Non-League and Academy football writer

In what promised to be a fine game of cup football, FC Petrocub London welcomed Chadwell Heath Spartans to Noak Hill Sports Complex, on Wednesday night, for this Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division Cup first round tie. FC Petrocub London are currently in tenth place in the Senior Division standings (after 15 matches played), with the visiting side, Chadwell Heath Spartans, currently in eighth place in the league standings (after 15 matches played). This very eventful cup-tie was won on penalties (4-3) by Petrocub, after the scores were tied at 3-3, after 90 minutes. This game got off to a very eventful start, with Chadwell Heath Spartans taking an early lead in the game. A fine through-ball pass from Billy Gipp, would find the run of Ryan O’Connell, in behind the Petrocub defence. Through on goal, O’Connell’s effort from the edge of the Petrocub penalty area was saved by their goalkeeper, Vasile Neagu. However, Peter Adeleye would finish into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal (from inside of the penalty area), on the followup, 0-1.

Not long at all after the Spartans had taken that early lead in the match, Petrocub would almost immediately respond with an equalising goal. It came from a well worked move (the Spartans players claimed that there was an obstruction involved in the buildup to the goal) which ended with Gheorghe Cucos laying the ball off on the edge of the Spartans’ penalty area, to Alexei Ciobanu, who powerfully found the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, with a first time effort. In the tenth minute of the first half (two minutes after Petrocub’s equalising goal), Chadwell Heath Spartans would regain their lead. The frantic early pace of this match was creating quite a bit of space in behind, and following Joseph Butcher’s excellent lofted ball in behind the Petrocub defence, to Billy Gipp, who managed to get to the ball ahead of the Petrocub goalkeeper inside of the box, he would then skilfully take the ball  around the goalkeeper, following some good ball control. After taking the ball around the goalkeeper, Billy Gipp would finish low into the open goal, 1-2.

Chadwell Heath Spartans had started the game better than Petrocub. After the impressive Enoch Salami had whipped an excellent effort onto the Petrocub goalkeeper’s crossbar from 25 yards out, at the opposite end of the pitch, Gritcan Dumitru would hit a looping effort from the edge of the Spartans’ penalty area. His effort took a deflection, but the ball was ultimately well gathered by the Spartans goalkeeper Dino Maras. Another good chance was then created by the Spartans (a couple of minutes later), as Ryan O’Connell managed to get to the ball following a loose Petrocub pass. O’Connell would then shift the ball out to Peter Adeleye, out on the left flank, with Adeleye then cutting inside with the ball onto his right foot, before taking the ball into the penalty area and hitting a powerful effort just wide of the goalkeeper’s near post.

Dino Maras had started the game well and confidently in the Chadwell Heath Spartans goal. After he had done well to turn behind Nicolai Cotruta’s whipped effort on goal from the edge of the penalty area, Dino Maras would then save an effort well to his right, from Ion Spinu, who was through on goal inside of the penalty area. In the 35th minute of the game Petrocub would manage to draw level for a second time in the game. As following a well delivered, in-swinging corner-kick, Sergiu Demcioglo was able to head the ball home at the back post, 2-2. And then in this very dramatic and eventful first half, in the 45th minute of the first half Chadwell Heath Spartans would regain their lead again. This particular goal came from a fine passing move, with Ryan O’Connell receiving the ball on the edge of the Petrocub penalty area, before immediately giving the ball to Peter Adeleye, on the right-hand side of the box. From there, Peter Adeleye would finish powerfully into the goal, despite the goalkeeper’s best efforts at his near post, 2-3.

Petrocub would start the second half of this game at a really good pace. Following an early free-kick delivery into the Spartans’ box, which saw Dino Maras make a save from a header, the ball then eventually came to Sergiu Demcioglo, inside of the penalty area. His powerful effort hit Dino Maras’ right-hand post before then being kept out by the goalkeeper, with a Petrocub player then hitting an effort over on the followup. Some good movement from Gheorghe Cucos soon after, in front of Dino Maras, would result in him volleying over, after meeting a cross inside of the Spartans’ box. However, in the 54th minute of the game Petrocub would draw level once again, as their captain (I believe that it was Gritcan Dumitru who scored this goal) hit an excellent effort from the edge of the Spartans’ penalty area (on the half-volley) into the bottom left-hand corner of their goal, 3-3.

Petrocub were now playing the more effective football, by this stage of the game. After Nicolai Cotruta had cut inside with the ball from the left flank, he would then continue across the pitch with the ball, before hitting a powerful effort from outside of the away team’s penalty area, just over their goal. A free-kick was then awarded soon after, to Chadwell Heath Spartans, some 20 yards out from goal. However, Billy Gipp’s curling effort on goal was gathered by the Petrocub goalkeeper. Two decent efforts in quick succession, from distance (firstly by Sergiu Demcioglo, and then by Grigorii Ungurianu) would go over Dino Maras’ crossbar, before Chadwell Heath Spartans player Thomas Callagher was sent to the sin-bin, with the Spartans now having to defend very deeply, late on in the game. And shortly after Dino Maras had gathered a powerful effort from the right-hand side of the Spartans’ box by Gheorghe Cucos, a penalty was awarded to Petrocub after the referee had spotted a handball inside of the Spartans’ penalty area, something that the away side’s players and coaching staff were outraged about. 

This penalty in the final moments of the game to Petrocub, was however, really well saved and then gathered by Dino Maras. Now to penalties, and just as Ryan O’Connell was about to take the first penalty kick, the floodlights went out. Once they had been turned back on, his penalty (once it had been retaken, as the goalkeeper was spotted off his goal-line) was saved by Vasile Neagu, to the goalkeeper’s right. Petrocub would score the next penalty, before the next two penalties were saved by the respective goalkeeper’s, for both sides. The Spartans would however, make it 1-1, after Owen Rami had expertly finished from the penalty spot. The next two penalties were converted, before Petrocub missed their fourth penalty, with James Hanly going onto score the next penalty for Aaron Hunwicks’ side, to make it 3-2. However, after Petrocub had equalised from the next penalty, Tolu Dina’s effort from the penalty spot would hit the Petrocub goalkeeper’s crossbar, with Petrocub then scoring the next and decisive penalty, to book their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Walthamstow Reserves.

This was a cup-tie which was played at a frantic pace, and it was a highly eventful game. Both sides played some good football, and Chadwell Heath Spartans were visibly upset and frustrated with some of the decisions that were awarded against them during the game, and they were very unfortunate to go out of the cup on penalties. I thought that Chadwell Heath Spartans goalkeeper Dino Maras made some very big saves in the match, including that big penalty save in the final moments of the game, and he was my player of the match. However, some of the other Spartans players who impressed, in my opinion, were Peter Adeleye, Billy Gipp, and Tolu Dina. With Sergiu Demcioglo and Gritcan Dumitru, just some of the Petrocub players who impressed me during this game.