Non-League and Academy football writer

At Parsloes Park Hub on Friday night, CSM London and Lymore Gardens faced each other for the second time this year, in an Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixture. Two clubs who have applied for promotion to step 6 for next season, CSM London started this step 7 match in fourth place in the table, after 20 matches played. Lymore Gardens started this match in second place in the table, after 18 matches played. This promised to be a good game of football on Friday, between two very good teams. It was Lymore Gardens who won this game 3-1. After initially starting this game with the better intensity, it was Lymore Gardens who managed the first goal attempt of the game, on this bitterly cold night in east London. As the ball came to Tyrique Peters on the edge of the CSM penalty area. Peters’ powerful low effort would go just wide of CSM goalkeeper Ryan Thompson’s right-hand post.

Around five minutes after that early effort from Lymore Gardens player Tyrique Peters, a good lofted pass from CSM player Peter Mendes, would find the run off Dylan Flynn, on the left-hand side of the Lymore penalty area. Under pressure from some Lymore defenders, Flynn would twist and turn with the ball, before Lymore Gardens’ goalkeeper, Sidhant Nayar would gather the ball from his feet. After Dylan Flynn had hit a low effort wide of the home team’s goal, from distance, Lymore were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the CSM penalty area, soon after. Ryo Brown’s whipped free-kick effort would go narrowly wide of Thompson’s right-hand post. Both sides wouldn’t have been too happy with how the game was going, with it not being a free flowing game of football. 

As the first half progressed, goalscoring chances became more frequent. Will Brobby’s CSM London side would go ever so close to taking the lead in this game, after Omari Williams had whipped a low cross (from the right-hand side of the Lymore Gardens penalty area) towards Dylan Flynn, at the back post. Flynn’s first time effort across the goal was heading into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, but for a great save from the feet of Sidhant Nayar, to stop the ball from going into the goal. Dylan Roberts would then hit an effort over the CSM goal, from the edge of their box, before Lymore Gardens went on to create two more chances, before half-time. Firstly, Munnir Saad would find Alex Coster, just inside of the CSM penalty area. However, after controlling the ball, Coster’s resulting effort would go wide of the goal. And then from a Lymore Gardens corner-kick delivery right on the stroke of half-time, Lymore Gardens would take the lead. As following that corner-kick delivery into the CSM box, the ball wasn’t cleared away, with there being a bit of a scramble. However, Munnir Saad would get to the ball, and he would find the roof of the goal, from a couple of yards out, 0-1.

Lee Benjamin’s Lymore Gardens side would look to build on their 1-0 lead, going into the second half of this game. The away side would start the second half well. A lofted pass would find the run of Dylan Roberts in behind the CSM defence, and on the edge of their penalty area. However, Roberts was met by the outrushing Ryan Thompson, with Roberts’ lobbed effort over Thompson, going just wide of his goal. A couple of moments after Thompson had parried a good effort (from the edge of the CSM penalty area), Dylan Roberts would get to the ball on the right-hand side of the CSM box, as Roberts’ powerful low effort went across the face of the goal. Lymore Gardens would double their lead in this league game, soon after. As Tyrique Peters’ cross from the right flank, found Alex Coster in a bit of space inside the centre of the CSM box. Coster’s clever headed effort found the back of the net, 0-2.

CSM tried to respond to going 2-0 down, against a well organised and defensively solid Lymore Gardens side. After Dylan Flynn had managed to get to a pass in behind the Lymore defence, CSM’s top goalscorer so far this season, would take the ball forward, to the edge of the away team’s penalty area. However, Flynn’s powerful low effort on goal was well saved and then gathered by Sidhant Nayar. Lymore Gardens were continuing to play well however, and in the midfield battle between the two sides, they were doing well. A couple of minutes after Malik Donaldson had done well to skilfully take the ball into the CSM penalty area, before hitting an effort wide of the goal, the Lymore Gardens player would get his goal. As after Malik Donaldson had won the ball off of Ryan Thompson, just inside of his penalty area, Donaldson would take the ball around the goalkeeper, before finishing low into the empty goal, 0-3.

Lymore Gardens almost made it 4-0, shortly after the game had resumed, following their third goal of the night. As a fine forward pass from David Gillespie, would find Dylan Roberts, in a bit of space and down the right-hand side of the CSM penalty area. However, Roberts was slightly off balance, as his low effort went wide, across the face of the goal. CSM London would get a late goal in this game, after Ibrahim Sidibe had managed to get to a long ball, which had gone in behind the Lymore defence. Sidibe would then take the ball into the penalty area, before finishing low intro the goal. And in the final moments of the game, Lymore Gardens substitute Nathan Desnoes’ fine whipped effort on the CSM goal, from distance, was destined for the top right-hand corner of their goal, but for a really good save from Ryan Thompson, to push the ball over his goal.

I thought that Lymore Gardens were deserved winners on Friday night. It might not have been a fantastic first half of football, with regards to chances created, but the league’s second placed side continue to push league leaders Philip United, and they still have some games in hand over them. However, tonight, Lymore Gardens were really professional and efficient, especially in the second half, regarding how they played as a team. They were the better team during the game, but after taking the lead just before half-time, they managed the game very well during the second half, I thought. This wasn’t CSM’s greatest performance of the season, but at 0-0, that crucial save from Lymore Gardens goalkeeper Sidhant Nayar, was a very big moment in this game.

For my player of the match award, there were a number of contenders on the Lymore Gardens team. In central defence, Maksim Todoshchuk and Richie Dorcas worked very well alongside each other, with David Gillespie, Tyrique Peters, Dylan Roberts, and Lymore Gardens’ number nine, Alex Coster, all putting in really good performances. However, on the right-hand side of central-defence, young Lymore Gardens defender Maksim Todoshchuk, was my player of the match. He was strong in defence, making some good defensive decisions, as he impressed with his reading of the game and composure in how he defended under pressure. Dylan Flynn was my CSM London player of the match, from this game.