Non-League and Academy football writer

League leaders of the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South, Lymore Gardens, faced Thurlow Nunn League First Division North side Framlingham Town, in a first round proper tie of this seasons FA Vase, on Saturday afternoon at The Techsoc Stadium. Lymore Gardens’ excellent start to the season has resulted in them leading the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South, after 14 league matches played. Framlingham Town are currently in third place in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North standings, after 13 league matches played. This FA Vase tie was won 5-1 by Lymore Gardens.

The first real goalscoring chance of this cup tie was created by Lymore Gardens after a good overall pace to this game. After Lymore’s captain, Ryo Brown, had received the ball between 25 and 30 yards out from the Framlingham goal, he would play a nice pass to Malik Donaldson on the left-hand side of the away team’s penalty area. Donaldson would show some good skill with the ball under pressure from a defender, before hitting a low effort into the goalkeeper’s side-netting, at his near post.

Around five minutes after that first chance of the game, Malik Donaldson’s low cross from the left flank was met by Munnir Saad, on the right-hand side of the Framlingham box. His low effort on goal was well turned behind by the Framlingham goalkeeper, Jack Hudson. From the resulting corner-kick delivery by Dylan Roberts, James Smith’s powerful headed effort on goal was well tipped over by Hudson. With Lymore starting to really find their rhythm, it came as a bit of a surprise when the well organised visiting team took the lead in the tie. After a Lymore defender had lost possession of the ball on the right-hand side of the pitch and close to the edge of the Lymore box, Ethan Whittingstall would get on the ball. He would take it into the penalty area, before his excellent resulting powerful effort found the roof of Sidhant Nayar’s goal from an acute angle, 0-1.

Lymore Gardens would react ever so well to going 1-0 down. And following a nicely worked move they would find themselves level in the tie. As Dylan Roberts passed the ball across to Ryo Brown, who in a central position and from around 25 yards out from goal, his good and powerful low effort on goal would find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-1. The pace of this cup tie continued to pick up, as it progressed. Not long after Framlingham’s captain Johnny Kerridge had met a well delivered corner-kick delivery to the centre of the Lymore box, with his volleyed effort on goal being well pushed away by Sidhant Nayar, Lymore would go very close to taking the lead.

Gaston Mendy’s nice lofted forward pass would find the run of Malik Donaldson on the left-hand side of the Framlingham box, from where his powerful effort on goal was really well kept out and then gathered by Jack Hudson. Soon after and at the opposite end of the pitch, Framlingham Town’s centre-forward Danny Smith, would see his deflected effort on Sidhant Nayar’s goal, from the right-hand side of the Lymore box, be well parried away by the Lymore goalkeeper. And not very long before half-time, Lymore Gardens would take the lead for the first time in the tie. 

Malik Donaldson was once again involved in the action, as he played a one-two pass with Tyrique Peters on the edge of the Framlingham box, before then receiving the ball inside of the penalty area. Malik Donaldson would once again show some quick feet with the ball, as he managed to get in behind two defenders, before then finishing low into the goal from close range, 2-1.

Lymore Gardens would start the second half of this FA Vase tie really well. After Tyrique Peters has exchanged passes with Dylan Roberts, the Lymore player would hit a powerful low effort on Hudson’s goal (from 20 yards out), with the impressive Framlingham goalkeeper doing well to push the ball behind for a corner-kick. Another good Lymore move would follow, as Dylan Roberts received Tyrique Peters’ short pass on the edge of the away team’s box. Roberts would then work the space with his left foot, as he whipped a low effort narrowly wide of Hudson’s right-hand post. Lymore Gardens were getting closer to establishing a two goal lead.

As the result of a well delivered Framlingham corner-kick into the Lymore penalty area, Sidhant Nayar did very well to punch the ball clear, before then making a top reflex save to keep out a powerful effort (the ball took a slight deflection off of John-Jay Mooney) on the follow-up, from the edge of his box. This would prove to be a hugely important save, as Lymore Gardens then countered forwards with the ball. Dylan Roberts would take the ball forward at pace, down the left flank, eventually playing a pass across to Munnir Saad in the centre of the Framlingham penalty area, after he had done really well to cover so much ground. However, the Lymore player was fouled by a Framlingham defender just as he had got to the ball, resulting in a penalty being awarded to Lymore, by the referee. Lymore Gardens substitute Wisley Baltazar would keep his calm, as he finished into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal from the penalty spot, 3-1.

Not long after play had resumed, and with Lymore dominating play, they would add another goal to their tally for the afternoon. The highly influential Malik Donaldson would receive Dylan Roberts’ short pass to the left-hand side of the box, where under pressure, he would skilfully twist and turn with the ball, before hitting a powerful low effort into the goal, which Jack Hudson was just unable to keep out, 4-1. And Lymore weren’t finished there, as they went on to add a late fifth goal of the game. Lymore substitute Johneli Lungikisa would receive the ball inside of the Framlingham penalty area, before managing to get a powerful effort away on goal, which was well parried by Jack Hudson. However, the Framlingham goalkeeper was unable to keep out another Lymore substitute’s effort on the follow-up, as Artem Lukash was able to finish low into the goal, 5-1. 

This was a five star performance from Lymore Gardens, whose great run in their debut season in the FA Vase, continues. Despite going 1-0 down during the first half, Lymore showed real character as a team. They didn’t panic, and they continued to play their football with confidence and style, going on to finish the first half with a 2-1 lead. They were then almost completely dominant in the second half of this game. Highly creative with the ball and clinical in front of goal, they limited Framlingham Town to very little in the way of goalscoring chances, with their central defensive partnership of John-Jay Mooney and Maksim Todoschuk, proving to be very solid.

For Framlingham Town I thought that their player of the match was their goalscorer and right-back, Ethan Whittingstall, with Jack Hudson having a really fine game in goal for the visitors. For Lymore Gardens, Malik Donaldson put in a superb performance on the left flank, on Saturday afternoon. Highly skilful and creative when in possession of the ball, he played a key role in this emphatic victory for Lymore, scoring two fine goals. However, their excellent captain, Ryo Brown, was a midfield orchestrator with the ball, and then there were the performances of Sidhant Nayar, Dylan Roberts, and Maksim Todoschuk, who were just some of the other impressive performances for Lymore on the day.

Lymore central-defender John-Jay Mooney was so assured, both defensively, with his reading of the game, and on the ball for the home team today. I thought that John-Jay worked really well alongside Maksim Todoschuk, and he was my player of the match on Saturday. It was a great afternoon for Lymore Gardens on Saturday, and you can read a post-match interview which I did with Lymore Gardens’ captain, Ryo Brown, and my player of the match, John-Jay Mooney, in the very near future.