Non-League and Academy football writer

Sporting Bengal United welcomed Basildon United to the Mile End Stadium on Friday night, for this Essex Senior League fixture. Sporting Bengal United have drawn two and lost two from their opening four league matches of this season. Basildon United have won one league match and lost three, from their opening four league matches of this season. This step 5 match was won 2-0 by Sporting Bengal United. Both sides would really cancel each other out during a very good first half defensive display from both sides, in this cagey first half of football. However, shortly before half-time, and Sporting Bengal would manage the first attempt on goal of the game. A long throw-in from the left-hand side of the pitch and in to the centre of the Basildon United penalty area, was flicked down towards Noah Adejokun. Under pressure inside of the penalty area, Noah Adejokun’s volleyed effort on goal was saved by Basildon’s goalkeeper, Enos Duah.

During the early stages of the second half Sporting Bengal player Evander Lopes would curl an effort from 25 yards out on the Basildon goal (from the left-hand side of the pitch) which was gathered by their goalkeeper, Enos Duah. Despite it continuing to be a cagey game of football, Sporting Bengal would take the lead in the 63rd minute of this match. Noah Adejokun would win the ball really well in the middle of the pitch, before turning and passing the ball to Damilola Olusesi on the left flank. The Sporting Bengal captain would deliver a really good low cross, right across the face of the Basildon United goal, with the sliding Yousuf Hoque finishing well in to the goal at the back post, 1-0.

Sporting Bengal would make it 2-0 less than four minutes after scoring the opening goal of the game. Yousuf Hoque’s short pass came across to Evander Lopes on the edge of the Basildon penalty area, and the impressive Sporting player’s excellent first time low and curling effort, would clinically find the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 2-0. Sporting Bengal were now very confident, and they were playing their football well, but they needed to make sure to not let the visiting side get a goal back in this game. After Basildon United forward Anjeolaoluwa Adamu had received a short forward pass in behind of the Sporting defence and to the right-hand side of their box, he would hit a powerful effort over from an acute angle.

After Evander Lopes had gone forwards with the ball down the left flank, he would back-heel the ball to Damilola Olusesi on the left-hand side of the Basildon box. Olusesi’s powerful resulting effort on goal was well pushed behind by Enos Duah, at his near post. A couple of minutes later and Noah Adejokun would chest a long ball down well, before turning and hitting a powerful effort over Enos Duah’s goal from 30 yards out. Freddy Tandon’s Sporting Bengal side would see out the remaining minutes of the game well, to get their first win of the season. After a very cagey and quite uneventful first half of football in terms of goalscoring chances, Sporting Bengal were the better and more creative side during the second half, and they took their chances really well. They also defended their goal well, doing very well with their offside trap, and their goalkeeper (Harold Adu Poku) did well, especially when rushing out of his goal to clear the ball.

For Basildon United, I thought that their captain (Jamie Price) and Anjeolaoluwa Adamu were two of their best players against Sporting, in my opinion. For my player of the match award, and although Sporting players Noah Adejokun (he lead the line well), Damilola Olusesi and Yousuf Hoque all really played their part in this win, my player of the match award goes to Evander Lopes. With a goal to his name and some fine work in the forward areas of the pitch from the skilful and hardworking number 7, Evander Lopes was my player of the match on Friday night.