Non-League and Academy football writer

In a Hackney & Leyton Sunday Football League Premier Division fixture st Hackney Marshes on Sunday morning, Boundary Estate faced Hacks Gardens. Boundary Estate had won one and lost two from their opening three league matches of this season. Hacks Gardens had the same record in the Premier Division, going into Sunday’s match. The Hackney & Leyton League is such a well known Sunday league, and it was great to cover a game in it today. It was Boundary Estate who won this match, 4-2.

Boundary Estate would start the game well. A long throw-in into the opposing team’s penalty area would result in the ball being cleared to Boundary Estate player Tom Carter on the edge of the box. His low volleyed effort on goal would be well gathered by Hacks Gardens goalkeeper Shaun Michel. A couple of moments later and Marvin Birch’s Hacks Gardens side were awarded a penalty, following a foul on Sean Rennie, inside of the Boundary Estate penalty area. However, Tyrique Peters’ resulting effort from the penalty spot was well saved to his left by the Boundary Estate goalkeeper, Daniel Bosma.

After that penalty had been saved by the Boundary Estate goalkeeper, Boundary Estate would start to create a number of good goalscoring chances. And soon after Kofi Moran’s effort from the right-hand side of the Hacks Gardens box had been well turned behind at his near post by Shaun Michel, Boundary Estate would take the lead. With Tom Braybrooke meeting a lofted forward pass in behind of the Hacks Gardens defence and on the edge of their penalty area, after their outrushing goalkeeper had just been unable to clear the ball. As Tom Braybrooke finished low into the empty goal, 1-0.

Soon after they had taken the lead, Boundary Estate would make it 2-0. For their second goal of the game Joe Mann would meet a good lofted pass in behind of the opposing team’s defence, on the right-hand side of their penalty area. Joe Mann would then finish low into the goal beyond the goalkeeper, 2-0. However, Hacks Gardens would react really well to conceding that second goal of the game. Shortly after Tyrique Peters had hit an effort narrowly over the Boundary Estate goal, on the turn, Gaston Mendy would see his powerful low effort from 20 yards out, be well kept out by the outstretched Daniel Bosma. 

Following that initial good response from Hacks Gardens, they would manage to get a goal back in the game. And what a great goal it was, as Tyrique Peters, after meeting Lamar Sterling’s cross to the right-hand side of the Boundary Estate box, would finish excellently into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal with a great bicycle kick effort, 2-1. A couple of minutes later and Hacks Gardens would draw level in this contest. Tyrique Peters’ classy outside of the boot pass, from midfield, would find the run of Sean Rennie, in behind of the Boundary Estate defence and into their penalty area. One v one with Daniel Bozma, Sean Rennie would finish low into the goal.

Despite the scores now being at 2-2, Boundary Estate would finish the first half quite well. Tom Braybrooke would head an effort just over Shaun Michel’s goal following a free-kick delivery from out on the right-hand side of the pitch, into the Hacks Gardens box. And then straight afterwards, Tom Carter would see his good effort from the left-hand side of the penalty area, be well kept out by Shaun Michel.

It took quite a while for the first real chance of the second half to be created, with Boundary Estate being the more creative side, although they hadn’t been able to really create anything of note. Towards the latter stages of this good contest, Joe Mann would see his effort from the edge of the Hacks Gardens box be well blocked by defender Richie Dorcas, who had done well to make a good recovery, as Shaun Michel then gathered the ball. However, Boundary Estate would then go on to score two crucial late goals in relatively quick succession, to win the game.

For their goal to make it 3-2, a Boundary Estate corner-kick delivery into the Hacks Gardens penalty area would result in Shaun Michel making two top saves, one after the other, to keep the ball out. But, on the follow-up Stuart Hindley managed to help the ball over the goal-line, 3-2. And then very soon after to make it 4-2, impressive Boundary Estate player Joe Mann would run on to a forward pass in behind of the Hacks Gardens defence, before skilfully taking the ball around the outrushing goalkeeper (inside of the penalty area) and then tapping the ball into the goal, 4-2.

This game would finish 4-2 to Boundary Estate, who managed the game well, and they were clinical in front of goal, in what was also a well organised defensive performance from them. Hacks Gardens did really well to get back into the game, going from going 2-0 down to getting it back to 2-2. In the second half however, I thought that even though it was for quite a long time, a pretty uneventful second half, that Boundary Estate were the better and more creative side overall. It was a good contest on Sunday morning, between two good teams in the Premier Division.

For Hacks Gardens, I thought that their CAM, Tyrique Peters (he scored a great goal, and provided an assist), was their player of the match. Mentions must also go to goalkeeper Shaun Michel, who made several very good saves, Richie Dorcas and Ahmed Faizul, for their performances. For Boundary Estate, Daniel Bosma (he made some keys saves), the influential Kofi Moran and Joe Mann were some of their best performers on the day. Hardworking and skilful Boundary Estate player Joe Mann was my overall player of the match today. He did well in the forward areas of the pitch, scoring two good goals.