Non-League and Academy football writer

I was at The West Ham United Foundation ground on Saturday afternoon, for this Essex Alliance League Senior Division fixture between the home side CSM London, and Woodford East. CSM London sat in 10th place in the league before this match, with Woodford East sitting in second place in the league. A strong second half performance from Woodford East would see them win the match 3-0. An early long forward pass from CSM London, would allow their centre-forward Jaydon Charles to get to the ball on the edge of the Woodford East penalty area. However, he was met by the outrushing Woodford East goalkeeper, Dominic Alexandru, but Jaydon Charles was able to head the ball over Alexandru, with it being cleared fairly comfortably by a defender, on the goal-line. There was a decent early pace to the game. After Ramiz Mahmood sent a good, dipping effort from distance just over the Woodford East goal, Derrich Osei had a low effort on goal, which was saved by Alexandru.

CSM London had started the first half of the match better than Woodford East, but a long ball from Woodford East would see them create the best chance of the game so far. Joe Biscoe, the CSM London goalkeeper, would rush out of his goal to try and clear the ball. However, his attempted clearance would rebound off of Woodford East centre-forward Billy Barr on the edge of their penalty area. Barr would then take the ball down the left side of the CSM London penalty area. However, his resulting effort/pass went wide, across the face of the goal. Shortly after that chance for Woodford East, Jaydon Charles had a free-kick effort saved by Alexandru, before Derrich Osei hit an effort on the bounce, wide of the Woodford East goal. A good move from the home side would follow, just after Jaydon Charles had hit an effort wide of the Woodford East goal. The quick passing move from Will Brobby’s side, would see Jaydon Charles receive a good pass on the right side of the Woodford East box. Charles then pulled the ball back to Derrich Osei in the centre of the penalty area. However, his effort from close range was saved by Dominic Alexandru.

CSM London player Lewis Grantham would manage to get onto the ball on the left side of the Woodford East penalty area, following a corner-kick delivery. However, Grantham’s effort was saved by Dominic Alexandru. Then, just before half-time, Woodford East player Callum Maltese had a curling effort on goal, which was saved by Joe Biscoe. Early on in the second half and after Ramiz Mahmood had laid the ball off to Bilal Hussain, the CSM London midfielder had an effort saved by Dominic Alexandru. And a couple of minutes later, CSM London created another goalscoring chance. This time Derrich Osei tried to take the ball around Woodford East goalkeeper Dominic Alexandru inside their penalty area, after receiving a pass. However, in the end the ball came to Ramiz Mahmood, whose effort was headed off the line by a defender. Woodford East would take the lead shortly after that chance for CSM London. After Callum Maltese did well to get past a CSM London player on the left side of the home team’s penalty area, he passed the ball to the clinical Billy Barr, who finished from close range into the goal, 0-1.

CSM London would initially respond well to going 1-0 down, with Youssef Moumen’s lofted pass finding Jaydon Charles on the left side of the Woodford East penalty area. Jaydon Charles would then hit a good and powerful effort on goal, which was excellently pushed behind by Dominic Alexandru. Shortly after CSM London had almost got an equalising goal of the game, Woodford East doubled their lead. After an initial effort had been blocked inside the CSM London box, the ball came to Aaron Blake on the left side of the penalty area, from where he finished into the goal, 0-2. Woodford East were now in control of the game, but after Callum Maltese had a free-kick effort on the CSM London goal, which was saved and then gathered by Joe Biscoe, CSM London did create another goalscoring chance. This time Ramiz Mahmood had a low effort from the edge of the Woodford East box, saved by Dominic Alexandru, before at the opposite end of the pitch, Callum Maltese had a low effort from distance, saved by Joe Biscoe.

Woodford East would make it 3-0 late on in the match. After the referee had pointed to the penalty spot following a foul on Callum Maltese inside the CSM London penalty area, Woodford East captain Billy Barr stepped-up to take it. He calmly found the bottom right corner of the goal, 0-3. Very late on in the match, Luke McElroy hit an effort from the left side of the Woodford East box, just wide of the goal, with the ball going across the face of the goal. This was a good game of football. CSM London were in my opinion the better team during the first half of the game, but a clinical and improved second half performance from second placed Woodford East, as well as some very good game management, would see them win the game in the second half. There were some good performances from both sides today, but Woodford East goalkeeper Dominic Alexandru was my player of the match on Saturday afternoon. The goalkeeper made some good saves, in what was a fine all-round performance, but his excellent and crucial save to deny Jaydon Charles from equalising in the second half, was his best save of the match.