Non-League and Academy football writer

Two of the contenders for the 2024/25 Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division title, CSM London and Philip United, met at Parsloes Park Hub, in a league fixture on Friday night. CSM London started this league fixture in third place in the league standings, after 14 league matches played. Philip United started this game two places above CSM in the table, in first place, after 17 league matches played. Seven points separated these two sides in the Senior Division table, ahead of Friday’s match. It was the league leaders, Philip United, who won this league match 5-1. During the early stages of the game Philip United player John Quissua’s well delivered and powerful low cross from the left flank, would bounce off Michael Olatunji, at the back post, as he was just unable to adjust his feet in time to direct the ball into the goal. Soon after that very early chance for the visiting side, CSM player Dylan Flynn would get to a pass from the Philip United goalkeeper, Enrique Kalsi. However, after travelling forward with the ball, Flynn’s resulting effort from 25 yards out, went wide of the goal.

As the first half of the match progressed, Philip United started to grow further in confidence on the ball. After Michael Olatunji had played a quick one-two pass with Erick Kenko, on the edge of the CSM penalty area, the Philip United forward would then have an effort from the left-hand side of the box, saved by CSM goalkeeper Joe Biscoe. Tochukwu Okolo would then hit a powerful free-kick effort on the CSM goal (from distance), which was held by Biscoe, before the very technical Raj Palit would win a free-kick right on the edge of the CSM box, soon after. However, after electing to take the free-kick, Raj Palit’s initial effort came off the CSM wall, with his follow-up then going over the goal. The first goal of the game arrived soon after that free-kick, as a good low cross from the right was finished at the back post of Joe Biscoe’s goal, by the alert John Quissua, from close range, 0-1.

Philip United’s lead didn’t last very long, however. With CSM equalising soon after, following some fine work from Dylan Flynn to initially win the ball, and then receive the ball straight after on the right flank. Flynn would then go on a surging forward run down the right flank, before his low cross was picked up by Marco Lavadera, on the edge of the Philip United penalty area. Lavadera would then pass the ball short, across to Paul Mendes, on the edge of the box. His fine curling first time effort would find the top right-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. This was a very tactical game of football, between two very good teams. Philip United would recover well, after CSM had scored that equalising goal. And following Tochukwu Okolo’s effort from the right-hand side of the home team’s penalty area, which had hit the side-netting of Joe Biscoe’s goal, Tamas Retyi would whip a good effort (from the edge of the CSM penalty area) narrowly wide of Joe Biscoe’s right-hand post.

Philip United’s relentless work in CSM’s half of the pitch, was making it very difficult for CSM to buildup the pitch with the ball. Not very long before half-time, Philip United would regain the lead. Their second goal of the game arrived after they had won the ball on the edge of the CSM penalty area. The ball was quickly played out to John Quissua, on the left-hand side of the penalty area. Quissua would then hit the ball across the face of the goal, with Michael Olatunji on hand to finish from close range at the back post, 1-2. CSM did come very close to drawing level again, in the final minutes of the first half, with Paul Mendes’ deflected effort from the edge of the Philip penalty area, being deflected onto the goalkeeper’s left-hand post, before being cleared away. Just before the referee’s half-time whistle was sounded, Philip United player Tamas Retyi hit a low free-kick effort (from 25 yards out), which was gathered by Joe Biscoe.

The second half of this match was started very well by the away side. After having controlled the ball during the early stages of the second half, they would soon score their third goal of the game. Raj Palit provided the assist (his ninth assist of the season), as he whipped a corner-kick delivery towards Tamas Retyi, at the near post of Joe Biscoe’s goal, as Tamas Retyi’s clever flicked header went high into the goal, beyond the goalkeeper, 1-3. Philip United’s fast passing game was seeing them create a number of good chances. After Erick Kenko had won the ball close to the middle of the pitch, the influential Philip United midfielder would drive forward with the ball at pace, before hitting a good and powerful low effort which went just wide of Joe Biscoe’s right-hand post.

After a curling free-kick from 20 yards out from Dylan Flynn, had gone over Enrique Kalsi’s goal, Philip United would extend their lead soon after (in the 77th minute), through substitute Joshua Wisdom. Wisdom would do really well to just hold off a CSM player with the ball at his feet, as he shifted the ball onto his left foot on the edge of the penalty area, before whipping an excellent effort into the left-hand corner of the goal. Less than five minutes later Philip United made it 5-1, as after Erick Kenko’s excellent lofted forward pass had found the run of Joshua Wisdom down the right-hand side of the CSM penalty area, Wisdom’s attempted effort/pass deflected off of Prince Kwakye, and into the goal, 1-5.

Philip United would finish the game with the same energy and intensity that they had started the game with, creating two more chances before the end of the match. The first of the final two chances of the game had arrived following a very good slaloming forward run through midfield, from Raj Palit, who then whipped an effort (from the edge of the CSM box) onto Joe Biscoe’s right-hand post. And in the final moments of the game, a well worked move which saw Erick Kenko pass the ball to Fernandez Magba, on the right-hand side of the CSM box, would result in the defender passing the ball across to Joshua Wisdom, whose powerful, whipped effort on goal was gathered by Joe Biscoe.

Philip United were deserved winners from this game, in my opinion. They played some superb football as a team, and in the second half in particular, they were outstanding in how they moved the ball around the pitch, as well as with their movement off the ball. CSM will be unhappy with how they conceded the first two goals of the game to Philip United, but the away side were very good throughout. Philip United midfielder Raj Palit was my player of the match, on Friday night. The youngster worked so well alongside the excellent Erick Kenko in central midfield, and Raj Palit was really good at linking the play, and at driving forward with the ball through the middle of the pitch. However, there were so many other contenders for my player of the match award, with Tamas Retyi, John Quissua, Erick Kenko, and David Agboola, just some of the excellent performers on the night for Philip United. For CSM, it’s been an incredible start to the season for them, and I’m sure that they will return to winning ways very soon.