Non-League and Academy football writer

PFC Victoria London would face Hillingdon Borough on Tuesday night, in a Combined Counties Football League Division One fixture, at Robert Parker Stadium. PFC Victoria started their penultimate league fixture in 12th place in the league table, after 42 matches played. This was the visiting side, Hillingdon Borough’s, final league match of the season, and they started this match in sixth place in the league table. It was PFC Victoria, who won this game 2-1. After Hillingdon Borough player Mirko Jovanovic had hit a low effort from distance on the home team’s goal, which was gathered by Milan Czerwonka, PFC Victoria would go on to create a couple of good early chances. The first of these goalscoring chances would see Will Carvalho enter the left-hand side of the Hillingdon box, with his resulting powerful effort having to be tipped behind at his near post, by Lincon Marques. 

In the eighth minute of this contest and PFC Victoria would take the lead. As soon after a corner-kick for the home side had been cleared away, Artem Karakaptan would get to the ball, between 20 and 25 yards out from the Hillingdon goal. The midfielder’s well hit effort on the half-volley would dip in to the top right-hand corner of the goal, 1-0. Hillingdon Borough did manage to respond quite well, however. And following on from a good move, which saw Marcus Antonius Dias play a pass across to Maksi Paciorek, on the left-hand side of the home team’s penalty area, the Hillingdon Borough player found himself in a bit of space. His resulting low curling effort, would go narrowly wide of Czerwonka’s left-hand post.  

Hillingdon Borough would continue to create chances, one of which saw Joel Ramos head an effort wide of the PFC Victoria goal, after having met Ziad Abdullah’s cross in to the centre of the box, from the left flank. Some 20 minutes after PFC Victoria had taken the lead in this game, they would make it 2-0. A great and accurate long forward kick from Milan Czerwonka, would find the run of Arkadiusz Wilk, just inside of the Hillingdon box. However, Lincon Marques would try to gather the ball but, it ended up going across to Kamil Zielinski, just inside of the box, and Zielinski would then finish low in to the goal, 2-0. Towards the end of the first half, Milan Czerwonka would make two good stops from efforts that were hit from outside of the penalty area, from both Mirko Jovanovic and Jake Pickett, respectively. 

Hillingdon Borough would start the second half really well, and with a really good energy about their all-round play. Shortly after Joel Ramos’ effort from the right-hand side of the PFC penalty area had been gathered by Czerwonka, Nicollas Freitas would play a good through-ball pass towards the run of Mirko Jovanovic. Inside of the home team’s penalty area and one versus one with the goalkeeper but, under a bit of pressure from a recovering defender, Jovanovic’s resulting low effort was gathered by Czerwonka. However, not long after that good chance, Hillingdon Borough did manage to get a goal back in the game. With Maksi Paciorek receiving the ball out on the left flank, before putting a low ball across the face of the PFC Victoria goal, which was finished from close range by Joel Ramos, 2-1.

PFC Victoria were having to defend a lot, during the early stages of the second half.  But, the home side would manage to win a penalty, soon after Hillingdon had scored. With Kamil Zielinski being fouled by Mohammed Abdi, on the left-hand side of the Hillingdon penalty area. The resulting penalty was taken by Zielinski, whose chipped effort from the penalty spot, was gathered by Lincon Marques. Around five minutes later, and Kamil Zielinski had a low effort from the left-hand side of the Hillingdon box, which was gathered by their goalkeeper. PFC Victoria were continuing to defend their penalty area well, with Hillingdon Borough continuing to create chances. After Milan Czerwonka had lost possession of the ball on the edge of his penalty area, he would recover well to keep out Mirko Jovanovic’s resulting effort on goal. Jakub Malczuk would then do really well to clear the ball behind, following a low, whipped cross in to the PFC penalty area. 

This was a competitive game, in which Hillingdon Borough managed to create more chances over the course of the 90 minutes. PFC Victoria would however, defend well and resolutely as a team, to see out the game during the second half. During the first half, I thought that Artem Karakaptan was PFC Victoria’s best player. However, over the course of this match, I thought that Jakub Malczuk (PFC Victoria’s captain) was the player of the match, for what was a very reliable performance, and in the second half he defended well after moving in to a more defensive position. For Hillingdon Borough, who once again played some fine passing football, I was impressed with the performances of Olamikun Adeosun, in defence, and Joel Ramos and Mirko Jovanovic, in forward areas.