Non-League and Academy football writer

Hilltop Reserves and Soccer Stars Fennecs faced each other on Monday night (at Harris Lowe Academy), in a Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture. Hilltop Reserves started this match in tenth place in the Premier Division standings, after 26 matches played. Inform Soccer Stars Fennecs started this fixture in eighth place, after 21 matches played. It was Soccer Stars Fennecs who won this game 4-1, courtesy of an impressive and very efficient team performance. Soccer Stars Fennecs would start this game at a very good intensity, and during the opening minutes of the game Sofian Hammouda would get to a fine whipped cross from the left flank, which would bounce close to the Hilltop goalkeeper (Hansel Coelho) with Sofian Hammouda’s effort being well pushed over by the goalkeeper. Then, a couple of minutes later, and a good forward run from Abu Harrison, down the right-hand side of the pitch, would result in him putting a good low ball in to the Hilltop penalty area. Harrison’s well delivered low cross was met by Mouadh Kermani, whose clever flicked effort on goal was well saved by Hansel Coelho.

Hilltop Reserves’ first chance of the game, would see Nadeer Kahssay head an effort narrowly over the Soccer Stars Fennecs goal, after meeting a cross inside of their penalty area. However, Soccer Stars Fennecs were getting closer to scoring the opening goal of this contest. The very creative Mouadh Kermani would put the away side in to the lead soon after. After having picked the ball up on the left-hand side of the pitch, not far from the Hilltop penalty area, Mouadh Kermani would skip past a challenge, before taking the ball forward just inside of the Hilltop penalty area, from where he finished clinically in to the goal, courtesy a low finish, 0-1. Hilltop did almost respond after play had resumed, with Emmanuel Soma hitting a really good effort on the away team’s goal, from 25 yards out. The ball was heading for the top left-hand corner of the goal but, for a top save from Saeed Pirmoradi, to turn the ball around his post.

 With the really good energy in which Zack Bettache’s Soccer Stars Fennecs side were continuing to play the game at, it was only a matter time before they doubled their lead. And following a good counter, Sofian Hammouda would pick the ball up, showing some really good pace in the final third, taking the ball to the edge of the Hilltop box, before quickly assessing his options and then playing a forward pass to Mouadh Kermani, on the left-hand side of the penalty area. Mouadh Kermani would then finish low and powerfully in to the goal, in the same clinical fashion as his first goal, 0-2. Hilltop would once again try to respond straight after, with Nadeer Kahssay seeing his low effort, on the stretch and from inside of the away team’s box, saved by Saeed Pirmoradi. Soccer Stars Fennecs were now looking for a third goal before half-time. The alert Mouadh Kermani did well to get to a back pass on the edge of the Hilltop box, before then progressing the ball forward, partially around the goalkeeper, before then seeing his low effort on goal from a difficult angle, be cleared off the goal-line by Hansel Coelho.

Just before half-time and following a high boot challenge by a Hilltop Reserves player on Ahmed Ayoub, just inside of the Hilltop box, Soccer Stars Fennecs were awarded a penalty. Hocine Krouchi’s confidently taken resulting penalty would find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 0-3. The early stages of the second half were a bit quieter than how the opening stages of the first half had gone. After Uthman Tellia’s whipped free-kick from 25 yards out from the Hilltop goal was gathered by Hansel Coelho, at the other end of the pitch and after getting to a clearance on the edge of the away team’s box, Emmanuel Soma would whip an effort wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. Soon after that effort, Saeed Pirmoradi would make a good reflex save, before Soccer Stars Fennecs countered forward with the ball cleverly. Sofian Hammouda and Mouadh Kermani would exchange passes on the edge of the Hilltop box, but, Sofian Hammouda’s resulting curling effort would go wide of the goal.

Sofian Hammouda would, not long after curling that effort wide of the Hilltop goal, get a hugely deserved goal. As after meeting Abu Harrison’s fine lofted ball in behind the Hilltop defence, Sofian Hammouda would chest the ball down brilliantly on the edge of the penalty area, taking the ball in to the box, and then lobbing the outrushing goalkeeper and finding the back of the net with a superb finish, 0-4. Very late on in this game, former Soccer Stars Fennecs player Youcef Mezaoui would win a penalty for Hilltop Reserves, after being fouled on the right-hand side of the away team’s penalty area. And the Hilltop defender would clinically finish in to the goal, from the resulting penalty, 1-4. This was a very efficient, professional and good all-round team performance from a very inform Soccer Stars Fennecs side on Monday night, as they look to finish their debut season in the Premier Division in style. The away side would control and manage this game really well, playing on the front foot, and with highly impressive energy levels. Soccer Stars Fennecs have quite a lot of games remaining in a short space of time, during the remainder of this season. They’ll really be looking to finish as high up in the table as possible.

Hocine Krouchi, Abu Harrison, Ramy Rouighi, and the very infuential Mouadh Kermani, were just some of the contenders for my player of the match award, yesterday. Mouadh Kermani was in excellent form, scoring two really well taken goals, as well as making a very good impression on the game. However, my player of the match was Sofian Hammouda, whose hard work and pressing in the forward areas of the pitch, quality on the ball and influence on the game, impressed me greatly. Sofian Hammouda got a goal and an assist against Hilltop Reserves.