Non-League and Academy football writer

I was at Coles Park on Friday night, for an Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixture between Haringey Borough Under 23s and FC Petrocub London. Haringey Borough Under 23s started this match in sixth place in the league table (after 11 league matches played), with FC Petrocub London starting this game in tenth place in the league standings, after 12 league matches played. This step 7 game of many goals, finished 7-2 to Haringey Borough Under 23s, on a cold night in north London. Haringey Borough would take the lead early on in this game, with a good move resulting in Louis Maffia just directing the ball onto Zayshaun Asamoah, on the left-hand side of the Petrocub penalty area. And from there Asamoah would hit a powerful effort into the goal, despite the best efforts of the goalkeeper, Vasile Neagu, 1-0.

It was an open start to the game, however, and Petrocub would get an equaliser, soon after Haringey had taken the lead. An exquisite lofted diagonal pass from Gritcan Dumitru, would find Gheorghe Cucos, and from the right-hand side of the Haringey penalty area he would power an effort into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. It continued to be an open game in the minutes that followed. But shortly after Grigorii Ungurianu had hit a low and powerful effort wide of the Haringey goal from distance, the home side would regain their lead. As Hamid Sesay passed the ball across to Louis Maffia, right on the edge of the Petrocub penalty area, and the midfielder would then hit a low and powerful effort on goal, with it taking a slight deflection off a Petrocub defender, on its way into the goal, 2-1. 

Haringey Borough were now starting to play their football to even greater effect. And a couple of minutes after Zayshaun Asamoah had cut inside with the ball from the left flank, before hitting a powerful effort wide, across the Petrocub goal, Haringey would get their third goal of the game. The alert Louis Maffia would manage to block a Petrocub defender’s clearance inside of the away team’s penalty area, before getting to the ball and finishing into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal from close range, 3-1. Petrocub would respond quite well, however. Following Nicolai Gutu’s pass to Ion Spinu, down the left-hand side of the Haringey box, Spinu would hit a deflected effort, under pressure, into the side-netting of the goal. And then very soon after, Gheorghe Cucos would receive the ball in space right on the edge of the Haringey penalty area, with his subsequent low curling effort on goal being pushed behind by the Haringey goalkeeper, Justin Ismail.

Petrocub were trying to play their passing game, often looking for a long diagonal pass out towards Gheorghe Cucos, on the right-hand side of the pitch. Not long before half-time, Petrocub player Nicolai Gutu’s deft outside of the boot pass would find Ion Spinu, in behind the home side’s defence. Inside of the penalty area, Spinu would take the ball around the Haringey goalkeeper, before hitting an effort from quite a wide angle, into the side-netting of the goal. The very final chance of the first half came from a Haringey free-kick, out on the right flank, which Mohamed Keita would curl into the Petrocub penalty area, picking out Kevin Akpoedafe, in space, inside the centre of the box. However, the defender’s header went narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. 

Petrocub would initially start the second half well. After Alexei Ciobanu had a free-kick effort from the edge of the Haringey box, deflected behind for a corner-kick, straight after the resulting corner-kick, Gritcan Dumitru would get to the ball some 20 yards out from goal. His powerful resulting effort on the half-volley went just wide of the Haringey goal. After a bit of slow start to the second half, the home side would extend their lead further, soon after Petrocub had almost made it 3-2. And it would be Louis Maffia’s third goal of the game, with him the getting on the ball right on the edge of the Petrocub penalty area, before hitting a low effort into the left side of the goal, 4-1. Mohamed Keita almost made it 5-1, soon after the game had started up again. However, his low effort after cutting inside with the ball from the right flank, was gathered on the goal-line by the Petrocub goalkeeper, at the second attempt.

Petrocub would get a goal back in the game, almost immediately after Mohamed Keita had gone so close to making it 5-1 to Haringey. Petrocub substitute Nicolai Cotruta would surge forward with the ball, down the right-hand side of the Haringey penalty area, to the byline, before putting the ball back across the face of the goal to the back post, with Ion Spinu there to finish from close range, 4-2. Petrocub were really trying to get another goal back, as they were now enjoying another good spell in the game, by this point in the second half. Following a free-kick for the home side, the ball would eventually come to Vasile Spinu, on the right-hand side of the Haringey penalty area, and Spinu’s powerfully struck effort on goal would bounce off of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.

Haringey Borough Under 23s would finish this game very strongly, adding another three goals to their tally for the night. A goalkeeping error from Petrocub goalkeeper Vasile Neagu, would see his pass out from his penalty area latched onto by Joene Mampovisa (16) on the edge of the Petrocub penalty area. And the Haringey Borough substitute would just take the ball into the box, before finishing into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 5-2. And Haringey Borough’s sixth goal of the game would arrive a matter of minutes later, with another substitute making a good impression to get on the scoresheet. As Albie Taylor (16) received a pass on the right-hand side of the Petrocub box, before finishing emphatically into the roof of the goal, 6-2.

After Ion Spinu had a low effort from the edge of the Haringey penalty area which was gathered by Justin Ismail, Haringey managed to get their seventh and final goal of the game. Timi Tinubu would win the ball just outside of the Petrocub penalty area, with Zayshaun Asamoah managing to pick the ball up just inside of the away team’s box, and from there the talented youngster would find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 7-2. Hat-trick hero Louis Maffia was very clinical in front of goal, for Haringey Borough Under 23s on Friday night. The midfielder took his goals well, and he also provided an assist, and so he was therefore for my player of the match. However, there were some very strong performances from the home side. Chris Odell and Ricky Gayler’s (this is their first month in charge of the side) Haringey Borough Under 23s side once again (the average age of the side is 18) showed real maturity, this time against a very experienced Petrocub side. That is very impressive, and as I have said before, they could really challenge for the league title this season, after such a good 2023/24 season. However, playing against senior sides, is also about player development, as well.