Non-League and Academy football writer

In a second round tie of this season’s Esoteric Recordings Division One Cup, PFC Victoria London faced Langley, at Robert Parker Stadium on Wednesday night. PFC Victoria are currently top of the Combined Counties Football League Division One table, after 24 league matches played. Langley are currently in 12th place in that step 6 division, after 23 league matches played. This cup tie was won 4-1 by PFC Victoria. 

I thought that Langley went on to start this cup tie the better of the two sides. Langley player Savion Shah’s powerful side-footed effort from distance, during the early stages of this game, was well pushed away by PFC’s goalkeeper, Ksawery Kukla. PFC Victoria would start to move the ball around the pitch, as the first half went on. And not too long after Jean Paul Munoz’s decent, powerful effort from 23 yards out, had gone wide of the Langley goal, in the 23rd minute of the tie PFC Victoria would take the lead. After Michel Panda had won the ball out on the left flank, the ball would roll across to Aleksy Czekalski, who from 23 yards out on goal, would power a low effort into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Soon after play had resumed following the opening goal of the game, and after PFC defender Joshua Kirkham had done well to win a challenge just inside of the home team’s box, Langley player Mohammed Alizaie would power an effort into the side-netting of the goal. Then in the 31st minute of the tie, Langley would deservedly draw level. As Savion Shah managed to get to the ball on the right-hand side of the pitch, following a Langley corner-kick. His whipped and inviting ball into the PFC penalty area was powerfully glanced home by Jurij Neretin, 1-1.

After conceding that goal, PFC tried to respond. PFC player Oskar Kruczkiewicz’s pass across the floor to Isaak Tano, on the right-hand side of the Langley box, would result in the PFC player’s powerful effort being well pushed behind by Langley goalkeeper Carl Dennison, at his near post. Just before half-time and Langley player Joshua Adepojo would show some really good skill to get beyond a PFC defender just inside of their penalty area, down the right-hand side of the box. His resulting powerful effort would go close, as the ball went right across the face of the goal.

PFC Victoria’s start to the second half was very good. PFC Victoria would up their intensity in the game, right from the start of the second half. They would retake the lead through Oskar Kruczkiewicz, who would skilfully dribble forwards with the ball, managing to get in between two Langley defenders inside of their penalty area, before finishing low into the goal, one versus one with the goalkeeper, 2-1.

Impressive PFC winger Isaak Tano would get to a pass down the right-hand side of the Langley box. Off balance, he did well to put the ball across the goal to Aleksy Czekalski, whose low effort on goal was really kept out by Carl Dennison, before Langley had managed to clear the ball away. Ksawery Kukla did well to parry a powerful effort on his goal, and then a couple of minutes later PFC would get their third goal of the game. Recently introduced to the game as a substitute, Diego Munoz would get to a loose pass on the edge of the Langley box. After getting the ball out of his feet, his low effort on goal would take a significant deflection off a Langley defender, as the ball found the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 3-1.

Then in the 68th minute of the game, PFC would effectively book their place in round three of the cup, by adding a fourth goal to their tally. The relentless Jean Paul Munoz would show real skill and determination, as he went forwards with the ball down the right-hand side of the pitch. And after managing to get beyond a defender inside the Langley penalty area, his low cross would find Michel Panda, who finished low into the goal, to get his first goal for the club, 4-1.

Langley forward Kian Berry had a powerful effort from inside the home team’s box, which was well parried away by Ksawery Kukla, before Jean Paul Munoz, at the opposite end of the pitch, came close himself, to getting on the scoresheet. Jean Paul Munoz would get to the ball after Michel Panda’s effort from the edge of the Langley box, had ran through to him inside of the penalty area. However, Jean Paul Munoz’s effort on the goal was really well kept out by the feet of Carl Dennison.

Late on in this cup tie, and with Langley still working hard as a team, they did go on to create one more goalscoring chance. That chance late on was created by  Joshua Adepojo, after he had controlled a lofted pass out to the left flank well, before taking the ball into the PFC box, where his powerful effort on goal was well turned behind at his near post, by Ksawery Kukla.

During the first half of this cup tie, and for a lot of the game Langley played their football well. However, so did PFC Victoria, who scored a further three goals in a relatively short space of time during the second half, doing well as a team to book their place in round three of this competition. At right-back for PFC Victoria, Jean Paul Munoz was my player of the match. Playing for a very youthful PFC Victoria side on Wednesday, Jean Paul Munoz was relentless in getting up and down the right-hand side of the pitch. Solid defensively, as well as showing some real quality with the ball (he provided one assist from this game), the 19 year old had a really good game against Langley.

Also for PFC Victoria, I thought that their goalkeeper Ksawery Kukla (16), Michel Panda, and Aleksy Czekalski had really good games, in what was a fine performance from a side that has so far had a great season. For Langley, I thought that their player of the match was their goalkeeper, Carl Dennison. With Joshua Adepojo and Savion Shah some of Langley’s other best individual performances on Wednesday.