Non-League and Academy football writer

On a rainy Tuesday night in a SCEFL Division One fixture at the Old Spotted Dog Ground, the home side Clapton Community faced Lewisham Borough. Clapton Community started this game in the league play-off positions, in fifth place (after seven league games played). Lewisham Borough started this game in 14th place in the league standings, after 4 matches played. This was a really good game of football (particularly in the second half), between two really good footballing sides, but it was Clapton Community, who won this match 2-1. Early on in the match, Arthur Wright would hit a low side-footed effort wide of the Lewisham Borough goal, from the edge of the penalty area, before Jack Francis made a decent save at the opposite end of the pitch, soon after.

The first real chance of the match saw Lewisham Borough centre-forward Emmanuel Oshinowo get to a clever, short pass in behind the home team’s defence.   Emmanuel Oshinowo was met by Francis down the right-hand side of the Clapton Community penalty area, and Oshinowo would lift a good effort over the goalkeeper, which went just wide of the goal. After Arthur Wright had seen his deflected effort from the edge of the Lewisham box be deflected into the path of Fred Taylor (just inside of the box), Taylor would hit an effort over the goal. Both sides were patiently playing their football, as they looked for the opening goal of the game. After Clapton Community defender Sam Cook had hit a decent free-kick effort (from the edge of the Lewisham box) on goal, the ball was punched clear by James Boughtflower, in the Lewisham goal.

Geoff Ocran’s Clapton Community side were looking the more likely of the two sides to find an opener. However, after Fred Taylor had taken the ball forward, towards the edge of the Lewisham penalty area, he would hit a low effort just wide of their goal, and it was not long after that effort when the visiting side scored the opening goal of the game. It was a truly special goal from Adekunle Adeyinka, who after showing some fine skill on the ball, in central midfield, he would hit a brilliant and powerful effort (from around 25 yards out) which moved in the air (via a possible deflection) before nestling into the top right-hand corner of the home team’s goal, 0-1. Towards the end of the first half, Fred Taylor would hit an ambitious effort from distance, wide of the Lewisham goal, before Edward Asiamah (at the opposite end of the pitch) hit a low effort wide of Jack Francis’ goal, from around 20 yards out.

During the early stages of the second half, Lewisham Borough’s impressive captain and central defender, Cairo Duhaney-Burton, would make an excellent and long cross-field pass, to Edward Asiamah on the left-hand side of the Clapton Community penalty area. However, Edward Asiamah’s resulting low effort was well saved and closed down by the outrushing Jack Francis. Both Fred Taylor and Suleyman Zahmoul would have efforts from outside of the Lewisham Borough box, which were saved by James Boughtflower, in quick succession. And then following some really good skill/close ball control on the right-hand side of the Lewisham box, from Fred Taylor, it would result in the skilful winger having an effort on goal, which was well pushed onto his left-hand post by Boughtflower. An effort was then well blocked inside of the box, before Suleyman Zahmoul had a low effort on goal, which was also saved by Boughtflower.

Sam Cook had really been impressing in central defence for the home side, and after pushing up the pitch to receive Suleyman Zahmoul’s short pass on the edge of the Lewisham box, Sam Cook would hit a low effort narrowly wide of the goal. Following on from that chance, and after Fred Taylor’s headed effort from inside of the Lewisham box had gone wide, Lewisham substitute Zacchius Ajose would hit an effort over from the edge of the home team’s penalty area. Clapton Community were really pushing for that all important equalising goal. After substitute Cameron Gordon had laid the ball off to Joel Akuwudike, on the edge of the Lewisham box, his deflected effort would go just wide of Boughtflower’s goal. Not long on the pitch, in the 77th minute of the game James Briggs would deliver a superb corner-kick into the centre of the Lewisham penalty area. The ball had so much pace on it, as it was met by Cameron Gordon, who headed the ball down into the ground, with it then bouncing up into the roof of the goal, 1-1.

Clapton Community were giving it their all to find a late winning goal, in this superb game of football. After the influential Fred Taylor’s effort right on the edge of the Lewisham box, had deflected off of both posts, in quite remarkable fashion, with Cameron Gordon tapping the ball into the empty goal, his goal was ruled out for offside. Yet that wasn’t to matter, as in the 91st minute of the game Cameron Gordon would win the game for Clapton Community, and in dramatic fashion. A fine cross from the right flank, would pick out Gordon in the centre of the Lewisham penalty area, and from there he would power an unstoppable header into  Boughtflower’s goal, 2-1. Following some great scenes of celebration from the Clapton Community players and coaching staff, and once the game had resumed, Jack Francis would save and then gather Mohamed Hechachena’s very late, powerful free-kick effort from the edge of the penalty area.

What a fantastic game of step 6 football this was, and also what a superb performance from the home side, to win against a very well structured Lewisham Borough side. The Clapton Community coaches made some very good substitutions in the second half, such as Cameron Gordon (who was excellent, and who got both goals) and also James Briggs, who was very influential in midfield. However, from defence to the forward areas of the pitch, the whole Clapton Community team were excellent during the second half of the match. Also, both Fred Taylor and Noah Adejokun influenced the game really well from out wide on the flanks, and as mentioned previously, the whole defence was also very good.

For Lewisham Borough, I was very impressed with their goalscorer (Adekunle Adeyinka) in central midfield, the defensive organisation and all-round defending of their captain, Cairo Duhaney-Burton, as well as the performance of Mohamed Hechachena. In my opinion, I thought that Clapton Community’s left sided central defender, Sam Cook, showed real quality in defence for the home side throughout the match on Tuesday. His quality on the ball was very good, but he also made some really important defensive interventions during the match, and he was therefore my player of the match.