Non-League and Academy football writer

Jolof Sports faced Indian Gymkhana Club in this Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture, on Thursday night at West Ham Memorial Ground. Jolof Sports started this match in 13th place in the league, with Indian Gymkhana Club starting the match in 10th place in the league. This competitive match was won 1-0 by Indian Gymkhana Club, following a very late penalty kick for the away side. Played at a good pace during the opening stages of the game, it was Indian Gymkhana Club who managed to create the first real chance of the game. It was a chance from which they almost took the lead from. Following a well worked move, Jatinder Liddar received the ball on the edge of the home team’s penalty area, and from a difficult angle his clever lofted effort went just wide of the goalkeeper’s (Zakaria Kechekar) right-hand post.

After going close to taking an early lead, Indian Gymkhana Club would go on to have two more early efforts. Israel Kabengele would have an effort from the edge of the Jolof Sports penalty area, saved by Zakaria Kechekar, before Aaron Alleyne-Anstey hit a low effort (on the bounce) on the Jolof Sports goal (20 yards out), which was saved by Zakaria Kechekar. Jolof Sports would then go on to create a number of goalscoring chances during the first half of the match, as it became more of an end to end game of football. After Mouhamed Sall had managed to get to a long forward ball, he would hit an effort from the edge of the Indian Gymkhana Club penalty area, over their goal.

A couple of minutes after Mouhamed Sall’s first effort of the game, he would hit a good low effort from distance, which went just wide of Bilal Khan’s right-hand post. For a while, after that effort, there weren’t many real chances in the game, at all, as both sides tried to take control of the game. However, towards the end of the first half, Jolof Sports player Sidrit Grezda hit a fantastic and powerful effort from distance, which hit Bilal Khan’s right-hand post, before Max Lee hit an effort over the goal, on the follow-up, from inside of the penalty area. And after Jolof Sports captain Abib Diop had hit an effort on the turn (from distance) which was saved by Bilal Khan, the away team’s goalkeeper would make a good save at his near post, to push behind Mody Gaye Diop’s effort from inside of the Indian Gymkhana Club penalty area, just before the referee had sounded his whistle for half-time.

Jolof Sports would create the first real chance of the second half. After Mouhamed Sall had passed the ball to Papa Ndiaye on the right-hand side of the Indian Gymkhana Club penalty area, before Bilal Khan had saved his effort, at his near post. Israel Kabengele would then (at the opposite end of the pitch) hit an effort over the Jolof Sports goal, from an effort which was inside of their penalty area, before Jolof Sports went forward at the other end of the pitch. With Mouhamed Sall having a low effort on goal from inside of the Indian Gymkhana Club box, which was well saved and then gathered by the goalkeeper, Bilal Khan.

As the game progressed, both sides started to really look for what could well be a winning goal. After Keshav Sookun’s well delivered free-kick to the back post of the Jolof Sports goal was headed over (from close range) by Karanjeet Pal, the game continued to be very end to end. From the edge of the Indian Gymkhana Club penalty area, Omosheni Oshodi-Atinmo hit a powerful effort which went just wide of Bilal Khan’s right-hand post, before Max Lee had a clever volleyed effort which was saved (from inside of the penalty area), by Bilal Khan.

A couple of minutes after Keshav Sookun had connected with a cross into the centre of the Jolof Sports penalty area, and from close range had hit his first time effort wide of the goal, Jolof Sports player Papa Ndiaye took the ball forward, before hitting an effort wide of the away side’s goal, from distance. However, there was to be very late drama in the match, after the referee had pointed to the Jolof Sports penalty spot, following a foul on Karan Aulakh, inside of their penalty area. Up stepped Pavindip Kang, to calmly find the right-hand side of the goal, 0-1. This was a competitive game of football, and I did think that it was a game in which could very well have deserved to end in a draw. However, credit must go to Indian Gymkhana Club, for getting that late winning goal, and to Pavindip Kang for taking his penalty so well.

For Jolof Sports, I thought that Mouhamed Sall was their player of the match. He was creative and involved in the play in the final third of the away team’s half of the pitch. During the first half of the match the impressive Israel Kabengele, was in my opinion Indian Gymkhana Club’s most influential player, but goalkeeper Bilal Khan made some important saves in the game, and he also impressed. Both sides gave their all in this game.