Non-League and Academy football writer

I was at Wormley Sports Club on Wednesday night, to watch Brimsdown (they ground-share with Wormley Rovers) face Newbury Forest in a Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Division One South fixture. Brimsdown were in ninth place in the league going into this game, with Newbury Forest in 12th place in the league. This step 6 game of non-League football finished with Brimsdown winning the match 3-0. Brimsdown started the match better than Newbury Forest. Not long after the home side had an effort which had been cleared off the Newbury Forest goal-line, Brimsdown took the lead in the game. A free-kick delivery from the left side of the pitch, resulted in a headed effort being blocked inside the penalty area. However, the ball ended up falling for Zion Dos Santos Sinclair, on the left side of the Newbury Forest box, and his powerful first time effort went into the goal, 1-0. Junior Matti’s Brimsdown side were looking to extend their lead, after the match had resumed. A Brimsdown corner-kick delivery into the Newbury Forest box, was headed onto Dan Nlewedim, whose volleyed effort went over the goal.

Brimsdown were seeing more of the ball in the match, and after Eric Koduah’s free-kick into the Newbury Forest penalty area was cleared to Alex Coster, the Brimsdown midfielder volleyed an effort just wide of the goal. Newbury Forest’s first real chance of the match arrived shortly afterwards, with Newbury Forest player Jordan Mullings playing a through-ball pass to Jamal Dzotsi inside the Brimsdown penalty area. The Newbury Forest midfielder was through on goal, however, he was met by Brimsdown goalkeeper Muhammed Boyaci, who made an important save, before then saving Newbury Forest player Daniel Addo’s effort on the follow up. Brimsdown would finish the first half strongly. After Eric Koduah’s corner-kick was headed wide by Alex Coster at the back post of the Newbury Forest goal, Alex Coster would then, a couple of minutes later, hit a first time effort from the left side of the away team’s box, over their goal. Just before half-time, a good forward run from the impressive Andrew White, towards the Newbury Forest penalty area, resulted in him having a low effort saved and then gathered by the Newbury Forest goalkeeper, Seb Barford.

Brimsdown would start the second half in a similar fashion to how they had finished the first half. A good surging forward run from Eric Koduah, would result in him taking the ball past the Newbury Forest right-back – Cesario Mendes, before entering their penalty area, and having a low, deflected effort saved by the goalkeeper. Newbury Forest would have a good spell in the game, following that chance for the home side. Daniel Addo would hit a good effort just over the Brimsdown goal, with a Newbury Forest player then cutting inside with the ball from the left flank, before hitting a good effort from the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area, just wide of the goalkeeper’s left hand post. Shortly after that chance for the east London club, Joshua Duyile would hit an effort from the edge of the Brimsdown box, just over their goal. After a bit of a difficult spell in the match, Brimsdown tried to find their composure in the game again. Zion Dos Santos Sinclair managed to get to a short pass to the Newbury Forest goalkeeper inside their penalty area, but with little time to react, his low first time effort went just wide of the goal.

A good effort from Newbury Forest player Jamal Dzotsi, on the right-hand side of the Brimsdown penalty area, would result in him having an effort across the face of the Brimsdown goal, well pushed away by Muhammed Boyaci. The same Newbury Forest player would, a couple of minutes later, volley an effort (it took a deflection off a Brimsdown player) over the Brimsdown goal, from a corner-kick. After Eric Koduah had won the ball off of Newbury Forest player Ansa Edem, the Brimsdown player took the ball towards the Newbury Forest box, before hitting a low effort, which went wide of the goal. That decisive second goal of the game went to the home side, and it came once again from Zion Dos Santos Sinclair. The Brimsdown centre-forward managed to get to Eric Koduah’s free-kick delivery into the away team’s penalty area, on the left side of their penalty area. And Zion Dos Santos Sinclair finished well into the goal, with a good, low first time effort, 2-0. And after Brimsdown substitute Dylan Krikler hit a low effort from distance, wide of the Newbury Forest goal, the home side made sure of the win.

It was a good move which resulted in Brimsdown getting their third goal of the game. Dylan Krikler passed the ball to Will Martin on the edge of the Newbury Forest box. Will Martin then gave the ball to Andrew White inside the penalty area, and he would go across some of the Newbury Forest defenders inside the penalty area, before finishing low into the goal, 3-0. This was a good performance from the home side, and even though Newbury Forest improved during the second half, I was impressed with how last seasons’ Essex Alliance League Senior Division champions, Brimsdown, managed the game. They were clinical in front of goal, and it was a good team performance from them. However, Brimsdown’s left-back for the match (Andrew White) was in my opinion the player of the match. Andrew White was very good defensively, but he had a good balance to his game, which would see him score a good, late goal.