Non-League and Academy football writer

Following LBS Lions’ 4-1 home win over Westminster & Kensington (in the Middlesex County Football League Division One East & Central), on Saturday, I had the pleasure of doing a post match interview with Andrei Pogan, the club’s top goalscorer so far this season, and their first team manager, Maher Al Ahmadieh. Andrei Pogan has so far scored an incredible total of 34 goals from 16 appearances combined, for the first team and reserves, this season. It will be fascinating to see whether Andrei can beat Bilal Butt’s total of 48 goals (in all competitions) during the previous 2023/24 season. I would like to thank Andrei and Maher for their time after the game, on Saturday. Also, I did a separate interview with LBS Lions player Matteo Toti, someone who has been on a fascinating footballing journey. That interview will be out very soon, on my blog.

What were your thoughts on the game against Westminster & Kensington?

Andrei: I thought that we played quite well, even though in the first half we didn’t put our chances away, including me. But, we kept going, and obviously they (Westminster & Kensington) scored first, and it was important that we got a quick equaliser, to maintain the momentum and then build from there. Overall, and as a team, we fought well and ultimately we got the win.

Maher: The 4-1 score definitely flattered us at the end, as it was a tight game. In the first half we didn’t play well at all, but in the second half we were at it a little bit more. Once we went 1-0 down that motivated us more, and we really went for it after that, showing why we are top of the league.

Could you talk me through a bit about your background in football?

Andrei: I grew up in Canada, and growing up in Canada I played for a team called Ajax Thunder, as a youth player, and they were actually the top team in Ontario, which is the biggest province. They were the top team in the country for a couple of years, but I would later join Sigma FC, who were coached by Bobby Smyrniotis, who is now the coach and technical director at Hamilton Forge FC, in the Canadian Premier League. After coming to the UK for my undergrad studies, which I completed at Imperial College, I then went to London Business School, to do a masters, which was how I came about joining the Lions.

Maher: I’m Lebanese, and I’ve been at this alumni club since the beginning, when Rafael Trape founded the club, maybe 12 years ago now. After playing Sunday league, we moved into the Middlesex League, but after sustaining a footballing injury I haven’t been able to play for a while. But, I’ve been the manager of the first team since last season, when we were unlucky to not win the league, to a very good SL Benfica team. But, hopefully this year we can win the league.

What have you made of the 2024/25 season, so far? Also, what are some of your standout memories of the current season?

Andrei: As a club during this season, I think that we’ve done really well at always fighting until the last whistle. It doesn’t matter if we go up a goal or down a goal, we always fight until the last whistle, and our mentality has got us to where we are now. Looking at the table, we know that Marylebone are still within touching distance of us, so every game is as important as the next, and we’re always solely focused on the next game. For me, in terms of memories, the last cup game that we played (against West London Athletic) stands out. We had two sin-bins at separate times in that game, so it was a tough one, but we still came through as winners. The other game that really stands out is the game against Camden & Islington United Reserves, a game in which we were down to ten men in, for about 70 minutes. And I remember scoring a towering header in that game, to equal the scores, before we went on to win 4-3. 

What are some of your personal aims/hopes for the remainder of this season?

Andrei: To be honest I always hope to start the season with the same hopes. 15-20 goals is usually my target, so I’m in uncharted territory, so far, with the amount of goals that I’ve scored already this season. I’ve got 34 goals so far this season, but I’m always looking forward to the next game, to add to my goals tally.

Maher: I just want us to win promotion, to be honest. How it happens isn’t so important for us. We have five points more than the second placed side in the league, FC Marylebone, but we still have to play them in the league. We also have a big game coming up next week, against Apollo London, who are one of the toughest teams to play in this league. I think that if we can beat Apollo next week, then we are setting ourselves up for a grand promotion. Everyone in our team has been playing their part this season, and many players are chipping in, in front of goal.