Non-League and Academy football writer

The league leaders of the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, Hayes & Hillingdon, welcomed newly promoted side Soccer Stars Fennecs, to the home ground of Northwood FC (The Skyline Roofing Stadium) for a league match on Saturday afternoon. Hayes & Hillingdon were in first place in the league table, after seven league matches played. Soccer Stars Fennecs started this game in tenth place in the league table, after four league matches played. This step 7 match was won 3-0 by Hayes & Hillingdon, in what was a professional and efficient performance from the home side. During the very early stages of the match the away side, Soccer Stars Fennecs, would create the first chance of the game. As Mouadh Kermani found Sofian Hammouda on the left-hand side of the Hayes & Hillingdon penalty area, following a good passing move from the away side. However, his powerful effort on goal was gathered by goalkeeper, Sam Deacon. 

Hayes & Hillingdon would soon start to play their game to good effect, during the opening stages of the game. After Ryan Lloyd had helped the ball onto Tobi Shodipo, on the right-hand side of the visiting team’s box, his low first time (side-footed) effort hit the Soccer Stars Fennecs’ goalkeeper’s left-hand post. Soon after that fine chance for the home side, Charlie Casey had hit a powerful effort on goal, from the edge of the Soccer Stars Fennecs penalty area, which was punched clear by their goalkeeper, Mohamed Chergi. And then a couple of minutes later, Hayes & Hillingdon would take an early lead. Following Danny McDonnell’s long throw-in, into the visiting team’s box, the ball eventually came to Luke Jones, on the edge of the penalty area. His first time effort on the bounce (it had possibly taken a slight deflection off a defender) went into the top left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Soon after Connor Goodliffe had hit an effort over Mohamed Chergi’s goal from distance, Hayes & Hillingdon would continue their good start to the game by getting their second goal of the first half. After Soccer Stars Fennecs had lost possession of the ball inside of their own half to Jamie Gourey, the Hayes & Hillingdon centre-forward would exchange passes with a teammate on the left flank, as they went forward with the ball. Gourey would then receive the ball inside of the away team’s penalty area, from where he clinically found the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 2-0. Hayes & Hillingdon were looking to make sure of the win, as Soccer Fennecs tried to respond. Following an effort from the left-hand side of the Hayes & Hillingdon box by Sofian Hammouda, which went low and wide of the goal, the same Soccer Stars Fennecs player would hit a powerful and well taken free-kick effort which wide from around 25 yards out, a couple of minutes later.

Looking to get a goal back before half-time, Soccer Stars Fennecs would try their best to get an all important goal. And after their centre-forward Ahmed Ayoub had hit an effort on goal (from 25 yards out) which seemed to be destined for the top-left hand corner of the Hayes & Hillingdon goal, it was really well tipped over his goal by Deacon. And the Hayes & Hillingdon goalkeeper would then make another fine and hugely important save to push away another effort from Ayoub, this time from inside of the Hayes & Hillingdon box, following a corner-kick. Just before half-time a fine counter from Hayes & Hillingdon player Tobi Shodipo, would result in him going forward with the ball at pace. He would manage to get around Soccer Stars Fennecs defender Karim Kerkouri for pace, before entering the penalty area and rounding the goalkeeper, but his resulting low effort on goal was excellently cleared off the goal-line, by the recovering Karim Kerkouri.

Early on in the second half and after Islam Guerniche had got to a corner-kick delivery in a bit of space inside of the Hayes & Hillingdon penalty area, his first time effort on goal was gathered by Sam Deacon. Hayes & Hillingdon would respond to that early chance for the away side, with both Ryan Lloyd and then Connor Goodliffe hitting decent efforts wide of the Soccer Stars Fennecs goal, from distance. In a second half of not very many chances, that next goal in the game was always going to be hugely important. Soccer Stars Fennecs had improved in their all-round played during the second half, but soon after Connor Goodliffe had volleyed an effort over the Soccer Stars Fennecs goal, from some 25 yards out, Hayes & Hillingdon would get that important next goal in the game.

A swift move for the home side would end with substitute Sam Baigent getting to the ball inside the centre of the away team’s box, from where he clinically found the back of the goal, 3-0. Hayes & Hillingdon had managed this game really well, and they would continue to do so during the remainder of the match. They would manage two more goal attempts, however. As after Michael Gunster had hit an effort over the Soccer Stars Fennecs goal from the edge of their penalty area, Charlie Casey would then manage to receive the ball through on goal, inside of the box. However, Mohamed Chergi would save his effort on goal. In the final minutes of the game, the impressive Mouadh Kermani would hit a powerful effort just over Sam Deacon’s goal, from distance.

This was a very professional and hardworking team performance from Hayes & Hillingdon, against another very good side in this league, in Soccer Stars Fennecs, who played their passing game throughout. Despite there being many contenders for my player of the match award, I’ve decided to award it to Hayes & Hillingdon goalkeeper Sam Deacon, who made some hugely important saves on the day, at crucial moments in the game.