Non-League and Academy football writer

Lymore Gardens faced FC Petrocub London at Parsloes Park on Saturday afternoon, in an Essex Alliance League Senior Division fixture. Lymore Gardens started the match in sixth place in the league, with FC Petrocub in seventh place in the league, before the start of the match. I was in attendance at Parsloes Park on Saturday afternoon, for the first of two league matches in this division. This particular match finished 1-0 to the away side, FC Petrocub. Lymore Gardens would start the match well, on a windy afternoon in east London. Following a decent goalscoring chance for the home side, Maksim Todoshchuk headed an effort wide from a Lymore Gardens corner-kick delivery into the FC Petrocub penalty area. After a good move from Lymore Gardens resulted in Wisley Baltazar hitting an effort wide from the right-hand side of the FC Petrocub penalty area, the away side would take the lead, against the run of play. A long forward ball wasn’t dealt with properly by the Lymore Gardens defence, with Gaston Mendy and the Lymore Gardens goalkeeper Pavlo Poshtar not being able to clear the ball away. The ball ended up coming to Nicolai Cotruta, who took the ball into the Lymore Gardens penalty area, before tapping the ball into the empty goal, 0-1.

After taking the lead in the game, FC Petrocub player Ion Braniste hit a low effort from the edge of the Lymore Gardens penalty area, wide of their goal. Then, a couple of minutes later, Josh Morris hit two efforts wide of the FC Petrocub goal, with his second effort, arriving as the result of a challenge on Tyrique Peters inside the penalty area, which some of the Lymore Gardens players thought should have resulted in a penalty being awarded. Shortly after those two efforts on goal, Wisley Baltazar would hit a first time effort over the FC Petrocub goal, after he had received Yinka Akinlabi’s pass in the centre of the FC Petrocub box, perhaps five yards out from goal. Josh Morris then hit an effort into the side-netting of FC Petrocub goalkeeper Vasile Turcanu’s goal, from the right-hand side of the penalty area, before FC Petrocub player Gheorge Belibov hit an effort wide of the Lymore Gardens goal, from distance. Just before half-time FC Petrocub managed to create a really good chance to extend their lead. With the ball being headed back across goal, following a cross into the Lymore Gardens box, with Nicolai Gutu volleying the ball wide of the goal at the back post, from close range.

Early on in the second half, Lymore Gardens player Munnir Saad cut inside with the ball from the left flank onto his right foot, before hitting a low effort from the edge of the FC Petrocub goal, which was saved by Vasile Turcanu. A great chance for Lymore Gardens followed, with Munnir Saad’s cross into the centre of the FC Petrocub penalty area, being headed wide from close range, by the unmarked Wisley Baltazar. FC Petrocub had defended their goal well against a Lymore Gardens side who are very good at creating chances. Shortly after Nicolai Cotruta had an effort from inside the Lymore Gardens box saved by Pavlo Poshtar, the Lymore Gardens goalkeeper picked up an injury. He was unable to continue, with Richie Dorcas having to go in goal, for the remainder of the game. There were quite a lot of stoppages during the remaining minutes of the match. After Tyrique Peters had hit an effort from the edge of the penalty area, just wide of the FC Petrocub goal, Ryo Brown hit a free-kick effort over the FC Petrocub goal. 

Late on in the match, FC Petrocub player Cristian Cucovei received his second yellow card of the match, and so he was sent off by the referee. And then, a couple of minutes later, Tyrique Peters hit an effort from the edge of the FC Petrocub penalty area, which was saved by Vasile Turcanu. The game would finish soon after that final chance of the match. FC Petrocub London defended well after taking the lead early on in the match, and they also managed the game well. However, Lymore Gardens, in my opinion, probably deserved a draw from the match. This was a very competitive game of football, and it was definitely a game of fine margins.