Non-League and Academy football writer

On Saturday afternoon in the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, all of the games except the Kensington Dragons versus Larkspur Rovers fixture (this game was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch), went ahead as scheduled. The game that I was in attendance for on Saturday afternoon, came from the show pitch at Hackney Marshes, as Camden & Islington United became the first team in the league this season to beat Jolof Sports. With Nick Wigmore’s side winning that game 5-2 (you can read my in-depth match report here: https://nonleagueandacademyfootballwriter.co.uk/2024/12/14/camden-islington-united-fc-5-2-jolof-sports-fc-my-match-report-from-hackney-marshes-show-pitch/). Camden United lost 3-2 to Hayes & Hillingdon, at the New River Stadium, on Saturday. That win for Hayes & Hillingdon moves them back up to second place in the league table. For the visiting side on the day, Charlie Casey (he now has seven league goals from 12 appearances this season), Zakharia Belbachir, and Connor Goodliffe, got their goals.

At the London Tigers Sports Complex, London Tigers won 3-2 against Shepherds Bush. Among the goalscorers for London Tigers, in this important win, was Adam Guennouni, who now has seven goals from nine league appearances so far this season. Over at Amersham Town FC, SL Benfica continue to impress, with Ricky Nelson’s side and league leaders, looking like the team to beat this season. They would win 8-0 at home to Hilltop Reserves on Saturday, with the excellent Rafael Barbosa Dos Santos scoring a hat-trick of goals, Alizaie Mohammed also scoring a hat-trick, and Marco Raposo and Egidio Mahmoud, getting the other goals for SL Benfica.

Initially scheduled to be played at the Terence McMillan Stadium, Soccer Stars Fennecs’ league fixture with Eagles Land Cricklewood on Saturday, was played at the Paddington Recreation Ground. Soccer Stars Fennecs would win this match 4-2. Stonewall FC played their home league fixture against Kodak (Harrow) on Saturday, at the London Marathon Community Track. They would return to winning ways, winning 3-1 against Kodak, with Yusuf Isiaq, Jay Lemonius, and Shane McCullough, getting their goals. In the Division One (East & Central), Alexandra Knights lost 6-2 at home to Camden & Islington United Reserves, at Edmonton County School. The north London based side have been quite inconsistent of late, and after a great win against Apollo London, in their last game, Alexandra Knights would have a difficult game against Camden & Islington United’s Reserve team, on Saturday.

Camden & Islington United Reserves lined-up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Alexandra Knights lining up in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Camden & Islington started this game well, and two minutes into the game, and after one of their players had got forward down the left, this would open the Alexandra Knights up defensively. As the Camden & Islington player skipped past the full-back, meaning that one of the central defenders had now been drawn into the play. This meant that there was quite a bit of space in the middle, but the Camden & Islington wing-back would then make a pass into a forward, who took a touch before whipping the ball across the penalty area, for a teammate, who emphatically found the goal. Despite it being quite a cagey game following on from the goal, Camden & Islington would double their lead around the 32nd minute mark. 

In similar fashion to their first goal, the ball was played out to the left-hand side of the pitch, with one of the Camden & Islington wing-backs combining cleverly with a quick one-two with a central midfielder, around the full-back. This time the ball was crossed into the away team’s centre-forward who finished well into the goal. To the second half of the game now, and a long ball down the middle of the pitch from a Camden & Islington defender, would result in him finding their left winger, who then brought the ball down, before playing the ball across to the CAM. He would then shift the ball out of his feet, before hitting a clever effort low into the goal. Camden & Islington would then make it 4-0, with that goal arriving from a long kick up the pitch by their goalkeeper. The ball went in behind the defence, as a Camden & Islington forward (from inside of the penalty area) had his low effort saved by the goalkeeper, with a teammate then on hand to finish on the follow-up, from close range.

Alexandra Knights would get a goal back from a corner-kick during the second half, as Darren Chow flicked the ball into the goal, following an initial effort on goal from Hamza Ibn El Hadj. Hamza Ibn El Hadj would get another goal back for Alexandra Knights, however. As after cutting inside with the ball from the left flank (he was 25 yards out from goal), he would power an unstoppable effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the Camden & Islington goal, 2-4. But Camden & Islington would soon score again, with a forward taking the ball off a defender on the edge of the Alexandra Knights’ penalty area, and then taking it into the box before partially rounding the goalkeeper and finishing low into the goal. Camden & Islington’s sixth and final game of the afternoon arrived after one of their players had won possession off the ball, off a defender in the final third, before continuing forward into the penalty area and squaring the ball for a teammate to finish low into the goal. This just wasn’t to be Alexandra Knights’ day, but they will be looking to bounce back in the league, in the new year.

Also in the Division One (East & Central) a great game took place between Apollo London and FC Marylebone, at Christ College, in Finchley. This game would finish 6-4 to FC Marylebone, in what was another big win for them, as they continue to do really well this season. For Marylebone (they are currently just three points off league leaders LBS Lions) their goalscorers on Saturday were Jevonte Deabreau (he scored a hat-trick), Romario Edwards, Youcef Imansouren, and Zain Pereira. The final game taking place in the East & Central division, came from West Ham Memorial Ground, as Stonewall Reserves won 5-1 against FC Wood Green.

In the Division One (South & West), Feltham lost 3-0 to SL Benfica B, at home, on Saturday afternoon. Also, Ickenham would win 2-0 away to Hayes Town, in the same division. Harrow United continue to lead in the division standings, with them winning 4-1 away to Ruislip Town, and among the goals for Harrow United, were Derenik Grigorian, and Gevik Grigorian. The current runners up in the league standings, Sporting Duet Academy, also won on Saturday, as they beat AFC Southall 4-3, thanks to braces from William Puvanesan, and Jean-Cedric Grahouan. In the only game taking place in the Division One (North & West), FH Whistlers beat Bloomsbury 2-1. And in the only game taking place at the weekend in the Russell Grant Division Two, Townmead won 3-2 at home to Wiseman West, at Riching’s Park Sport & Social Club.

In the respective cup competitions, there was a round one cup-tie taking place in the Alec Smith Premier Division Cup, as Indian Gymkhana Club beat Pitshanger Dynamo 2-0. In round three of the Jim Rogers President’s Division One Cup, Harrow Bhoys won 4-1 against Brentham, with LBS Lions winning 5-3 against West London Athletic (Andrei Pogan got all five of LBS Lions’ goals), and finally (in the same round of this competition), Brent United beat Celtic (1995), 4-3. That brings an end to another busy weekend of fixtures in the Middlesex County Football League. Next Saturday, my chosen game of the weekend in this league, is an east London Premier Division derby match, between Jolof Sports and Stonewall.