Non-League and Academy football writer

Looking to bounce back following successive league defeats, after an excellent start to the season, Lymore Gardens faced FC Romania on Friday night, in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. Lymore Gardens started this match in fourth place in the league standings, after seven matches played. FC Romania started this game in 18th place in the league table after four matches played. It was Lymore Gardens who would respond on Friday, with an important and well deserved 2-1 win.

FC Romania would start this game positively. However, the first real goal attempt of the came from Lymore Gardens. With Billy Golledge heading an effort wide at the back post of the FC Romania goal, following Gravlyn Kitondo’s corner-kick delivery. Around five minutes after FC Romania player Samir Sedaoui had hit an effort over the Lymore goal from distance, Lymore would come quite close to taking the lead. A good and intricate passing move from Lymore would result in Dylan Roberts powering an effort narrowly over the FC Romania goal, from the edge of their box. FC Romania would work the ball in to some decent forward areas during the remainder of the first half, and they remained well disciplined in defence.

The first goalscoring chance of the second half would lead to the first goal of this game. FC Romania would counter well with the ball and successfully. David Barbakadze would pass the ball forward to Romeo Kapica, down the left flank. He would then play a good early pass across to Cameron Thompson down the right-hand side of the home team’s penalty area. In a bit of space, Thompson would hit a low effort on goal which Sidhant Nayar in the Lymore goal was able to get a hand to the ball, but he was just unable to stop it from finding the bottom left-hand corner of his goal, 0-1. Lymore would try to respond immediately, as Alex Coster (after the ball had been worked in to the FC Romania box) had a low effort on goal which was cleared off the goal-line by a defender. And then Malik Donaldson, on the follow-up, would see his powerful effort on goal be well parried by Michael Doyle, before Yinka Akinlabi had hit an effort in to the side-netting of his goal.

After those successive efforts from Lymore, FC Romania would counter forwards with the ball. Cameron Thompson would find the run of Tom Menezes down the left-hand side of the pitch. After cutting inside with the ball and on to the edge of the Lymore box, his whipped low effort on goal was gathered by Lymore’s goalkeeper Sidhant Nayar. Lymore would draw level very soon after that FC Romania chance. An in-swinging corner-kick from Dylan Roberts would go over the FC Romania goalkeeper before bouncing off his right-hand post and going in to the goal, 1-1. And then soon after, and with Lymore Gardens really dominating play, they would score a second to take the lead in this game. After a corner-kick had been taken, Gravlyn Kitondo would receive the ball out on the left flank and on the edge of the FC Romania penalty area. After a quick step over with the ball, Gravlyn Kitondo would deliver a really inviting cross towards the back post of Michael Doyle’s goal, finding Richie Dorcas, who powerfully headed the ball in to the goal, 2-1.

Lymore Gardens were now really confident in their all-round play, as they continued to dominate the ball. Following a long Lymore throw-in to the left-hand side of the away team’s box, Dylan Roberts would get a flick on before powering an effort in to the side-netting of the goal. Lymore substitute Callum Fisher was on and he was already making a really good impression on this game. After getting to the ball Fisher would play a fine through-ball pass to another substitute, in Tyrique Peters. On his first appearance of the season, Tyrique Peters would go very close to making it 3-1. As he skilfully worked the space on the edge of the FC Romania box, to hit an effort narrowly over Doyle’s crossbar.

As the Lymore substitutes started to really make their impression on the game, the home side started to create many more goalscoring chances. Some good work from Wisley Baltazar would result in him passing the ball to Callum Fisher out on the left flank. Fisher would drive forwards with the ball, before having a low effort on goal which was gathered by Doyle. A couple of minutes later and Papa Ndiaye would get to a great cross in to the FC Romania penalty area, from Dylan Roberts. Papa Ndiaye’s powerful header effort on goal was however, superbly tipped on to his right-hand post by Doyle. During the final stages of this game and Lymore’s influential captain Ryo Brown would find Callum Fisher’s fine run in behind of the away team’s defence, courtesy of a good lofted pass. Fisher would surge forward with the ball, taking it to the left-hand side of the FC Romania penalty area, and then curling a good effort off the bottom of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post, as the ball somehow bounced away from the goal.

After a bit of a cagey first half FC Romania would score the opening goal of the game following a good counter with the ball. However, following the resumption of play, and Lymore Gardens would absolutely dominate the game, creating so many goalscoring chances, and from which they deservedly won the game from. For FC Romania, I thought that their left-back Ahkim Brown was their player of the match. For my overall player of the match award, there was real competition from the Lymore Gardens squad. Dylan Roberts, Malik Donaldson, Billy Golledge, Papa Ndiaye and all of the Lymore substitutes, such as Callum Fisher, Tyrique Peters and James Smith were excellent. However, a fine defensive performance from Richie Dorcas, along with the winning goal of the game, results in Richie deservedly being my player of the match on Friday.