Non-League and Academy football writer

In an Islington Midweek Football League Premier Division fixture on Thursday evening at Market Road Pitches, Camden United faced Macwo. Camden United’s midweek side started this league fixture in fourth place in the league standings after four league matches played. After two Premier Division matches played, Macwo started this game in eighth place in the table. This match was won 2-1 by a very creative Macwo side, who deserved their win on Thursday.

Macwo would take the lead during the early stages of this game. After a long and central forward ball had found the run of a Macwo forward, just in behind of two Camden United defenders, he would see his low effort from just inside of the box, be turned behind by Camden United’s goalkeeper, Ciaràn White. But, from the resulting corner-kick, at the back post of the goal a Macwo player would meet the ball, heading it powerfully into the goal, 0-1. Soon after the resumption of play, Camden United player Rinor Plepolli’s quickly taken curling effort from a difficult angle on the edge of the Macwo penalty area, was well held by their goalkeeper. Macwo would however, continue to play their football well as a team, going on to create more chances in the resulting minutes. 

Following a clever short pass from a Macwo player (on the edge of the Camden United box) a teammate would receive the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty area. From there his low effort was well saved by the feet of Ciaràn White (he would then make another smart save soon after). With Macwo continuing to move the ball around the pitch well, creating a number of good chances, Leon Louis’ Camden United side would try to respond. After some nice skill with the ball from Camden United player Rhys Hajro out on the right-hand side of the pitch, he would play a short pass across to Leon Kerr, who then passed the ball to Kassim Omar on the edge of the Macwo box. Kassim Omar’s resulting powerful effort would go over the goal, however.

After a Macwo player had lifted an effort (from the right-hand side of the Camden United box) narrowly over Ciaràn White’s goal, the Camden United goalkeeper would make another important save immediately afterwards, as he continued to keep his side in the game. Just before half-time and following another well worked Macwo passing move, a powerful effort on goal from the edge of the Camden United box, was well turned around his right-hand post by Ciaràn White.

During the early stages of the second half, a good cross from Camden United defender Kayden Mandangu-Makangu (from the left flank) was met at the Macwo goalkeeper’s near post by Camden United substitute Tomasz Siemienczuk, whose good volleyed effort went narrowly wide of the goal. At the other end and after Macwo had gone forwards with the ball, a powerful low effort from the left-hand side of the Camden United box, seemed destined for the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, but for a superb reflex save from Ciaràn White, to turn the ball behind. Camden United would go on to stun Macwo with an equalising goal from distance, a couple of minutes later.

For Camden United’s equaliser, the impressive Rhys Hajro would look up before hitting a fine effort from around 25 yards out on the Macwo goal. His powerful dipping effort on goal was well turned onto the underside of his crossbar by the goalkeeper, but he was just unable to stop the ball from crossing the goal-line, 1-1. Macwo looked to react immediately, as they tried to retake the lead. After Ciaràn White had done well to push over a headerd effort on his goal, following a Macwo corner-kick delivery to the back post, he would then go on to make two good low saves from efforts inside of his penalty area, in quick succession.

Next, and after Camden United player Eldi Bejtullahi’s lofted effort from 25 yards out, went just over the Macwo goal, the Macwo number 20 would whip a good effort from the edge of the Camden United box, narrowly wide of the goal, at the opposite end of the pitch. As we approached the latter stages of this game, Macwo would retake the lead. A curling free-kick delivery from the Macwo number ten (Danyaal Iqbal), out on the right-hand side of the pitch, was met by the Macwo number 21 at the back post, who headed the ball into the goal, 1-2.

Soon after play had resumed again, after Macwo’s second goal of the game, Macwo’s number 20 would hit a good effort from 30 yards out, which went just over the Camden United goal. And then a couple of minutes later Macwo’s number eight would take the ball forward to the right-hand side of the Camden United box, from where his low effort on goal was turned behind by Ciaràn White, at his near post. Macwo continued to be very well organised defensively, and late on in the game Camden United were only able to create one further goalscoring chance. With Tomasz Siemienczuk (after Kassim Omar had held the ball up well inside of the Macwo box) hitting a low whipped effort on goal, which was well saved and then gathered by the Macwo goalkeeper.

Very impressive Macwo forward (number 21) would hit a low effort off of Ciaràn White’s right-hand post (from 20 yards out) before the referee sounded his whistle for full-time. Macwo much deserved their win on Thursday, in what was a superbly creative performance from them, over the course of the 90 minutes, with it being a really fine team performance, both defensively and in the forward areas of the pitch, to get the win against a good Camden United team. In what was a superb goalkeeping performance from Ciaràn White, which saw him make so many very good saves, he was my player of the match on Thursday.