Non-League and Academy football writer

Hilltop recorded an impressive 1-0 home win over an inform Burnham side, on Wednesday night. On to Friday night, and Hilltop faced Ardley United in their latest Combined Counties Football League Premier Division North fixture, at Silver Jubilee Park. Hilltop started this match in sixth place in the league table after nine league matches played. Ardley United started this match in 12th place in the league standings, after five league matches played. This game would finish 2-2, and in very dramatic fashion, with Ardley United scoring two very late goals in second half stoppage time, to get a point from this game.

Early on in this game Ardley player David Inyang would hit a powerful effort wide of the Hilltop goal following a corner-kick delivery in to the centre of the home team’s box. Ardley would go on to start the game in a positive fashion, really limiting Hilltop to only forward counters with the ball. In what was a fairly uneventful start to this game, Hilltop would grow in to the game. After Hilltop player Adnan Jamac had met a lofted pass close to the edge of the Ardley penalty area, he would hit a powerful effort towards goal, which was helped behind by the Ardley goalkeeper, John Roberts. Shortly before half-time, and Hilltop player Abukar Mohamed would hit a first time effort over the Ardley goal, from the edge of their penalty area.

The game would pick up pace during the early stages of the second half. A couple of minutes after Ardley player Conor Taylor had headed an effort (following a cross in to the Hilltop box) on the Hilltop goal which was gathered by Hilltop’s goalkeeper Hossam Hassan, Hilltop would then go forward with the ball. This time Adnan Jamac would shift the ball on to his left foot on the edge of the Ardley penalty area, as his whipped effort on goal was gathered by Roberts. There were a couple of more efforts in this game in the resulting ten minutes, for both sides. However, in the 65th minute of the game Hilltop would take the lead. A well worked and fast move would result in Kamaal Nur getting to a lay off on the edge of the Ardley box, from where he whipped an unstoppable effort beyond Roberts (he managed to get a hand on the ball) and in to the bottom right-hand corner of the Ardley goal, 1-0.

Hilltop were playing their passing game well, and they were looking to establish a two goal cushion. In the 91st minute of the match Hilltop managed to score their second goal of the game. The goal arrived as the result of another good move, with the skilful Hussein Mahdi taking the ball in to the left-hand side of the Ardley penalty area, before playing the ball across to Kamaal Nur, who finished powerfully beyond Roberts courtesy of a good side-footed finish, 2-0. After Ardley United player John Dennis had then been shown a straight red card by the referee following a foul on a Hiltop player, around the same time in this game, Hiltop had a player who was sin-binned by the referee. 

Deep in to second half stoppage time and with Hilltop seemingly looking only to add to their two goal lead, Ardley would get a goal back in this game. Ardley defender Sam McConnell would volley the ball in to the Hilltop goal in style, after connecting with a good corner-kick delivery in to the Hilltop penalty area, 2-1. And then in the most dramatic circumstances, in the final minute of the game Ardley United would make it 2-2. They had really committed players forward, and following a fine cross from the left flank, and in to the Hilltop box, the quality of the cross made it difficult for it to be cleared. And unfortunately for Hilltop, a defender’s headed clearance would go in to the goal, with the referee awarding the goal after consulting the linesman on the near side, 2-2.

This must have been a very difficult result for Hilltop to take, especially as with so little of the game remaining, they seemed destined to be heading for another three points. However, firstly Ardley United deserve a lot of credit for not giving up in those final minutes of the game, as they kept on believing that they could somehow get something from this game, despite being 2-0 down so late on. My player of the match tonight was a Hilltop player – Kamaal Nur, who did well against Ardley, scoring two goals. However, I’d also liked to mention the defensive performance of Hilltop’s central-defender Kieran Marshall, who defended really well once again, but who unfortunately picked up what looked like a bad injury during the second half.