Non-League and Academy football writer

The first of two Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixtures on Saturday afternoon that I was covering at Wadham Lodge, was between Sporting Hackney FC and the newly named Waltham Forest Borough FC (formerly known as Woodford East). Both side’s first league fixture of the 2024/25 season, it was the away side who won the game 3-2, in what was a brilliant second half of football. The first chance of note of the first half came the way of the away team, Waltham Forest Borough. After a free-kick delivery (from the right-hand side of the pitch) had bounced to Matt Stacey in front of the Sporting Hackney goal, but his effort went over the goal. Soon after that chance, Waltham Forest Borough player Sajid Aziz came inside with the ball to the right side of the Sporting Hackney penalty area. However, his effort on goal was held by the goalkeeper, Lee Glynn.

The home team had started well on the ball, and they were looking the more likely side to score the first goal of the game. Following Ecclesiaste Kipa’s good cross-field pass to Joshua Fisayo on the right-hand side of the Sporting Hackney box, he would hit a good low effort, on the bounce. However, his effort went just wide of Lee Glynn’s right-hand post. This time there was a set-piece chance for Halil Hassan’s side, as Dylan Florence’s free-kick delivery from the centre of the pitch, had found Matt Stacey inside of the Sporting Hackney box, at the back post. However, the Waltham Forest Borough defender would volley the ball over the goal. Sporting Hackney had been defending their goal well during the first half. However, a good move soon after, would almost result in them scoring the first goal of the game. Nathaniel Konde received the ball on the right-hand side of the home team’s penalty area. His low ball across goal, to the back post, was met by Aaron Maddison. However, the forward wasn’t able to connect with the ball properly, as the ball looped over the goal.

Impressive Sporting Hackney defender Omri Brinner would do well to block behind Joshua Fisayo’s effort from the right-hand side of the penalty area, before Dylan Florence had a low effort from distance, which was saved by Lee Glynn. The start of the second half was lively, and it was Sporting Hackney who started the second half the better of the two sides. After Tychique Lukuni’s short pass found Jordan Brown just inside of the home team’s box, the Sporting Hackney player would then give the ball to James Head, whose resulting effort went just wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. A good counter from Sporting Hackney a couple of minutes later (following some good defending inside of their own box) would see Nathaniel Konde progress the ball forward, to the edge of the Waltham Forest Borough penalty area. However, his effort on goal was parried by goalkeeper Cohen Mitchell.

Not long after having created those previous two chances during the early stages of the second half, Sporting Hackney would take the lead. Almashkan Jalat took a corner-kick quickly and short to Aaron Maddison on the right-hand side of the home side’s box. Maddison’s first time lofted effort would loop over Mitchell, before ending up going into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0. Unfortunately for Sporting Hackney, they weren’t able to hold onto their lead for very long. As Waltham Forest Borough responded really well to the home side taking the lead, with a great passing move ending with an equalising goal. The latter stages of the move saw the impressive Samir Bihmoutine pass the ball to the influential Dylan Florence, on the left-hand side of Sporting Hackney’s penalty area. From there Florence would curl an unstoppable first time effort (at pace) into the top right-hand corner of the goal, 1-1.

There was now an even quicker pace to this game, with both sides playing at an even better intensity. The third goal of the game would arrive not long after the away side’s equalising goal, with Waltham Forest Borough taking the lead in the game for the first time. Dylan Florence’s well delivered corner-kick had a lot of pace on it, as it was met by Sadiq Akanbi, who challenged goalkeeper Lee Glynn for the ball. However, Akanbi’s header was too powerful to be saved, with it going into the goal, 1-2. This dramatic second half had yet another twist, however. With there being another goal soon after the third goal of the game, during the latter stages of the second half. It would go to Sporting Hackney, as Almashkan Jalat’s lofted forward pass found the run of Aaron Maddison on the right-hand side of the away team’s box. Maddison would hit a fine and powerful low effort into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 2-2.

Waltham Forest Borough would push for a winning goal, late on in the match. Following a good move Waltham Forest Borough substitute Aaron Blake would hit a powerful low effort wide of Lee Glynn’s near post, from the right-hand side of the Sporting Hackney box. And then a couple of minutes later, Aaron Blake would receive Joshua Fisayo’s pass inside of the penalty area, but his resulting effort went  wide of the goal. A good forward run to the edge of the Sporting Hackney penalty area by Dylan Florence, would result in him hitting a powerful effort on goal, which was pushed away by Lee Glynn. And then from a corner-kick soon after, Ecclesiaste Kipa would head an effort wide from inside of the Sporting Hackney box, after meeting Samir Bihmoutine’s corner-kick delivery.

Very late on in the match and despite the very best defensive efforts of Sporting Hackney, Waltham Forest Borough would score a winning goal. In what was pretty much the final goalscoring chance of the game, as Joshua Fisayo passed the ball to Samir Bihmoutine in the centre of the box, in what was a good move from the away side. Bihmoutine’s first time effort was really well saved by the legs of Lee Glynn, but on the follow-up, Samir Bihmoutine finished well into the right-hand side of the goal, 2-3. This was a hard fought win for Waltham Forest Borough, against a Sporting Hackney side who defended well, and who also took their chances well on the day. With a goal, an assist and an all-round influential performance, highly skilful Waltham Forest Borough winger Dylan Florence was my player of the match on Saturday afternoon. His impressive close ball control and clever forward runs and creativity on the ball, really influenced the game in the favour of the away side.

For Sporting Hackney, I thought that their player of the match was the clinical Aaron Maddison, who took both of his goals really well. Also, Omri Brinner had a very good game in defence, and Sporting Hackney right-back Almashkan Jalat had a good game, providing two assists on the day.