Non-League and Academy football writer

After winning 1-0 away to Camden & Islington United during the previous Saturday, Stonewall welcomed Wood Lane to the London Marathon Community Track on Saturday afternoon, for this Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture. Stonewall started this league fixture in fourth place in the league table, after 13 league matches played. The away team on Saturday, Wood Lane, started this step 7 fixture in tenth place in the league standings, after 14 league matches played. Stonewall won this match 2-1.

During the early stages of this game, Stonewall player Duisberg Tyche would get to the Wood Lane goalkeeper’s clearance. And from distance the Stonewall player would hit an early, decent effort (the goalkeeper was out of position inside his penalty area) just wide of the goal. However, not long at all after that chance for Stonewall, Wood Lane would take an early lead in this match. 

For the opening goal of the game, Yusuf Khalaf would cleverly lay the ball off for Mohamed-Amin Astan, who from around 25 yards out from goal, would go on a really good surging forward run with the ball. And after getting in behind the Stonewall defence, he would hold a defender off inside of their penalty before slotting the ball beyond the goalkeeper, and into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1.

Soon after play had resumed, Yusuf Khalaf would see his low effort from the edge of the Stonewall box be gathered by their goalkeeper, Dennis Aware. Wood Lane then came very close to scoring a slightly fortuitous second goal of the game. Moustafa Sa’ad’s looping ball, from 40 yards out from goal, dipped over the Stonewall goalkeeper before hitting his right-hand post, with Wood Lane unable to finish on the follow-up.

Wood Lane continued to play their football well, and once again they came close to extending their lead before half-time. Mohammed Abdillahi’s lofted free-kick delivery, from out on the left flank, would find Mohamed-Amin Astan at the back post of the Stonewall goal. His good, volleyed effort on goal would hit Dennis Aware’s crossbar. And then in the final minutes of the first half, Stonewall player Bishal Chand received a pass on the edge of the Wood Lane box, following a Stonewall counter. From the left-hand side of the penalty area, Bishal Chand’s low whipped effort went just wide, across the face of Abdulkarim Nur’s goal.

Stonewall started the second half of this game well. And following Loic Marcon’s good, lofted free-kick delivery (from the right-hand side of the pitch) to the back post of the Wood Lane goal, the ball was powerfully headed home by Noah Ashton, 1-1. Wood Lane did respond quite well to conceding that goal during the early stages of the second half. After a good Wood Lane passing move, Stonewall defender Ryan Murray made a really good block to stop Kamaal Nur’s powerful effort from inside the penalty area. And then a couple of minutes later, Dennis Aware would make a really good diving save to keep out a powerful low effort across his goal, and from inside the Stonewall penalty area.

Stonewall’s goalkeeper, Dennis Aware, continued to make more important stops, to stop Wood Lane from retaking the lead. Shortly after doing well to parry away Mohammed Abdillahi’s powerful low effort on his goal, from the right-hand side of the Stonewall box, Drillon Shabani’s low effort on goal from just inside the Stonewall box, was well turned behind by Dennis Aware. Dennis Aware had really kept his side in the game, during that good spell in the game for Wood Lane, and Stonewall would go on to score a late winning goal.

For their late winning goal, Stonewall player Kola Soyoye would do well to win the ball off a Wood Lane defender on the right-hand side of the away team’s penalty area. Around six yards out from goal, after taking the ball around the defender, Kola Soyoye would unselfishly square the ball for Seb Morally, who finished low into the goal from close range, 2-1. Stonewall did go on to create a further goalscoring chance, during the final minutes of the game. After some good football, John-Alex Bernal-Ortiz’s powerful low effort, from the left-hand side of the Wood Lane box, was well turned behind at his near post by Abdulkarim Nur.

This was a good game of game of football, and although it wasn’t Stonewall’s greatest performance of this season, they showed a way of getting the win, showing good determination as a team to get back into the game at 1-0 down. And then they did of course get a late winning goal, courtesy of some really good work and pressing from Kola Soyoye, who provided the assist for Seb Morally’s goal. Dennis Aware was my overall player of the match on Saturday. He made some really good and important saves at crucial moments in the game, and he commanded his penalty area really well. Noah Ashton, George Volis and James Motley were also contenders for my player of the match award.

For Wood Lane, who I thought were unfortunate not to get at least a point from this game (they created more goalscoring chances over the course of 90 minutes), I thought that Mohamed-Amin Astan and Moustafa Sa’ad were two of their best players on the day.