Non-League and Academy football writer

PFC Victoria London faced Spartans Youth on Thursday night, in a Combined Counties Football League Division One fixture at Robert Parker Stadium. This was PFC Victoria’s second match of the week, and they faced a Spartans Youth side on Thursday, whose final game it was of the 2024/25 season. PFC Victoria would start this game in 13th place in the league table, after 41 matches played. Spartans Youth started this fixture in 15th place in the league table, after 43 matches played. This competitive step 6 fixture was won 2-1 by PFC Victoria. Spartans Youth were more creative with the ball during the opening stages of this game. After Jason James-Vincent had hit an early free-kick effort low and wide of PFC Victoria goalkeeper Milan Czerwonka’s right-hand post, Spartans Youth would go on to create a good chance. As a lofted ball towards Jason James-Vincent was flicked on by the centre-forward to George Stow, on the edge of the home team’s penalty area. Stow’s resulting powerful effort on goal, on the half-volley, was really well saved by Milan Czerwonka, before the ball was then cleared away.

After that good start for Spartans Youth, and following a powerful effort from James-Vincent, on the edge of the PFC Victoria box which went over their goal, the home side would go on to finish the first half of this game quite well. After having worked the ball in to some decent forward areas, PFC Victoria’s first goal attempt of the game would arrive late on in the first half, after Artem Karakaptan had got to a pass some 20 yards out from goal. Artem Karakaptan’s powerful first time effort would deflect just wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post, off a Spartans Youth defender. The second half of this contest would start at a good pace. A couple of minutes after Tymoteusz Supernak’s low effort from 25 yards out had gone narrowly wide of Davis Boateng’s goal, a long Spartans throw-in in to the home team’s box, would find George Stow. The midfielder’s resulting effort on the bounce would go over Milan Czerwonka’s goal.

In the 57th minute of this match, PFC Victoria would take the lead. Kamil Zielinski would get to a fine lofted pass in behind the Spartans defence, on the edge of their penalty area. He controlled the ball really well, before taking it in to the box, and after some really good skill with the ball, he would stop the outrushing goalkeeper from getting to it, before finding the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0. However, less than ten minutes later and Spartans Youth had managed to draw level. Davis Boateng’s long goal-kick up the pitch was headed on by a Spartans player to Jason James-Vincent, on the left-hand side of the PFC Victoria penalty area. In a bit of space the ball would bounce towards James-Vincent, whose brilliant and well hit effort would loop in to the top right-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. 

Spartans Youth were only level in this game for around two minutes, as PFC Victoria  player Artem Karakaptan’s goal saw them retake the lead. Some really good work from the impressive Will Carvalho, would see the skilful PFC Victoria winger receive a pass out on the left flank, before going forward with it. After getting to the byline, Carvalho would do very well to deliver a low cross to find Artem Karakaptan close to the centre of the penalty area. And Karakaptan’s well hit (first time effort), low and powerful effort would go in to the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 2-1. PFC Victoria substitute Kamil Wrobel would hit an effort over the Spartans Youth goal, after getting to a long throw-in in the centre of the box, before some great skill from Will Carvalho, would result in the youngster going very close to getting the home side’s third goal of the game. Carvalho would progress the ball really well to the left-hand side of the Spartans penalty area, after evading a defender’s challenge. He would then manage to work the space, under pressure from a number of defenders, to hit an effort off the outside of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

Spartans Youth did manage to create a couple of goalscoring opportunities during the latter stages of the game, and for PFC Victoria, Will Carvalho would hit a couple of efforts wide of the Spartans goal. However, this game would finish 2-1 to PFC Victoria. This was a well contested game of football, in which PFC Victoria managed to just create a bit more, in terms of goalscoring chances, to win the game and return to winning ways. However, it was a good and competitive game of football. I thought that Spartans Youth centre-forward Jason James-Vincent was their player of the match. He led the line well, and he scored an excellent goal to make it 1-1. I’m going to award my overall player of the match award to Will Carvalho. The 18 year old PFC Victoria player made a good impression on the game during the first half, but, in the second half of this game and out on the left-hand side of the pitch, he put in a very good performance. Creative and unpredictable when going forward with the ball, he provided the winning assist, and he was unlucky not to score a goal.