Non-League and Academy football writer

I was at this Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture between Feltham FC and PFC Victoria London on Thursday evening, at Tudor Park, in Feltham. Feltham started this match against promotion hopefuls PFC Victoria London, in 17th place (out of 17 teams) in the league, with PFC Victoria London sitting in third place in the league standings, four points off league leaders Shepherd’s Bush. This step 7 match was a very eventful match, and it was the ten men of PFC Victoria London, who won the match (3-1). With PFC Victoria London starting the game stronger than Feltham, despite there not being any real chances of note during the opening stages of the game, the away side would still take the lead early on in the match. The opening goal of the game came from a good, low cross from the left flank by Roman Virstiuk, which was delivered into the Feltham penalty area. His ball across the Feltham goal was met by Maksymilian Potyrala, in space, at the back post, of the penalty area. He would finish well, into the roof of the goal, 0-1. 

After Paweł Kowalkowski had headed an effort wide of the Feltham goal, following a corner-kick delivery into the penalty area, Feltham went onto create their best chance of the game, so far. With Karle Carder-Andrews hitting an effort from the edge of the PFC Victoria London penalty area, onto their goal. However, it was well pushed away by goalkeeper Milan Czerwonka, who then saved well from Josh Hughes’ effort on the follow-up, although the linesman would raise his flag for offside. A good spell in the match would follow for the away side. Firstly Oskar Dari had a low effort on goal (from 20 yards out) pushed behind by Feltham goalkeeper Zak Abdulhadi, before a good chance was created from the resulting corner-kick. With Roman Virstiuk getting to a short pass on the left side of the Feltham box. However, his powerful effort went just wide of Zak Abdulhadi’s near post. Everything would change in the context of the match, just a couple of minutes later, after Milan Czerwonka had went down with an injury, inside his penalty area. After a lengthy break in play, which saw Damian Kielbasa sent off (he was shown a straight red card by the referee) following an off the ball incident immediately after the injury to the PFC Victoria London goalkeeper, the away team’s fortunes had now completely changed.

Artem Karakaptan was brought onto the pitch for PFC Victoria London, and he would take the goalkeeper’s jersey. Not long before half-time, the final chance of the first half would result in Feltham getting an equalising goal. A back pass was met by Sam Riddett on the right flank, inside the PFC Victoria London half. He spotted Artem Karakaptan off his line, and would send a good, lofted effort over Artem Karakaptan, and into the goal, 1-1. Feltham would carry this momentum into the beginning of the second half of the match. Josh Hughes had a curling effort on goal from the edge of the PFC Victoria London goal, saved by Artem Karakaptan, before Aaron Flower hit an effort on goal, which was pushed behind by the makeshift goalkeeper. From the following corner-kick, the ball was volleyed into the side-netting of the goal. PFC Victoria London did manage to regain some of their composure in the game, and from a free-kick by Paweł Kowalkowski, which was blocked by the Feltham wall, the ball came to Roman Virstiuk in a good area of the Feltham half, but his low effort went wide of their goal. 

Now very much an end to end game of football, it was a good counter-attack from PFC Victoria London, which would see them regain the lead in the game. Paweł Kowalkowski managed to get on the ball in behind the Feltham defence, following a through-ball pass. The former Wealdstone centre-forward would carry the ball into the Feltham penalty area, before powerfully finishing low into their goal, 1-2. Artem Karakaptan would make a hugely important save to keep out Pierre Gundrum’s (he was through on goal) low effort from inside the PFC Victoria London box, and then a couple of minutes later, Feltham player George Little had a low effort from distance, comfortably saved by Artem Karakaptan. Paweł Kowalkowski had been linking the play well, and after his back-heeled pass from inside the Feltham penalty area, found Roman Virstiuk on the left-hand side of their box, the winger saw his powerful effort well pushed away by Zak Abdulhadi, at his near post. The ball would then come to Jakub Malczuk whose volleyed effort on goal, was saved comfortably by the Feltham goalkeeper.

A pass/lay off from Paweł Kowalkowski to Roman Virstiuk in space, inside the Feltham box, looked like it was going to result in a third goal for the away side. However, the PFC Victoria London player’s effort went over the goal from close range. Paweł Kowalkowski was PFC Victoria London’s most influential outfield player at this point in the game. A couple of minutes after he had rounded the Feltham goalkeeper inside their penalty area (he was off balance) and hit an effort into the side-netting, he turned provider. With Kowalkowski making a short pass to Arkadiusz Wilk on the left side of the Feltham penalty area, from where the substitute sent a powerful and unstoppable effort into the Feltham goal, 1-3. PFC Victoria London had managed the game really well, and not long after Oskar Dari had hit an effort wide of the Feltham goal, from the edge of their penalty area, the referee would sound his whistle for full-time. This was a very professional second half performance from the ten men of PFC Victoria London, and despite Feltham working hard as a team, and playing some good football at times, it was the very good counter attacking football of the away side, during the second half, which won them the game.

This was a very good game of step 7 football, but those three points for PFC Victoria London could prove to be crucial in their quest for promotion to step 6 of the non-League system, at the end of the season. Outfield player Artem Karakaptan put in an impressive all-round goalkeeping performance during the second half, and that hugely important save to deny Pierre Gundrum from close range during the early stages of the second half, was really important for the away side, at that stage of the game. Central midfielder Artem Karakaptan was my player of the match on Thursday.