Non-League and Academy football writer

I was at the Old Spotted Dog Ground on bank holiday Monday afternoon, for a Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Division One South fixture between Clapton Community FC and Tower Hamlets FC. I was at the reverse league fixture earlier in the season, at The Mile End Stadium, which finished in a 2-2 draw. However, this fixture was an even more important one for both sides, given where are they in the league standings. Clapton Community started this game in fifth place in the league, with a real chance of securing a play-off spot. Tower Hamlets started the game in 18th place in the league. This step 6 game of non-League football was an entertaining and competitive one, which finished in a 1-1 draw. Tower Hamlets player Nas Crespo would have an early effort on the Clapton Community goal from the edge of their penalty area, saved and held by Clapton Community captain and goalkeeper Jack Francis. And the away side would start this east London derby match quite well, creating another chance soon after. A good move resulted in Tower Hamlets centre-forward Connor French finding Alex Mansaray, who then laid the ball off to Nas Crespo, whose first time effort on goal was saved by Jack Francis.

Clapton Community almost took the lead in spectacular fashion, after those two chances for the away side. After Tower Hamlets goalkeeper Lamar Johnson had cleared the ball, it came to Julian Austin on the right-hand side of the pitch. The Clapton Community midfielder would look up (he must have been about 35 yards out from goal) and spot Johnson out of his goal. Austin’s brilliant, early lofted effort ended up hitting the right-hand post of the goal, before the goalkeeper managed to gather the ball. However, in the ninth minute of the game, Clapton Community would take the lead. Cameron Gordon would pick the ball up on the left flank, before surging forward with the ball at pace into the Tower Hamlets penalty area, from where the centre-forward finished low into the goal, at Lamar Johnson’s near post, 1-0. Shortly after Nas Crespo had an effort on the Clapton Community goal which was saved and then gathered by Jack Francis, a clever back-heeled pass from the edge of the Tower Hamlets box from Cameron Gordon, would find Fred Taylor on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but Taylor’s low effort went across the face of the goal.

Clapton Community player Dean Bouho would hit an effort over Lamar Johnson’s goal after meeting James Briggs’ corner-kick delivery towards the right-hand side of the Tower Hamlets box. And then a couple of minutes later, Harry Carter (he was off balance) would hit an effort over Jack Francis’ goal, from the edge of the home team’s penalty area. And after Lewis Owiredu saw his deflected effort from the edge of the Tower Hamlets box go behind for a corner kick, Cameron Gordon had a low effort from the edge of the penalty area, which was saved by the feet of Lamar Johnson. In the 42nd minute of the game Connor French would get an equalising goal for the away side. The impressive centre-forward received the ball quite far out  from the Clapton Community goal, before hitting an early and powerful low effort on Jack Francis’ goal. The ball bobbled up off the turf in front of Francis, who despite managing to get a hand on the ball, he couldn’t stop it from going into the goal, 1-1. During the early stages of the second half, Tower Hamlets’ player-manager Kiernan Hughes-Mason hit an effort on the Clapton Community from the edge of their penalty, but it was saved by Jack Francis.

It would be a fairly quiet second half of the match, in terms of goalscoring chances for both sides. Following a free-kick from the influential James Briggs, into the centre of the Tower Hamlets box, Julian Austin would meet the ball and send a decent looping header wide of the goal. And the final chance of note from the game came from Alex Mansaray, whose low effort from the edge of the Clapton Community penalty area was saved by Jack Francis. This was a good game of football, and although Clapton Community will be disappointed that they only managed to get a point from the game today, I actually though that the away side were the better team on the day. Both teams played some good football, but the fantastic experience of Tower Hamlets players such as captain Simon Peddie and Connor French, was crucial to Tower Hamlets getting a point from the game. 42 year old central-defender Simon Peddie read the game really well, and he impressed me throughout the match. 

My player of the match today was centre-forward Connor French. The former Millwall academy player impressed greatly with the work that he did up front for Tower Hamlets. His hold-up play was as excellent as ever, but he was clever in his movement and in how he brought his teammates into the game. Connor French deserved his goal against Clapton Community.