Non-League and Academy football writer

Title challengers Lymore Gardens, faced Frenford Development on Monday night (at The Techsoc Stadium), in an Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixture. Lymore Gardens started this game in second place in the Senior Division standings (they started this game with three games in hand over the league leaders, Philip United), nine points off the current league leaders, Philip United, after 21 games played. Frenford Development, who on Saturday had reached an Essex County Cup final, with a 2-1 win over Harold Hill, started this game in fifth place in the league table, after 23 matches played. This game would finish 1-1, with Frenford Development scoring a very late equaliser, courtesy of an excellent goal from distance, by Wisley Baltazar. Lymore Gardens would start this game well, however. Early on in the match and Alex Coster would head an effort from the centre of the Frenford box, narrowly wide of their goal, after meeting Munnir Saad’s cross from the right flank. 

After a low cross into the Frenford box had been cleared to Tyrique Peters on the edge of the penalty area, Peters’ fine effort on the bounce would go just over Ghanem Mustapha’s goal. Frenford would enjoy a decent spell in the game, soon after. Following Damilola Olaiya’s pass across the ground to Kyron Chiedozie, the Frenford player would hit a powerful effort narrowly over the Lymore Gardens goal, from 20 yards out. And then a couple of minutes later, Wisley Baltazar’s free-kick effort from the edge of the Lymore Gardens penalty area, went just wide of goalkeeper Sidhant Nayar’s left-hand post. However, from almost taking the lead in this game, Frenford Development would then concede the opener. As following some good ball control from Munnir Saad, to control a good lofted pass down the right-hand side of the pitch/on the edge of the Frenford box, he would then skilfully take the ball just inside of the penalty area. Munnir Saad’s resulting cross to the near post, was cleverly side-footed into the goal by Dylan Roberts, 1-0.

Before a fairly quiet end to the first half (Frenford did manage to work the ball into some decent forward positions), Alex Coster would hit a powerful effort wide of the Frenford goal, from distance, before the impressive Ryo Brown’s excellent dipping effort following a free-kick which had been awarded to Lymore Gardens on the edge of the Frenford box, would hit the bottom of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. During the early stages of the second half, Malik Donaldson would whip a good effort just over the Frenford goal, from the edge of their box, before an effort a couple of minutes later, was deflected into the path of Alex Coster, down the left-hand side of the Frenford box. After showing some good feet/skill with the ball, Coster would then hit an effort over the goal. Ryo Brown would then play a good pass from midfield, to Munnir Saad, out on the left flank. After then taking the ball to the edge of the Frenford box, Saad’s whipped effort would go narrowly over the goal.

Lymore Gardens were trying to get an important second goal. A well worked move from the home side, would see Tyrique Peters pass the ball to Dylan Roberts, on the edge of the Frenford box, from where Roberts would quickly pass the ball to Malik Donaldson, down the right-hand side of the penalty area, and Donaldson’s powerful low effort on goal was well gathered by Ghanem Mustapha. The Frenford Development goalkeeper would make a good and important save in the resulting minutes, as following Dylan Roberts’ low cross to Yinka Akinlabi, in the centre of the Frenford penalty area, the Lymore Gardens player’s powerful first time effort on goal, was well tipped over his crossbar, by Mustapha. At the opposite end of the pitch, around five minutes later, Frenford player Murilo Pereira’s low effort on the Lymore Gardens goal from distance, was gathered by Sidhant Nayar.

Towards the end of the 90 minutes, Frenford Development player Wisley Baltazar would pick the ball up close to 30 yards out from the Lymore Gardens goal. He would then turn with the ball, before hitting a truly unstoppable and powerful effort on goal, which found the top right-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. Lymore Gardens really tried their best to retake the lead in added time, and after Frenford player Kyron Chiedozie had hit a free-kick effort (from the edge of the Lymore Gardens box) over the goal, Dylan Roberts would hit a powerful effort on the turn and from the edge of the Frenford box, which deflected narrowly wide of their goal. However, in the end Lymore Gardens would have to settle for a point, against a resilient Frenford Development side. Lymore Gardens were without doubt the more creative side with the ball, but it wasn’t Lymore Gardens’ best performance of this season. However, Frenford Development really dug deep, to stay in this game at 1-0 down, and it was a moment of brilliance from Wisley Baltazar, which ultimately earned them a good point from this game.

My overall player of the game was Lymore Gardens’ Ryo Brown, who used the ball really well in midfield. For Frenford Development, I thought that Michael Clayman, Emre Ozuaciksoz, and their goalscorer, Wisley Baltazar, were some of the contenders for their player of the match award.