Non-League and Academy football writer

I reported on Larkspur Rovers’ Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture against Kodak (Harrow) on Wednesday evening at Lord Halsbury Playing Fields. Larkspur Rovers started this game in tenth place in the league, with Kodak (Harrow) starting the game in seventh place in the league. In what was a competitive game between two sides who defended impressively throughout the game, it would finish in a goalless draw. The first chance of the match came the way of the away side, with Kodak player Zachary Goddard having an effort deflected behind for a corner kick, off of Larkspur Rovers captain Anthony Byfield, on the right-hand side of the Larkspur Rovers penalty area. And from the resulting corner kick, Essam Aali hit an effort over the home team’s goal, from the edge of their penalty area. There was a good intensity to the game during the opening stages of this contest, but Kodak had started the game faster. A cross into the Larkspur Rovers penalty area from Samuel Brake was nodded wide of the goal by Amir Hadi, and then shortly after that chance, Okera Lewis made an important sliding challenge on Amir Hadi on the edge of the penalty area. 

Kodak continued to play their game to good effect, during the first half of the match. After Zachary Goddard had (the ball had bobbled) hit an effort wide from the edge of the Larkspur Rovers penalty area, some good work out on the left flank from Amir Hadi would result in the Kodak forward delivering a good cross into the centre of the home team’s box, from where Zachary Goddard headed the ball over the goal. The impressive Amir Hadi would then hit an effort wide of the Larkspur Rovers goal from the edge of their penalty area, before a really good goalscoring chance came the way of the away side. Able Kpogho received a pass on the ground from the left side of the pitch, just in front of the Larkspur Rovers goal. However, he was unable to connect with the ball properly, as his effort went wide of goalkeeper Ryan Gulati’s goal. A couple of minutes later Samuel Brake hit an effort over Ryan Gulati’s goal from inside the penalty area, following an initial Kodak effort which had been well blocked from a corner kick into the box.

The second half of the match started off with another chance for the away side, as this time Able Kpogho hit an effort wide, across the face of the Larkspur Rovers goal, from the left-hand side of their penalty area. Then a couple of minutes later Larkspur Rovers’ Bradley Morris appeared to hit the near post of Kodak goalkeeper Warren McCreeth’s goal, straight from his corner kick delivery. Okera Lewis would then hit a well taken effort from the edge of the Kodak box, on their goal, but it was well pushed away by goalkeeper Warren McCreeth. A big chance in the game would follow, with Able Kpogho doing well to get onto the ball in behind the Larkspur Rovers defence, but after taking the ball into their penalty area he was met by Ryan Gulati, who closed down and saved his low effort well. From a lay off on the edge of the Larkspur Rovers box Essam Aali hit a first time effort over the goal, and then a couple of minutes later Bradley Morris would hit an effort over the Kodak goal, from around 25 yards out. After a well worked move from Kodak resulted in an effort going over Ryan Gulati’s goal from close range, Kodak substitute Jack Turner hit an effort wide of the Larkspur Rovers goal, from the edge of their box.

Larkspur Rovers had been defending resolutely, similar to how Kodak (Harrow) had been defending throughout the game. However, a whipped, low cross into the Kodak penalty area from Bradley Morris almost resulted in the first goal of the game being scored, however, centre-forward Liam Walford’s first time effort went just over Warren McCreeth’s crossbar. For the away side, both Amir Hadi and Bliss Simpson hit efforts (both of which were from around 20 yards out from goal) wide of the Larkspur Rovers goal in quick succession, before an excellent surging run from Kodak defender Morgan Whittick came close to him getting beyond the Larkspur Rovers defence. Morgan Whittick would go forward around 40 yards with the ball down the left flank, before cutting inside with the ball into the Larkspur Rovers penalty area, and then eventually giving the ball to Jack Turner on the edge of the box, but Turner’s effort would go over the goal. There were to be two more chances of note that were created during the latter stages of the game. The first chance of which was a well worked one from the home side, which saw Liam Walford pass the ball to Bradley Morris on the right side of the Kodak penalty area, but his powerful effort would go wide of the goal.

In the final minutes of the game Kodak substitute Aaron Fernandes did well to get  an effort away on the edge of the Larkspur Rovers penalty area, but it went wide of Ryan Gulati’s goal. Despite it being a goalless draw on Wednesday, there was some really good defending from both teams, and it was that impressive resolute defending which kept the game a goalless one. Kodak (Harrow) created more chances during the game than Larkspur Rovers on the day, but once again Larkspur Rovers’ defending was very good. For the home side I was impressed by the defending of Okera Lewis and captain Anthony Byfield, but the whole defence did well. And for Kodak I thought that their captain Tony Michaelides had a very good game in the centre of their defence, but in my opinion it was Kodak forward Amir Hadi who was the player of the match. Working really hard off the ball and impressing with his movement, holdup play and link play, the forward did some good work for Kodak today, and I was impressed with his all-round game.