Non-League and Academy football writer

The final of this season’s The Alec Smith Premier Division Cup, was contested between Kodak (Harrow) and Stonewall FC, on a fine Saturday night at Uxbridge’s Honeycroft ground. This step 7 cup final was between two sides who play their football in the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, with Kodak (Harrow) currently in sixth place in the league, and Stonewall in seventh place in the league. This fast paced cup final was won 1-0 by Kodak (Harrow). During the opening 30 seconds of the game, Kodak came very close to taking the lead. After Ralford Thorpe had gone on a surging forward run down the right flank, he delivered a low cross towards the back post, to Able Kpogho. However, his effort was really well saved and then gathered in time, by Stonewall goalkeeper Dennis Aware.

The opening stages of the match were played at a really good pace, and after that chance for Kodak, Stonewall would go onto create a number of goalscoring chances. After Cam McEwan had sent a looping effort over the Kodak goal, from the right side of their penalty area, George Watmough would hit a low effort wide of the Kodak goal from distance. Then, a couple of minutes after George Watmough’s effort, a difficult goalscoring chance came the way of Callum Alexander, following a free-kick delivery into the Kodak box, but with defenders around him, his headed effort went wide of the goal. Following on from those chances for Stonewall, Kodak would go close to scoring on three different occasions, in quick succession.

After the impressive Amir Hadi had done really well to bring the ball down on the left side of the Stonewall penalty area, he would then hit a powerful effort across the face of Dennis Aware’s goal. A couple of minutes later a good run from Ralford Thorpe would result in him delivering a lofted ball to Zachary Goddard inside of the Stonewall box, but his volleyed effort went wide of the goal. That chance came a couple of minutes before Dennis Aware had to make another good save. With Able Kpogho delivering a low cross to the edge of the Stonewall penalty area, from where Thari Taleb caught the ball well, with a really good first time effort on goal. However, his powerful effort was met by Dennis Aware, who did really well to push the ball behind for a corner kick.

This cup final was continuing to be played at a good pace, with both sides looking to find that opening goal of the game. After Mike Sholly’s pass had found Cam McEwan in behind the Kodak defence, McEwan got on the ball (he was slightly off balance at the time) just inside their penalty area, but once again it wasn’t an easy chance, and McEwan’s effort was saved by Warren McCreeth. At the other end of the pitch, a free-kick would be awarded to Kodak, around 20 yards out from the Stonewall goal. However, Amir Hadi’s resulting effort went over the goal. And then, as Kodak continued to push for that opening goal, they were getting closer. And after Zachary Goddard had headed wide Ralford Thorpe’s cross into the Stonewall penalty area, Kodak would take the lead in the match, very late on in the first half.

The opening goal of the game came from one of the best players on the pitch during the first 45 minutes of the game (Amir Hadi). Amir Hadi would pick the ball up on the left flank before curling an effort (I’m still not sure whether it was an effort on goal or a cross) across the goal and into the top right-hand corner of Dennis Aware’s goal, 1-0. Stonewall would start the second half well, with Shane McCullough having a good effort from 20 yards out, which was tipped over his goal by Warren McCreeth. And from the resulting corner kick, the ball came to Cam McEwan, whose headed effort (I think that Warren McCreeth might have pushed the ball onto the crossbar) had came off the Kodak crossbar.

Following on from that good chance for Stonewall, Kodak player Kareem Campbell would show some good skill on the ball, before hitting an effort (on the bounce) over the Stonewall goal, from distance. Cam McEwan had been doing some good work off the ball in the Kodak half of the pitch, for Stonewall. After winning the ball off a Kodak defender, McEwan would take the ball just inside of their penalty area, before lifting the ball over the outrushing Warren McCreeth, before the ball was cleared away from the penalty area by Samuel Brake. It became more of an end to end game, at this stage of the second half. A couple of minutes after Kareem Campbell had hit a difficult overhead effort wide of the Stonewall goal, inside of their penalty area, a good move from Stonewall would result in Shane McCullough back-heeling the ball to Mike Sholly inside of the Kodak penalty area, but his effort went over the goal.

Another chance was created by Stonewall, in the minutes after Mike Sholly’s chance. This time however, Cam McEwan would nod an effort wide of the Kodak goal, after meeting James Motley’s free-kick into the Kodak penalty area. However, the final three chances of the game, would come the way of Kodak (Harrow). Yet another brilliant surging forward run from Ralford Thorpe, would time result in him entering the Stonewall penalty area, but he was closed down well by goalkeeper Dennis Aware, who made a good save from his effort. Kodak substitute Romario Godfrey-Brown would travel inside from the right flank with the ball, before hitting a powerful effort on goal, but Dennis Aware was able to gather the ball well. 

As Stonewall had a number of players in the Kodak half, as the game came to an end, the goalscoring chances for Kodak would continue, right until the final moments of the game. After Amir Hadi had taken a late free-kick quickly from the edge of the Stonewall box, to Thari Taleb, inside of the penalty area, it looked as though Kodak would get a very late second goal, but Taleb’s lofted effort over the outrushing Dennis Aware, hit the inside of his right post, before then being cleared away by a defender. The referee would sound his whistle for full-time, soon after that chance. Many congratulations must go to Kodak (Harrow) manager Sajad Mohammed and his Kodak side, on what is a great achievement for the club, to have won the 2023/24 season’s Alec Smith Premier Division Cup. Both sides gave their absolute all in this cup final.

In my opinion Kodak (Harrow) winger Ralford Thorpe was the most creative player on the pitch during this cup final on Saturday. His excellent pace and skill on the ball, as well as his creativity/inventiveness on it, was so important to Kodak’s game, and I really thought that Ralford Thorpe deserved a goal in the final, and he was my player of the match. However, Kodak played really well as a team, both with and without the ball, and match winner Amir Hadi did really well and the very skilful centre-forward linked the play excellently, dropped deep and put in a very good all-round performance. Those were just some of the very good Kodak performances in the cup final, but for Stonewall, I thought that their goalkeeper Dennis Aware, was their player of the match. He made a number of very good saves.