Non-League and Academy football writer

Alexandra Knights faced Stonewall Reserves on Saturday afternoon, in a Middlesex County Football League Division One (East & Central) fixture at Edmonton County School. The home side, Alexandra Knights, started this league fixture in eighth place in the table, after nine matches played. Stonewall Reserves started this game two places below Alexandra Knights in the table, in tenth place, after six league matches played. This step 8 match was deservedly won 4-0 by a well organised and efficient Stonewall Reserves side. The first two goalscoring chances of the game were created by Stonewall, on a very cold day in north London. After Ajay Davis had got to the ball on the right-hand side of the home team’s penalty area, Davis’ resulting lofted effort was held by the Alexandra Knights goalkeeper, Marko Cancar. A couple of minutes later Stonewall forward Mustapha Ghardiane managed to reach a forward pass, down the left-hand side of the penalty area. However, Marko Cancar was quick out of his goal to close down the angles, and make a good save from Ghardiane’s effort on goal.

Alexandra Knights were playing their football well out from defence, during the early stages of the match, but Stonewall’s press was good. A decent move forward from the home side would result in Darren Cheok Hin Chow’s effort from the edge of the Stonewall penalty area, being gathered by the goalkeeper, Alex Branton. And then a couple of moments later, and just after an effort had been blocked by a defender on the edge of the Stonewall box, Tyrique Charles would hit an effort wide of the goal. In terms of chances created by this point of the first half, it had been a fairly even and uneventful start to the game. A free-kick in a promising position (on the edge of the Stonewall box) would be awarded to Alexandra Knights, which their experienced central-defender Johan Ahipeaud would elect to take. And his fine curling effort would go narrowly over Alex Branton’a crossbar.

A very good chance and move from the home side would arrive, not long before Alex Harris’ Stonewall Reserves side would take the lead in the game, towards the latter stages of the first half. However, the good passing move for that good chance for the home side would see David Samuel Rojas pass the ball to Tyrique Charles inside of the Stonewall box, and he would then cleverly back-heel the ball to Filippo Gin, on the left-hand side of the box and just in front of Alex Branton, who did well to just keep out Gin’s low effort to his left. And then a couple of minutes later, a similarly well worked move, this time from the visitors, would result in Charlie Billett receiving the ball on the edge of the home team’s penalty area. The midfielder would then slip a forward pass towards the run of David Prada, who from the right-hand side of the box, would calmly finish into the goal, 0-1.

Alexandra Knights went in search of an equalising goal before half-time. Johan Ahipeaud had a free-kick effort from distance which was gathered and held by Branton, before Tyrique Charles headed the ball over the Stonewall goal, after meeting a corner-kick delivery in the centre of their penalty area. However, shortly after that chance, and after Nicholas Duffey had headed the ball over the Alexandra Knights goal following a corner-kick, Stonewall would double their lead just before half-time. Khalid Dassa would get to the ball on the left-hand side of the Alexandra Knights penalty area, after they had tried to play the ball out from defence on this occasion. Khalid Dassa would then show good composure in front of goal, before finishing well into the goal, beyond Marko Cancar, 0-2.

The second half would get off to a great start for the away side, who would make it 3-0, shortly after Tyrique Charles had hit an effort over on the turn, from the edge of the Stonewall box. For Stonewall’s third goal of the game, Khalid Dassa would cleverly lay the ball off for Lasse Lottgen, on the edge of the home team’s penalty area, from where the Stonewall player would powerfully and clinically finish into the goal, from a first time effort, 0-3. It was always going to be a difficult task for Alexandra Knights to get back into this game, once Stonewall had made it 3-0. The home side’s captain Filippo Gin would hit an early effort over the Stonewall goal, after receiving the ball down the left-hand side of their penalty area. And then a free-kick delivery (from Johan Ahipeaud) towards the Stonewall penalty area, from the half-way line, would see the ball fall for Tyrique Charles on the edge of the box, with his resulting effort on the bounce, going over the goal.

Alex Branton would make a good stop to keep out a powerful effort on his goal from 20 yards out, as Alexandra Knights tried to get a goal back in this game, but Stonewall were defending their goal really well. And it was Stonewall who would finish the match strongly, rarely allowing Alexandra Knights any real space in the forward areas. A really good, free flowing Stonewall passing move (following a misplaced pass from the home side) would result in Mustapha Ghardiane passing the ball to Meytar Meyer, who then shifted the ball out to David Prada on the right-hand side of the home team’s box, but he lifted his effort narrowly over the goal. Very late on in the match, and a couple of minutes after Triratana Sanguanbun had hit a low effort on the Stonewall goal which was saved by Alex Branton, Stonewall would score a fourth goal, during the final moments of the game.

Following some good work from Ajay Davis down the left-hand side of the Alexandra Knights’ half of the pitch, Davis would then pass the ball across to Mustapha Ghardiane, who from the edge of the penalty area would power an unstoppable effort into the top left-hand corner of the goal, 0-4. This was a really efficient all-round team performance from Stonewall Reserves, who really limited any good goalscoring chances for Alexandra Knights, but the away side were also very clinical in front of goal, to win this game comfortably. As I mentioned, it was a real team performance from Stonewall Reserves, with their captain, the industrious and very hardworking central-midfielder William Palmer, the defensively very solid left-back Martin Andvik, forward Mustapha Ghardiane, and Lasse Lottgen, just some of the contenders for my player of the match award. However, with a goal and an assist, as well as some good work off the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch, skilful Stonewall player Khalid Dassa was my overall player of the match, on Saturday. For the home team, I thought that Tyrique Charles was their player of the match.