Non-League and Academy football writer

Hilltop (Midweek) faced Camden United (Midweek) in a Premier Division fixture of the Islington Midweek Football League, on Thursday night at Market Road Pitches. Hilltop had won four and lost four of their opening eight Premier Division fixtures of this season, going into Thursday’s game. Camden United had won two, drawn one and lost five of their opening eight Premier Division matches of this season, ahead of their meeting with Hilltop. It was Hilltop who won this league fixture, 3-2.

Leon Louis’s Camden United side started this match well, and in the opening minutes of the game they would take a very early lead. As Ahmadshah Sengerwal powerfully headed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the Hilltop goal, following a well delivered, whipped Camden United corner-kick into the Hilltop penalty area, 0-1. Ahmadshah Sengerwal came close to scoring his and Camden’s second goal of the game a couple of minutes later, after meeting a lofted free-kick delivery into the Hilltop box, which he headed narrowly wide of the goal.

Despite that very good start to the game from Camden, Hilltop would soon start to grow into the game, and not long after Anis Toumi had headed the ball off the underside of Mayto Sotomayor’s crossbar, with Camden defender Lucas Giles then getting the ball clear, following a corner-kick delivery into the Camden box, Hilltop would draw level. Mohamed Nour would play a good forward pass to Abdullahi Abdullahi’s run down the left-hand side of the Camden box, from where the Hilltop number ten would finish really well across goal, low into the bottom right-hand corner off the goalkeeper’s bottom left-hand post, 1-1.

Camden United did bounce back well as a team, after conceding that equalising goal. And after Hilltop’s goalkeeper, Romeu Lung, had parried a powerful effort from 25 yards out, on his goal, Camden would go very close to making it 2-1. Firstly, a Camden player would power an effort against the crossbar, on the follow-up, before the ball came to Rhys Hajro on the edge of the penalty area. And after shifting the ball onto his left foot, his whipped effort also came off the crossbar.

Just before half-time, impressive Hilltop player Mohamed Nour would clip a really good lofted ball into the Camden box, from the edge of their penalty area. His pass would find Ramario Asenso, whose glancing header came off Mayto Sotomayor’s left-hand post. In similar fashion to the first half, Camden United started the second half really well, initially. Mohamed Jahazi would see his fine effort from 23 yards out on goal, which was heading for the top right-hand corner of the Hilltop goal, be really well turned behind Romeu Lung. Then, after Mohamed Jahazi’s good corner-kick delivery to the back post of the Hilltop goal had found Kassim Omar, the Camden substitute would get up well to power a header into the Hilltop goal, 1-2.

Hilltop would show great character as a team, as well as good determination to once again get back into the game, after going behind following that strong start to the second half from Camden United. Two goals in quick succession from Hilltop, would really change the game in their favour. For their second goal of the game, Ramario Asenso had a good effort on goal which was parried by Mayto Sotomayor, before an effort on the follow-up and from inside of the Camden box was cleared off the goal-line by a defender. However, Ali Mohamed would quickly get onto the ball inside of the penalty area, before finishing well into the goal, 2-2.

Soon after, and for Hilltop’s third goal of the game, Ali Mohamed would get to the ball on the edge of the Camden box, before curling an accurate low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of their goal, 3-2. Soon after the game had started again, Hilltop would again go forward with the ball, as Ramario Asenso skilfully progressed the ball into the Camden box before seeing his low effort on goal be gathered by Mayto Sotomayor.

In this competitive game of football, Camden United would again enjoy a good spell in the game. But, shortly after Rhys Hajro’s well hit effort from 23 yards out on goal, was kept out well by Romeu Lung, Hilltop would go forwards with the ball down the other end of the pitch, as they won a penalty after Ali Benbouchta had been brought down inside of the box. Up stepped Ali Mohamed, whose penalty to the goalkeeper’s left, was well anticipated and gathered by Mayto Sotomayor, to stop the Hilltop player from getting his hat-trick goal. 

Very late on in the game, and with Camden United now pushing for a late leveller, Rhys Hajro had a low effort on goal which was parried away by Romeu Lung, as an onrushing teammate hit an effort over from inside of the box, on the follow-up. Hilltop (Midweek) held on well during the final minutes of the game, as they recorded league victory number five of the season. This was a good game, which saw a lot of goalscoring chances created. 

This was a game which was played between two youthful sides, and although Camden United will be disappointed that they couldn’t get something from this game, they did play their football well for much of the game. However, the character in which this youthful Hilltop side showed to get back into the game on two occasions, and then ultimately win the game fairly late on, was very good. This was a good win for Hilltop. For my player of the match award on Thursday, Anis Toumi, Ramario Asenso and Rhys Hajro were all contenders. However, for his influential performance during the second half of this game, which saw him score two goals, Ali Mohamed was my player of the match.