Non-League and Academy football writer

The Waltham Abbey A versus FC Baresi Reserves Premier Division (East) (step 8) fixture (my second Essex Alliance Football League fixture of Saturday afternoon) promised to be a very good game of football. Waltham Abbey A (they started this game in fourth place in the league) had recorded three league wins from their first six league matches of this season, going into this game on Saturday. FC Baresi Reserves were looking for their first league win of the season, after one draw and two losses from their first three league games of this season, meaning that they started this game in tenth place in the league standings. Played at Parsloes Park Hub, this lively game would finish in a 3-3 draw.

This late afternoon kick-off saw the game start at a really good pace. Waltham Abbey player Charlie Kerswell had sent a looping header over the Baresi goal, after meeting the ball inside of their penalty area following a corner-kick delivery. A free-kick would then be awarded to Waltham Abbey, just over 20 yards out from the away team’s goal. However, Jimmy Neary’s resulting effort went over the goal. Umayr Amjad’s FC Baresi Reserves side would grow into the game however, and shortly after they’d worked the ball into the Waltham Abbey penalty area but had subsequently been unable to get an effort away on goal, a long ball forward would see the away side create a great chance. Filippo Lovascio would meet a long pass and just flick the ball onto Omari Trevor Dean Williams, inside of the Waltham Abbey penalty area. Through on goal the Baresi player’s effort was well saved by Waltham Abbey goalkeeper Aaron Bull.

The pace of the game continued to pick up, and there was beginning to be a great number of goalscoring chances. Rhys Thurgood had an effort well saved (from close range inside of the away team’s box) by FC Baresi goalkeeper Jahnih Bullbrook, before Tommy Marchant hit an effort off the crossbar, in what was an early warning sign for FC Baresi. However, the away side would initially respond well to this, but a couple of minutes after Ronnie Karayianni had passed the ball to Filippo Lovascio on the right-hand side of the Waltham Abbey box, with the forward hitting an effort over the goal, Waltham Abbey would then go onto take the lead in the game. As Baresi were unable to clear a long throw-in into their penalty area, with Freddie Bose getting to the ball on the edge of the box, before hitting a low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Not long at all after Waltham Abbey A had taken the lead in the game, FC Baresi would draw level. As after Omari Trevor Dean Williams had got to the ball inside the centre of the Waltham Abbey penalty area, he would try and round the goalkeeper with the ball. And although he had taken the ball a little bit too wide inside of the penalty area, he would then do well to square it for Ronnie Karayianni at the back post, who was able to tap the ball home under pressure, 1-1. Baresi were now confident, and a great passing move from them would follow, shortly after the game had started again. A great lofted pass from Ronnie Karayianni would find Filippo Lovascio, who then found Omari Trevor Dean Williams, inside the centre of the home team’s penalty area. However, Aaron Bull did really well to keep out the Baresi player’s low effort from close range.

Soon after that really good chance for FC Baresi, the away side would take the lead for the first time in the game. Filippo Lovascio had been impressing during the first half, and he would show some good strength and holdup play on the right flank, before then going forward with the ball and passing it to Omari Trevor Dean Williams on the edge of the Waltham Abbey penalty area. From there Williams would finish low and central into the goal, 1-2. Baresi were now looking to further extend their lead in the game. A couple of minutes after Jack Speakman had hit an effort over the Baresi goal from distance, Baresi would go close to making it 3-1. Following a good pass from Ronnie Karayianni to Filippo Lovascio, on the edge of the home team’s penalty area, Lovascio would show some good skill on the ball, before giving the ball back to Karayianni, who now made his way into the box. However, his powerful effort hit the side-netting of Aaron Bull’s goal.

Baresi’s third goal of the first half would arrive not long before half-time. A lovely lofted pass from Tori Mahorn Rendall, to Filippo Lovascio in the centre of the Waltham Abbey box would result in Lovascio sending a good looping effort over Aaron Bull and into the goal, 1-3. There were yet more goalscoring chances during the remaining minutes of the latter stages of the first half, in this open game of football. And after Jack Speakman had curled a free-kick effort from 25 yards out, over Jahnih Bullbrook’s goal, at the opposite end of the pitch Ronnie Karayianni would receive the ball out on the right flank, in a bit of space. Karayianni would then skilfully cut inside with the ball, into the home team’s box, before hitting an effort on goal which was well saved by Aaron Bull.

Very late on in the first half Freddie Bose had a low effort from the edge of the Baresi box, which was saved by Jahnih Bullbrook. And then the very final chance of the first half would see some good ball control from Karayianni, who would then find    Lovascio on the right-hand side of the Waltham Abbey penalty area, before hitting his low effort just wide, across the face of Aaron Bull’s goal. Following on from that very eventful first half of football, the early stages of the second half saw a big moment in the game, as Omari Trevor Dean Williams of FC Baresi was shown a red card by the referee, following an off the ball incident. Waltham Abbey, now with a numerical advantage, would try and capitalise on this and get back into the game.

Michael Barton’s Waltham Abbey A side would start the second half well. After Tommy Marchant had volleyed an effort over from the edge of the Baresi penalty area, Jahnih Bullbrook would make two good saves. With the Baresi goalkeeper first of all saving a free-kick effort on his goal, before then doing really well to push away Mark Howe’s effort on the follow-up. Shortly after FC Baresi substitute Dimitri Davis-Thorpe had hit a powerful effort from the edge of the Waltham Abbey box just wide of their goal, the home side were awarded a penalty. As the referee pointed to the penalty spot after having deemed Zuhayr Amjad (the Baresi player was very vocal and always encouraging his teammates on the pitch) to have fouled Ralph Bostock, inside of the penalty area. Tommy Marchant stepped up to find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, despite the best efforts of the diving Jahnih Bullbrook, 2-3.

Waltham Abbey A were now really quite dominant on the ball. Following on from Josh Oyeleke’s surging run to the right-hand side of the away team’s box and subsequent effort wide of their goal, Tommy Marchant would then hit an effort over the goal from inside of the box. Freddie Bose had been impressing throughout this contest for Waltham Abbey, and he would draw the home side level soon after that double chance. After getting to the ball on the end of the Baresi penalty area, from quite a difficult angle Freddie Bose would power a low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 3-3. And soon after having converted that goalscoring chance, Freddie Bose would go very close to getting his hat-trick, as he hit an effort just wide, from inside of the FC Baresi penalty area.

Two more chances came and went for either side, in the very final minutes of the game. A good move from the away side resulted in Ronnie Karayianni having an effort saved by Aaron Bull, from the right-hand side of the Waltham Abbey penalty area, before Jahnih Bullbrook would then hold an effort on his goal from distance, at the other end of the pitch, before the referee brought the game to an end. What a fantastic game of football this was, between two sides who played some really good and effective football, and who showed tremendous passion throughout this contest. It was a fast paced game of football and who knows how it would’ve gone had the second half had the same amount of players on the pitch for either side, but a draw was I thought was quite reflective of how the game played out. I reckon that both Waltham Abbey A and FC Baresi Reserves will be near the top end of this division by the end of the season.

For FC Baresi, they played some really good passing football, just like their first team do. I thought that were some really strong and impressive performances from both sides, on Saturday. For the away side I thought that winger Ronnie Karayianni was their player of the match, as he really did have a real influence on the game with his skill, agility with the ball and decision making in the final third. Also, centre-forward Filippo Lovascio and defender Nikhil Juggessur, were other real contenders for this FC Baresi player of the match award. For Waltham Abbey A, Freddie Bose did some really fine work in the final third. He was tenacious and he played the game with real energy. However, with two well taken goals and a very good all-round performance, he was my player of the match from this game.