Non-League and Academy football writer

Haringey Borough Under 23s faced AS Rapid Londra, in an Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixture on Friday night, at Coles Park. Haringey Borough Under 23s started this match in fourth place in the league table, after 19 matches played. AS Rapid Londra started this match in 13th place in the league standings, after 24 matches played. It was Haringey Borough Under 23s who deservedly won this match, 5-1. During the very early stages of this match, Haringey player Graeme Trevett would flick the ball down to Archie Quinlan, on the edge of the away team’s penalty area, with Quinlan’s effort, on the bounce, going over the Rapid Londra goal. A couple of minutes later, Graeme Trevett, a player who had started the game well, would do well to work the space, on the edge of the Rapid Londra box, before hitting a low effort which went just wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.

From a corner-kick delivery to the centre of the Rapid Londra penalty area, Haringey forward Alex Nicolaides would head a decent effort off the ground, and into the arms of the goalkeeper, Cosmin Tulbure. But, despite a fine start from Haringey, Rapid Londra would take an early lead in the match, against the run of play, and it was a finely taken goal. As following a good cross from the left flank from Dragos Labont, to Cristian Cazacu, close to the centre of the Haringey box, Cazacu would expertly take the ball down, before turning quickly and then hitting a powerful effort into the roof of the Haringey goal, 0-1. However, Haringey would soon find their rhythm again, and after Timi Tinubu’s pass to Zayshaun Asamoah, on the left flank, had resulted in Asamoah cutting inside with the ball (he was some 30 yards out from goal) and whipping a tremendous, dipping effort against the goalkeeper’s crossbar, Haringey would soon draw level. 

Following some good initial linkup play between Zayshaun Asamoah and Alex Nicolaides, in and around the Rapid Londra penalty area, the ball would then come to Sammy Tesfu, close to the edge of the box. Tesfu would then hit a powerful and unstoppable effort into the roof of Tulbure’s goal, 1-1. And Haringey and Sammy Tesfu would get a quick second goal soon after, as following a pass to Graeme Trevett on the right flank, Trevett would take the ball forward at pace, before then whipping a fine low cross towards Tesfu at the back post, who finished into the goal from close range, 2-1. Things got even better for Haringey Borough, after they were awarded a penalty, a couple of minutes after the game had resumed, with Haringey captain Louis Maffia showing good awareness to get to a back pass from a Rapid Londra defender, just inside of the box, where Maffia was brought down by a defender. And it was the Haringey midfielder who took the resulting penalty, wrong footing the goalkeeper as he calmly found the back of the net, following a slow run up, 3-1.

By this point in the first half, Haringey were completely dominant. A good whipped pass from the right flank by Graeme Trevett, into the away team’s box, wasn’t cleared properly, with Alex Nicolaides getting to the ball, with his first time effort from close range going over the crossbar. Then, Rapid Londra would enjoy a decent spell in the game, towards the end of the first half. Firstly, Costel Nitescu would hit an effort wide of the Haringey goal, from distance, before Dragos Labont’s low cross from the right flank, to Cristian Cazacu at the near post of the Haringey goal, resulted in the Rapid Londra forward hitting an effort over the goal from close range. And following that good chance for the away side, Cristian Cazacu would hit an effort over the Haringey goal, from distance. Just before the half-time whistle was sounded by the referee, Jorge Castaneda would hit a powerful free-kick effort, from 30 yards out, over the Rapid Londra goal.

Haringey would start the second really well, I thought, being dominant on the ball. Zayshaun Asamoah was really involved in the play, and after getting to a good lofted pass on the left flank, the highly skilful winger would take the ball into the away team’s penalty area, before seeing his powerful effort on goal be well pushed away by Cosmin Tulbure. And then a couple of minutes later, Haringey would extend their lead further, with Alex Nicolaides taking the ball in his stride down the right-hand side of the pitch, before delivering a low cross towards Asamoah, at the back post, from where he would finish into the goal with a first time effort, 4-1. A great passing move soon after, which had been started by Louis Maffia, would see a squared pass to Sammy Tesfu on the left-hand side of the Rapid Londra box. Tesfu’s first time effort hit the crossbar, before Graeme Trevett curled an effort just over the goal, from the edge of the penalty area, on the follow-up.

A good Rapid Londra effort towards the end of the second half, would see Vlad Bucur get to a lofted ball across from the right flank, and into the centre of the Haringey box. However, his well taken effort, would hit the goalkeeper’s left-hand post before going wide. Despite that chance for Rapid Londra, Haringey would finish the second half really well. A fifth goal would arrive soon after that chance for Rapid Londra, as following a well weighted forward pass from Louis Maffia, in midfield, to find the run of Jeremiah Malundama, down the right flank, the Haringey substitute would go forward with the ball at pace. He would then square the ball to another substitute, in Sertan Kirman, who was just in front of the goalkeeper, and from where he clinically finished into the goal, 5-1.

There was to be two more chances for Haringey, during the final minutes of the game. The first of which saw the impressive Graeme Trevett travel inside with the ball from the left flank, before passing the ball to Louis Maffia on the edge of the Rapid Londra box, with Maffia’s low effort on goal being gathered by Cosmin Tulbure. Louis Maffia would then, a couple of minutes later, make a good lofted pass to Graeme Trevett, on the left-hand side of the home team’s box, but his powerful resulting effort went wide of the goalkeeper’s goal, at his near post. The youthful Haringey Borough Under 23s really showed their quality throughout this match, as a team, showing just why they are one of the very best footballing sides in this league. They didn’t panic after going 1-0 down, early on in the match, playing their superb passing game to great effect throughout, and they were unfortunate not to have won this game by more goals, in the end.

To choose only one player for my player of the match award, is very difficult. With so many excellent performances on the Haringey team, such as those from Graeme Trevett, Sammy Tesfu (he was so unlucky not to have scored a hat-trick), and Zayshaun Asamoah. However, Louis Maffia was excellent in central midfield, in what was a dominant and assertive performance from the young midfielder, who was instrumental in this win for Haringey, being involved in two of their goals, and he was my player of the match from this game.