Non-League and Academy football writer

At Harris Lowe Academy on Saturday afternoon, newly promoted Middlesex County Football League Premier Division side Wood Lane, faced an established Premier Division side, in Camden United, in what was both side’s opening league fixture of the new 2025/26 season. This step 7 match was won 3-1 by Camden United, and it was a good match to report on. Started in a competitive fashion, it was Premier Division debutants Wood Lane, who created the first real chance of this match. Yusuf Khalaf’s short forward pass would find Mohamed-Amin Astan, just inside of the away team’s penalty area. In a bit of space, the Wood Lane player’s resulting effort on goal was well held by the Camden United goalkeeper, Bilal Ourida.

Soon after that early chance for Wood Lane, a well organised Camden United side would create their first chance of this game. A long kick up field from Camden’s goalkeeper Bilal Ourida, wasn’t headed clear by a Wood Lane defender, and the ball would bounce forward towards Camden’s centre-forward, Bruno Lee-Khan, inside of the home team’s box. Lee-Khan would send a looping header over the outrushing Wood Lane goalkeeper, as the ball bounced narrowly wide of the goal. 

The game continued to be a competitive one, as it progressed. Camden United were awarded a penalty however, after Bruno Lee-Khan had knocked the ball past Wood Lane defender Jay Hines, entering the Wood Lane box before being fouled by the sliding and recovering Hines. Bruno Lee-Khan’s following penalty was finished in clinical fashion, in to the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1. And before half-time Leon Louis’ Camden United side would double their advantage in this game. A nicely worked Camden United move would see Bruno Lee-Khan run on to Rinor Plepolli’s lofted forward pass, in behind of the Wood Land defence. Through on goal and inside of the Wood Lane penalty area, Lee-Khan would skilfully take the ball around the goalkeeeper (Ahmed Hassan) before tapping the ball in to the goal from close range, 0-2.

Camden United would start the second half of this match well, and they would create a good early chance. Mohammed Hassan’s clever pass would find Rinor Plepolli, who continued forward with the ball, in to the Wood Lane box. The Camden United player’s low curling effort would go narrowly wide of Ahmed Hassan’s left-hand post, however. The north London club would get their third goal of the afternoon soon after, and it came following a counter forward with the ball from deep. Bruno Lee-Khan would receive the ball in Wood Lane’s half of the pitch, before curling a clever pass around to Mohammed Hassan, on the edge of the penalty area. The Camden United number ten would then progress the ball just inside of the box, before curling a low effort in to the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-3.

Not long after Camden United had made it 3-0, Wood Lane would manage to get a goal back in the game. The impressive Abdisalam Yusuf would work the ball forward to the left-hand side of the Camden United box. The Wood Lane forward would then play the ball across to Yusuf Khalaf, close to the centre of the box, and the experienced Wood Lane player’s low first time effort would find the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 1-3. Camden United player Mohammed Hassan was getting better and better as the game went on for the away side. After getting to a short pass, Mohammed Hassan would go forward at pace with the ball, to the left-hand side of the Wood Lane box, before seeing his powerful effort on goal be well pushed behind by Ahmed Hassan.

Wood Lane would have a good spell in the game following on from that earlier Camden United chance. Next, and Mohammed Hassan had a low effort on the home side’s goal (from inside of the box) which was gathered by Ahmed Hassan. By the latter stages of the match, Wood Lane had committed a lot of players forward, including some of their defenders, as they tried to get a point from the game. After Abdisalam Yusuf had skilfully gone around a Camden defender down the right-hand side of their penalty area, he would hit a powerful effort in to the side-netting of the goal. 

A couple of minutes after that previous Wood Lane effort, and with more spaces starting to appear on the pitch, Camden United would once again counter forward with the ball. Romario Godfrey-Brown would play a short pass in behind of the Wood Lane defence to Kassim Omar. Through on goal and inside of the box, Omar would lift an effort over the outrushing Ahmed Hassan, with the ball going narrowly wide of the goal. In the final moments of this game, Wood Lane player Rayan Haddi would whip an effort narrowly over the Camden United goal, from the edge of their penalty area. This was a very professional performance from Camden United, whose game management and overall team performance was impressive.

Wood Lane had some good passages of play in this game, and they didn’t play badly at all, especially with it being their first game at this level, as well. I thought that Abdisalam Yusuf and Ayoub Amellal were their best players on the day. For Camden United, there were some really good performances, as they played well collectively, as a team. Timothy Godwins was one of Camden’s very impressive defenders, and Mohammed Hassan and Bruno Lee-Khan both had really good and influential games, in my opinion. However, with two goals and an assist, Camden United forward Bruno Lee-Khan was my player of the match. The former London Tigers player who joined Camden United last season, would lead the line well for the north London club on Saturday. He won and scored their penalty, then took his second goal really well, before setting up Mohammed Hassan’s goal. Bruno Lee-Khan would finish the game in midfield.