Non-League and Academy football writer

The 2023/24 Essex Alliance League Senior Division season showed just what a quality and highly competitive league that it is. One of my favourite leagues at step 7 level of the non-League system, along with the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, the Senior Division season was officially brought to an end on Tuesday night, with the Senior Division Cup final at Leyton Orient’s stadium. That brilliant cup final was won 2-1 by Walthamstow Reserves against the league champions, FC Baresi. On that cup final, a lot of credit must go to Eny Okoro (this was his first season as a manager in senior football), his coaching staff and of course the players, for playing such brilliant football against the best team in the league, and of course for winning the cup. On the two occasions that I saw Walthamstow Reserves this season, I was very impressed with how they played the game, and they have a very talented squad of players. 

Walthamstow Reserves would finish in ninth place in the league, and their centre-forward Issa Sidibe, was the league’s top scorer this season. Working downwards from the league champions, FC Baresi, a team who I saw more than any other in this league last season, they are a really classy team, who play brilliant passing football. Player-manager Romuald Boco, head-coach Tani Syed, sporting director Tufail Amjad and of course chairman Amjad Mahmood, all deserve huge credit (along with their excellent squad of players) for winning the league and earning promotion to step 6, for next season, for the first time in the club’s history. They were an absolute pleasure to watch on the occasions that I saw them this season, and I hope that they do really well in which ever step 6 league that they play their football in, next season. With players such as Marvin Hamilton, Isioma Richard, Noyan Tajbakhsh, Murat Karagul and Raymond Poku in such a strong squad, I think that they’ll impress at step 6 next season.

Woodford East finished in second place in the league during the season just gone. Halil Hassan’s side should be proud of the fact that his side was able to make FC Baresi, a team who scored an incredible total of 101 league goals, wait till close to the end of the season, to win the league title. A team who I will be watching more of next season, having only seen them on one occasion this season (in an impressive 3-0 win over CSM London). Haringey Borough Under 23’s impressed greatly this season, finishing in third place in the league, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Senior Division Cup. And in fourth place in the league, was Chadwell Heath Spartans, a club who I had the pleasure of writing a piece on earlier in the season. They are an established club in this league, now, and they have a talented squad of players, and I fully expect player-manager Aaron Hunwicks’ side to be challenging for the league and cups next season (I will be writing a league preview of next season) during the summer.

Wayne Phillips’ Frenford Development side did really well to secure a fifth place finish in the league this season, and they are another side who play really good football. Then in sixth place in the league is FC Petrocub, cup treble winners during the previous 2022/23 season, FC Petrocub are a very good side, who are yet another club who play some fantastic football. And then in seventh place, is Lymore Gardens. Another club who I personally think will challenge for league and cup titles during next season, I thought that head-coach and chairman Lee Benjamin’s side were superb at times, when I saw them on occasions this season. They have a very talented squad, and it’s quite a young squad as well, but one of the games of the season for me (in 2023/24) came in the Senior Division Cup quarter-finals, between Lymore Gardens and Aveley Under 23’s. Playing much of that game with ten men, Lymore Gardens fought back from being 2-0 down, with ten men, to take the game to extra time. They were unfortunate to have been knocked out in extra time, but some of the football that they played was outstanding.

In eighth and ninth place in the league standings this season, was Rapid Chingford and then Walthamstow Reserves, respectively. And in tenth place in the league, was newly promoted side CSM London. Will Brobby’s side, on the two occasions that I saw them during the season just gone, were another side who play quick passing football, and they have a really good squad of players. I reckon that they will finish even higher up the league standings, in 2024/25. Aveley Under 23’s finished one place below CSM London, and they are another young side, who have a really good squad of players. I saw them on three occasions last season, including a 1-1 draw with the league leaders – FC Baresi. That was a game in which they played really well in. Towards the bottom of the league table, was in the following order: Bakers693, Sporting Hackney, Priory Park Rangers and Kit Out London. Also, Chingford Athletic folded during the 2023/24 season, and they were a team who had started the league season as one of the initial 16 clubs.

It has been a pleasure to follow this league for a good part of the season, and as I said earlier in this piece, it is such a great league. I’ve met some really good people since I started doing match reports on various league fixtures, and next season, along with the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, I will be covering even more games in both leagues, over the course of the 2024/25 season.