiernan Hughes-Mason free-kick into the Hoddesdon box, went just wide of the goal, Hoddesdon would have a player sent to the sin bin.

Jack Riddle had been sent to the sin bin by the referee late on in the first half, with Tower Hamlets looking to capitalise on their numerical advantage. Kiernan Hughes-Mason was leading his team well on the pitch, and just before half-time and after Dela Desouza had managed to get in behind the Hoddesdon defence, the impressive Tower Hamlets forward had an effort from inside the Hoddesdon penalty area saved by Liam Nugent. The second half was started better, initially by the home side. After Kiernan Hughes-Mason had an effort from the left side of the Hoddesdon Town box saved by Liam Nugent, Dela Desouza, after latching onto a long ball, would hit a powerful effort on his left foot just wide of the Hoddesdon goal, from the right side of their penalty area. A good lobbed effort from the Hoddesdon Town number seven on the edge of the Tower Hamlets box, came very close to going into the goal. Then, a couple of minutes later, Kwame Mensah cleared a good effort off the Tower Hamlets goal-line.

Tower Hamlets were managing the game well, with vastly experienced players like Kiernan Hughes-Mason and captain Simon Peddie talking their teammates through the game well. Jonny Vandyck would hit an effort wide of the Hoddesdon Town goal from the edge of their penalty area, after some good work from Solomon Asomah. However, very late on in the match, the away side would score an equalising goal through Jack Riddle. The goal came from a free-kick on the right side of the pitch, which was delivered into the centre of the Tower Hamlets box by Connor Bolton. Sliding in, Jack Riddle was able to volley a low effort past the goalkeeper and into the goal. However, there were some calls from some of the Tower Hamlets for an offside from that goal. Both teams had to settle with a point on Wednesday night, and I think that Tower Hamlets, having managed the game really well, will be less happy with just a point, such was their impressive hard work and defensive play throughout the match. However, it was a good and very competitive game of football from both sides.

Solomon Asomah was my player of the match on Wednesday. The Tower Hamlets forward did some really good work inside the Hoddesdon Town half of the pitch, and he took his goal well. However, there were a number of really strong performances out there on the pitch, with the likes of Dela Desouza, Kiernan Hughes-Mason, Farai Tsingano, Junior Baker and Simon Peddie all impressing.