Non-League and Academy football writer

In what was both side’s final Combined Counties Football League Division One fixture of the 2024/25 season, PFC Victoria London faced Colliers Wood United, at the Robert Parker Stadium, on Friday night. PFC Victoria started this match in 12th place in the league table, with Colliers Wood United starting this game in 15th place in the table. This game would finish in a 1-1 draw. The opening stages of this eventful first half, was started better by Colliers Wood. 

After Suryaksh Tewatia had taken the ball down the right-hand side of the PFC penalty area, he would play a pass across to Danyaal Iqbal, in the centre of the box. The Colliers Wood’s player’s first time effort would go just over the goal. A couple of minutes after that early chance, PFC player Volodymyr Lema’s powerful effort on the away team’s goal, from distance, was gathered by Ewan Carlin, in the Colliers Wood goal. Soon after that effort from PFC, and Colliers Wood would start to take control of the game. Danyaal Iqbal had been involved in a lot of Colliers Wood’s good work in the final third, early on. And shortly after controlling Javaughny Waugh’s lofted pass on the edge of the PFC box, with Iqbal’s resulting low curling effort being gathered by Milan Czerwonka, Danyaal Iqbal would score the opening goal of this game.

For the opening goal of this contest, Danyaal Iqbal would get to a good, lofted forward pass out on the right-hand side of the PFC box, he would take the ball beyond a defender, before then cleverly finishing, from a difficult angle, in to the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 0-1. A couple of minutes later, and Danyaal Iqbal would try to catch Milan Czerwonka out, with a free-kick effort, some 25 yards out from goal, and out on the left-hand side of the pitch. And although Iqbal’s  effort had dipped just over the goal, Czerwonka had it covered. Then, around five minutes later, a well delivered Danyaal Iqbal corner-kick in to the PFC box, was headed just wide of Czerwonka’s goal by Javaughny Waugh.

PFC would manage to find their rhythm by the midway point of the first half. Following some good skill from Will Carvalho on the right-hand side of the pitch, he would find Roman Virstiuk at the back post of the Colliers Wood goal, courtesy of a good cross with his left foot. Virstiuk’s first time effort, on the stretch, would however, go narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. Soon after, and with PFC Victoria now having a really good spell in the game, Will Carvalho would go on to cross the ball towards the back post of the away team’s goal, this time picking out Volodymyr Lema, whose header went wide of the goal. 

PFC continued to create chances and get efforts on goal, as the first half progressed. Jakub Malczuk would see his powerful effort from 25 yards out, whistle narrowly wide of Ewan Carlin’s right-hand post, before a well worked move saw Volodymyr Lema’s short forward pass find the run of Maciej Tajs. On the right-hand side of the Colliers Wood penalty area, Maciej Tajs would manage to hold off a defender, before hitting a low effort on goal which was kept out by Carlin. PFC’s impressive spell in this game would result in them drawing level just before half-time, and shortly after Ryan Holt’s powerful low effort at the opposite end of the pitch, and from the edge of the PFC box, was pushed behind by Czerwonka. 

For PFC’s leveller, it arrived from a fine passing move. As Volodymyr Lema played a good pass out to Roman Virstiuk on the left flank, and after going forward a little bit with the ball, Virstiuk’s low whipped cross, across the face of Carlin’s goal, was finished from close range by the alert Maciej Tajs, 1-1. After both sides had managed a couple of efforts on goal during the early stages of the first half, Roman Virstiuk would do well to play a pass towards the run of Maciej Tajs, who was through on goal inside of the Colliers Wood penalty area. Maciej Tajs’ resulting low effort on goal was saved by the feet of Ewan Carlin, however.

The second half of this match wasn’t as eventful as the first half, as it progressed. After Maciej Tajs had hit a low effort on the away side’s goal, from 20 yards out, which was saved by Carlin, PFC substitute Arkadiusz Wilk would go close to making an instant impression. As the forward’s powerful headed effort, following Roman Virstiuk’s well delivered cross in to the centre of the Colliers Wood penalty area, went just wide of Carlin’s goal. The impressive Danyaal Iqbal would then do well to win a free-kick right on the edge of the PFC penalty area, with his curling resulting effort on goal being gathered by Czerwonka.

Late on in this well contested game, and after Javaughny Waugh had been fouled just inside of the home team’s penalty area, a penalty was awarded to Colliers Wood. However, Tremayne Huie Moseley’s resulting penalty was really well kept out, low to his right by Milan Czerwonka, who somehow then managed to save and gather Danyaal Iqbal’s effort from close range, and on the follow-up. Danyaal Iqbal  would, a couple of minutes later and during the final minutes of the game, manage to control Ryan Holt’s good through-ball pass, in behind the PFC defence, and inside of their penalty area. Through on goal, Danyaal Iqbal’s resulting low effort on goal was gathered by Czerwonka.

This was a good final game of the season, for both sides on Friday night. Colliers Wood definitely started this well contested match significantly better than PFC. But, PFC would work their way back in to the game really well, and the second half of the game was a lot more of an even contest. Colliers Wood United’s skilful number 10, Danyaal Iqbal, was my player of the match. He made a really good impression on this game, particularly during the first half, and he worked hard, as well as going close to scoring a second goal of the game, and a late winner for Colliers Wood. Despite Roman Virstiuk, Maciej Tajs, and Milan Czerwonka all being contenders, my PFC Victoria player of the match was Will Carvalho. The youngster did some really good work with the ball out in the wide areas of the pitch, and he was very creative with the ball in the final third.