Non-League and Academy football writer

The opening game of the new 2025/26 Islington Midweek Football League season, was between St John’s Deaf and Euston Lane, on Monday night at Market Road, in Division 2. St John’s Deaf were relegated from Division 1, as were Euston Lane, at the end of the previous 2024/25 season. Both sides who I think will do well this season in Division 2, this game on Monday night was won 2-0 by Euston Lane. The first chance of this game was created by Euston Lane, with Meron Abraham heading an effort wide of the St John’s goal, after meeting Ferhat Canlier’s cross in to the centre of the penalty area. There was a good pace and intensity to this game during its early stages, from both sides. 

Paul Christou’s St John’s Deaf team were seeing a bit more of the ball early on in this game. The next chance of the match was created by St John’s, as following a well worked move, a good whipped cross from Marco Costi from the right-hand side of the pitch, would go right across the face of the Euston Lane goal. Around five minutes later and Abdou Jobe would receive a short pass to the left-hand side of the Euston Lane penalty area. His quickly taken curling effort would go wide of the goalkeeper’s (Filip Gremza) left-hand post. And then soon after that chance, and following an important block from a Euston Lane defender inside of their penalty area, following a flick on from a St John’s corner-kick, Euston would go forward with the ball. However, St John’s were able to stop them from finishing from inside of their box.

Euston Lane would finish the first half strongly. Following Mark Ajayi’s pass to Roberto Vullo in the middle of the pitch, he would play a good through-ball pass towards the run of Ferhat Canlier, down the right-hand side of the St John’s box. Ferhat Canlier would then hit a low effort wide of the goalkeeper’s (Ali) goal. And then a couple of minutes later, and after Euston Lane had a powerful headed effort (following a corner-kick delivery in to the St John’s box) on goal which was excellently cleared off the goal-line by a defender, Euston Lane did manage to take the lead just before half-time. Camille Tani’s well delivered corner-kick delivery was headed in to the goal by Meron Abraham, 0-2. That was a crucial time in the game for Euston Lane to get the opening goal.

During the opening stages of the second half Solomon Hamilton would get to a Euston Lane free-kick delivery in to the centre of the St John’s penalty area, as his powerful resulting effort went over the goal. And then not long after a free-kick effort from distance had been well saved by Ali in the St John’s Deaf goal, Euston would go on to double their advantage. A long ball up field wasn’t headed away as he would have hoped, by a St John’s defender. The ball would bounce on to Ferhat Canlier on the edge of the St John’s penalty area, from where his lobbed effort went over Ali who was off his goal-line but attempting to recover, but the ball would end up bouncing in to the goal despite the goalkeeper’s best efforts, 0-2.

St John’s did respond quite well to conceding that second goal. After hardworking forward Byron Down had got to the ball on the left-hand side of the Euston Lane box, his quickly taken curling effort would go wide of Filip Gremza’s left-hand post. And then soon after that chance, and some good work from Abdou Jobe down the left flank would result in him delivering a good low and whipped cross across the face of the Euston Lane goal. The ball came to Ellis Creighton McLean at the back post, but his effort on goal was really well blocked by a defender. 

Euston Lane had managed their lead in this second half really well. Some nice skill and then a good short pass from Ferhat Canlier, would find Roberto Vullo, who played a pass across to Euston Lane substitute Nicholas Guillen, on the edge of the oppositions penalty area. His powerful effort on goal was well parried by Ali, however. And in the final minutes of the game Mark Ajayi’s through-ball pass would find the run of Ferhat Canlier, inside of the St John’s penalty area. Ferhat Canlier’s effort on goal was well kept out by Ali, however.

This was a good and competitive game of football, between two sides who I think will be right up there challenging for the Division 2 title, come the end of this season. Both sides played some good football in this game, but Euston Lane, who managed the game well, were the more clinical side on the night, and they deserved their win. For St John’s, I personally thought that Abdou Jobe, Byron Down, Ali and Ollie Costi (the central-defender did some good work defensively, showing some good pace as well) were their most impressive players on the night. Despite some very strong defensive Euston Lane performances, as well as the performances of Solomon Hamilton and Meron Abraham, Euston Lane player Ferhat Canlier was my player of the match. He was greatly involved in the final third for Euston Lane, and he got a deserved goal to make it 2-0.