Non-League and Academy football writer

Lymore Gardens welcomed Stansted to The Techsoc Stadium on Friday evening, for this Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. Lymore Gardens had started the new league season with two wins from their opening two matches. Stansted, who were relegated from the Essex Senior League last season, had won one, drawn one, and lost one from their opening three league matches of the season. This step 6 match was won 4-1 by Lymore Gardens, who once again impressed greatly, showing great game management, as they made it three wins from three, keeping up their excellent start to the season.

Lymore Gardens would create the first real goalscoring chance of this contest relatively early on, and it would result in the opening goal of the match. Moving the ball around well with both pace and purpose, a good pass was played out to Yinka Akinlabi, on the right-hand side of the pitch. The Lymore defender would then quickly play the ball forward towards the run of Munnir Saad, in behind of the Stansted defence. Munnir Saad would sprint forward with the ball towards the byline, before assessing his options and curling a clever effort beyond the Stansted goalkeeper at his near post and in to the goal, 1-0.

This game was proving to be quite a cagey contest, with not very many goalscoring chances. However, it had definitely been a good quality and highly competitive start to the game. During the latter stages of the second half, Stansted left-back Zac Argent would deliver a good cross from out on the left flank, in to the centre of the Lymore penalty area. Stansted’s captain Nathan Scarborough’s resulting powerful headed effort on goal was well held and gathered by Sidhant Nayar, in the Lymore goal. And then just before half-time, from Danny Wickenden’s well delivered corner-kick in to the Lymore penalty area, the ball wasn’t cleared away properly. Stansted defender Harry Pittuck’s quickly taken low effort from the centre of the crowded box was well gathered by Sidhant Nayar.

During the early stages of the second half Lymore Gardens would up their intensity. A superb through-ball pass across the floor from Alex Coster, would find the run of Callum Fisher, in behind of the Stansted defence. After rounding the Stansted goalkeeper inside of the box, Fisher would see his resulting low effort from an acute angle, be well cleared off the goal-line by a recovering Stansted defender. Shortly after Lymore defender Maksim Todoschuk had made a brilliant headed defensive intervention to stop Danny Wickenden’s well delivered cross from reaching Nathan Scarborough inside of the Lymore box, Stansted would then draw level.

For Stansted’s equalising goal, the impressive Danny Wickenden’s curling free-kick delivery from the left flank, in to the centre of the Lymore box, resulted in a clever flick on from a Stansted player. As Tommy Lawrence got to the ball In a bit of space on the left-hand side of the penalty area. The Stansted player’s powerful low effort would find the back of the net, 1-1. However, Lee Benjamin and Javel Green’s side would respond ever so well to that Stansted goal. Lymore substitute James Smith was making a good impression on this game. After receiving a short pass he would drive forward with the ball, to the edge of the Stansted box. Smith would then hit a good and powerful effort on the goal, which was well pushed away by Stansted goalkeeper Sam Butler.

Following on from that fine effort from James Smith, Lymore would soon regain the lead. Another Lymore substitute – Wisley Baltazar would make a really good and well weighted through-ball pass from the left-hand side of the pitch, to find the run of Dylan Roberts down the left-hand side of the Stansted box. Roberts was through on goal, and his quickly taken but very clinical low effort beyond the goalkeeper, would find the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 2-1. Shortly after play had resumed, Wisley Baltazar would do really well to get to the ball out on the left flank, before hitting an audacious effort wide across the Stansted goal, from 35 yards out.

Lymore Gardens were really pushing to get that all important third goal, in order to establish a two goal cushion in the game. They would manage to do just that after a free-kick which had been awarded to Lymore on the edge of the Stansted box, was taken by Dylan Roberts. Roberts’ exquisite and powerful resulting free-kick effort, would go underneath the Stansted wall and in to the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 3-1. After that brilliant free-kick goal, Dylan Roberts was then involved in some more very good and intricate football, in which was played by Lymore. With a back-heeled pass from Roberts finding Ryo Brown on the right-hand side of the pitch, and in the final third. The Lymore captain would then deliver a low cross to find Gaston Mendy, just inside of the Stansted box. The Lymore substitute’s low first time effort on goal was well gathered to his right by Sam Butler, however.

Late on in the game and with Stansted really pushing for a goal, Tommy Lawrence would show some good pace to get around a Lymore defender down the left flank. After having entered the Lymore penalty area, Tommy Lawrence would then play the ball back across to Dan Jones, on the edge of the penalty area, but his curling first time effort would go over the goal. During the final moments of this really good and entertaining game of football, Lymore would get their fourth goal of the evening. The excellent Dylan Roberts would get to the ball on the right-hand side of the pitch, before surging forward around a defender and then playing the ball across to Ryo Brown, who was in a bit of space inside of the penalty area. Lymore’s classy captain would then finish low and powerfully in to the goal, 4-1.

Lymore Gardens have really risen to the challenge of this quality step 6 league during the very early stages of this season. Against Stansted on Friday, Lymore once again showed some really good game management, and every single Lymore Gardens player played their part in this excellent win for their team. Their chasing down of the ball, pressing and tracking back as a team and their tremendous work ethic, made it difficult for Stansted to create a lot of goalscoring chances, and Stansted didn’t even play badly against Lymore, at all. However, Lymore moved the ball around so well, and they were also very clinical in front of goal. Stansted winger and their goalscorer, Tommy Lawrence, was in my opinion their best player on the night. However, I would also like to mention the performances of defender Freddie O’Brien and Stansted’s impressive central midfielder – Danny Wickenden.

I don’t quite know where to start with Lymore Gardens, regarding who my overall player of the match was from this game. Their whole team played so well, in what was a really good team performance. From the two central-defenders – Papa Ndiaye and Maksim Todoschuk, to the performances of Ryo Brown, Wisley Baltazar, Alex Coster, and Munnir Saad, there was so much to admire about how Lymore played as a team. However, for me and despite there being a lot of standout performances, with two hugely important goals and an assist, Dylan Roberts was my player of the match. He showed some really good quality on the ball and in crucial moments in the game.