Non-League and Academy football writer

Lymore Gardens welcomed Hutton to The Techsoc Stadium on Friday night, for this important Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. Lymore Gardens started this match in first place in the league standings, after 12 league matches played. Hutton started this match in second place in the league table, after ten league matches played, with Hutton being three points behind Lymore Gardens in the table. This step 6 match would finish in a 3-3 draw.

Lymore Gardens would start to play their football really well during the early stages of this game. A good move from the home side would result in Wisley Baltazar flicking a long goal-kick on to Tyrique Peters. Inside Hutton’s final third of the pitch, Peters would play a clever short through-ball pass to the run of Dylan Roberts, who had ran across to the left-hand side of the Hutton penalty area. From there Roberts’ low effort on goal was well kept out by the outrushing Hutton goalkeeper, Stefan Lamacq. Soon after that Lymore chance a move which involved some great buildup play would result in Dylan Roberts passing the ball out to Munnir Saad on the right-hand side of the pitch. Munnir Saad would play the ball across to Tarome Hemmings, who had made a good run into the Hutton box. Hemmings’ low quickly taken effort was well saved by Stefan Lamacq, however.

Lymore Gardens continued to really push for the opening goal of the game. A great forward run at pace from Munnir Saad down the right-hand side of the pitch, would see the Lymore winger take the ball to the edge of the Hutton box, before powering an effort against their crossbar. Lymore were proving to be relentless with their passing football. Soon after a clever pass from out on the left flank by Wisley Baltazar had found the run of Lymore’s captain Ryo Brown on the left-hand side of the Hutton box, he would turn well with the ball under pressure from a Hutton defender, before hitting an effort powerfully wide of Stefan Lamacq’s goal.

Soon after that effort from Ryo Brown Lymore Gardens would deservedly take the lead. Following a sliding challenge from a Hutton player on Dylan Roberts, the ball would roll across to Tyrique Peters, who went forwards with the ball for a short while before powering an unstoppable effort (from around 20 or so yards out) in to the top left-hand corner of the Hutton goal, 1-0. Despite the Hutton goalkeeper managing to get a hand on the ball, it was a truly unstoppable effort from Tyrique Peters. 

Lymore wouldn’t finish the first half in the fashion that they would have hoped to. After having lost possession of the ball, Hutton player George Vile would hit a powerful low effort, which was helped behind by Lymore’s goalkeeper, Sidhant Nayar. Direct from the resulting corner-kick and George Vile’s curling delivery would with the help of the very windy conditions, curl in to the top right-hand corner of Sidhant Nayar’s goal, despite his best efforts, 1-1. Hutton would continue to do well as the first half of this game entered its latter stages. And shortly after Elliott Howson had met a low cross in to the centre of the Lymore penalty area, his low first time effort would go narrowly wide of the goal.

Just before half-time Hutton would take the lead for the first time in the game. A short Lymore goal-kick was received by a Lymore defender, whose pass was blocked by a Hutton player inside of the box, with the ball deflecting to experienced forward Adam Vyse, who from close range would finish low into the goal, 1-2. Lymore Gardens would start the second half really well, going on to draw level early on, in the windy and rainy conditions. James Smith would do really well to pass the ball across the ground to Wisley Baltazar, who was in a bit of space on the left-hand side of the Hutton penalty area. The Lymore forward’s first effort was well blocked by a Hutton defender, but on the follow-up Wisley Baltazar would power a low effort beyond Stefan Lamacq and into his goal, 2-2.

The difficult conditions were making it difficult for both sides to create good goalscoring chances. However, late on in this highly entertaining contest Hutton would retake the lead. A free-kick which had been awarded to Hutton out on the right-hand side of the pitch was taken short, to a teammate, who would deliver a low whipped cross into the centre of the busy Lymore penalty area. Eventually the ball would come to their captain – Dean Hall, whose low effort would go in to the goal, 2-3. Hutton’s lead did not last very long, with Lymore Gardens responding very positively as a team, showing real character to draw level once again. This time Tyrique Peters’ good lofted pass would find the run of Dylan Roberts, in behind of the Hutton defence. Roberts was met, some distance from the goal, by the outrushing Hutton goalkeeper, but the Lymore forward would lift the ball over the goalkeeper before doing well to finish low in to the empty goal from around 25 yards out, 3-3.

During the final moments of this contest, Lymore substitute Gravlyn Kitondo would hit a good effort narrowly over the Hutton goal from distance, but in the end both sides would have to settle for a point. This was a very well contested game of football, with Lymore Gardens, in my opinion, being the better and more creative side during this game. Lymore Gardens (they played some superb football once again) will be disappointed that they couldn’t get the win on Friday, but credit must go to Hutton, who did react well to going behind during the first half and they showed real character in this game, and they also will be disappointed that they didn’t win the game.

For Hutton, some of their players who impressed me was their captain Dean Hall, Freddie Blackham and George Vile. For Lymore Gardens, Munnir Saad, Dylan Roberts, Wisley Baltazar and Tyrique Peters all impressed. Lymore Gardens midfielder James Smith (he provided an assist) was excellent in this game, putting in a great performance both with and without the ball, and he was my player of the match.