Non-League and Academy football writer

After having recorded a very impressive 7-2 home league victory over FC Baresi, at the weekend, May & Baker ECFC welcomed Brimsdown FC to Parsloes Park Hub, for a Thurlow Nunn First Division South fixture, on Wednesday night. May & Baker started this match in tenth place in the league table, after 28 matches played. Brimsdown started this match in 15th place in the league standings, after 25 matches played. May & Baker’s fine form continued on Wednesday, with the east London club recording a 2-1 win over Brimsdown. Following an early May & Baker free-kick, which had seen the ball eventually fall for Tom Cottle-Wood, on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area, Cottle-Wood would hit an effort over the Brimsdown goal, on the bounce. Brimsdown would manage their first goal attempt of the game soon after, before a great, long cross-field pass from Lewis Rowe, would find the run of Ollie Beadle, down the right-hand side of the Brimsdown penalty area. However, Beadle was closed down well by the Brimsdown goalkeeper, who would then make an important save to keep his resulting effort out.

This was a competitive and well contested game, but I thought that May & Baker were the more creative side, during the opening stages of the match. The next chance of the game was also created by May & Baker, with Tom Cottle-Wood controlling a good cross to the left-hand side of the Brimsdown box. He would then hit a powerful effort off of the goalkeeper’s near post. Then a couple of minutes later, the home side were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area, with Ollie Beadle’s low curling effort going around their wall, before being gathered by the goalkeeper, in the Brimsdown goal. However, soon after that effort from Beadle, the May & Baker number nine would give the home side the lead. After doing well to control a lofted pass to the middle of the pitch, Beadle would turn quickly with the ball, before playing a good pass out to Idris Aminu on the right-hand side of the pitch. He would then go forward with the ball, before passing it across to Beadle, who had made a run into the centre of the Brimsdown box, and it was from there that he would clinically finish, into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Not long before half-time Brimsdown’s number six would glance a header just wide of the May & Baker goal, after meeting a corner-kick delivery from Mouadh Kermani, at the back post. There was to be one further chance for May & Baker before half-time, after Idris Aminu had received Jonathan Ogunsanya’s excellent long pass, from a free-kick. Down the right-hand side of the Brimsdown penalty area, Idris Aminu would then skilfully take the ball across the penalty area, before hitting a good effort narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. The early stages of the second half were quite flat, and it took a while before the first real goalscoring chance of the second half was created. And following some great initial work from Jasan Pauline, down the left flank, the ball eventually came to Wesley Dos Santos, on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area. Dos Santos’ resulting low effort would go narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. 

Brimsdown were working really hard to get an equalising goal in this game, and they managed to do just that, as the result of good forward move. The Brimsdown number 11 went forward with the ball down the left, before passing the ball to Yotio Michel, down the left-hand side of the May & Baker box. Yotio Michel would then hit a powerful low effort into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. Both sides would compete well during the remaining stages of the game, with some good goalscoring chances following. In a bit of space, Ollie Beadle’s (after he had met a good cross from the left flank) volleyed effort at the back post of the Brimsdown goal, went over, before Brimsdown player Yotio Michel would chest the ball down on the edge of the home team’s penalty area soon after, before seeing his low effort on goal be pushed behind by the May & Baker goalkeeper, Ryan Bungaradu, at his near post. 

Both sides had been defending their penalty area well, but it was May & Baker who would score a decisive late goal, to win this match. As after Abidemi Lamina had received the ball out on the right-hand side of the Brimsdown box, he would deliver a low cross across the goal and the Brimsdown goalkeeper. A teammate would see his effort excellently parried by the goalkeeper, from close range, before the ball came to the alert Idris Aminu, who finished into the goal from close range, 2-1. In terms of chances created, I thought that Jimmy Donald’s May & Baker side deserved to win this game, but it was a very competitive game, in which both sides worked very hard in. Brimsdown will be bitterly disappointed to have conceded the winner so late on in the game, but the winning goalscorer, Idris Aminu, who was my player of the match, deserved to get on the scoresheet, after a fine performance, which also saw him provide the assist for Ollie Beadle’s opening goal.

After having recorded a very impressive 7-2 home league victory over FC Baresi, at the weekend, May & Baker ECFC welcomed Brimsdown FC to Parsloes Park Hub, for a Thurlow Nunn First Division South fixture, on Wednesday night. May & Baker started this match in tenth place in the league table, after 28 matches played. Brimsdown started this match in 15th place in the league standings, after 25 matches played. May & Baker’s fine form continued on Wednesday, with the east London club recording a 2-1 win over Brimsdown. Following an early May & Baker free-kick, which had seen the ball eventually fall for Tom Cottle-Wood, on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area, Cottle-Wood would hit an effort over the Brimsdown goal, on the bounce. Brimsdown would manage their first goal attempt of the game soon after, before a great, long cross-field pass from Lewis Rowe, would find the run of Ollie Beadle, down the right-hand side of the Brimsdown penalty area. However, Beadle was closed down well by the Brimsdown goalkeeper, who would then make an important save to keep his resulting effort out.

This was a competitive and well contested game, but I thought that May & Baker were the more creative side, during the opening stages of the match. The next chance of the game was also created by May & Baker, with Tom Cottle-Wood controlling a good cross to the left-hand side of the Brimsdown box. He would then hit a powerful effort off of the goalkeeper’s near post. Then a couple of minutes later, the home side were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area, with Ollie Beadle’s low curling effort going around their wall, before being gathered by the goalkeeper, in the Brimsdown goal. However, soon after that effort from Beadle, the May & Baker number nine would give the home side the lead. After doing well to control a lofted pass to the middle of the pitch, Beadle would turn quickly with the ball, before playing a good pass out to Idris Aminu on the right-hand side of the pitch. He would then go forward with the ball, before passing it across to Beadle, who had made a run into the centre of the Brimsdown box, and it was from there that he would clinically finish, into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Not long before half-time Brimsdown’s number six would glance a header just wide of the May & Baker goal, after meeting a corner-kick delivery from Mouadh Kermani, at the back post. There was to be one further chance for May & Baker before half-time, after Idris Aminu had received Jonathan Ogunsanya’s excellent long pass, from a free-kick. Down the right-hand side of the Brimsdown penalty area, Idris Aminu would then skilfully take the ball across the penalty area, before hitting a good effort narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. The early stages of the second half were quite flat, and it took a while before the first real goalscoring chance of the second half was created. And following some great initial work from Jasan Pauline, down the left flank, the ball eventually came to Wesley Dos Santos, on the edge of the Brimsdown penalty area. Dos Santos’ resulting low effort would go narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. 

Brimsdown were working really hard to get an equalising goal in this game, and they managed to do just that, as the result of good forward move. The Brimsdown number 11 went forward with the ball down the left, before passing the ball to Yotio Michel, down the left-hand side of the May & Baker box. Yotio Michel would then hit a powerful low effort into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. Both sides would compete well during the remaining stages of the game, with some good goalscoring chances following. In a bit of space, Ollie Beadle’s (after he had met a good cross from the left flank) volleyed effort at the back post of the Brimsdown goal, went over, before Brimsdown player Yotio Michel would chest the ball down on the edge of the home team’s penalty area soon after, before seeing his low effort on goal be pushed behind by the May & Baker goalkeeper, Ryan Bungaradu, at his near post. 

Both sides had been defending their penalty area well, but it was May & Baker who would score a decisive late goal, to win this match. As after Abidemi Lamina had received the ball out on the right-hand side of the Brimsdown box, he would deliver a low cross across the goal and the Brimsdown goalkeeper. A teammate would see his effort excellently parried by the goalkeeper, from close range, before the ball came to the alert Idris Aminu, who finished into the goal from close range, 2-1. In terms of chances created, I thought that Jimmy Donald’s May & Baker side deserved to win this game, but it was a very competitive game, in which both sides worked very hard in. Brimsdown will be bitterly disappointed to have conceded the winner so late on in the game, but the winning goalscorer, Idris Aminu, who was my player of the match, deserved to get on the scoresheet, after a fine performance, which also saw him provide the assist for Ollie Beadle’s opening goal.