Non-League and Academy football writer

In what was both team’s penultimate fixture of 2025, Lymore Gardens faced Rayleigh Town at The Techsoc Stadium, in this Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture on Friday night. Lymore Gardens started this game in fourth place (after 19 matches played) in the league standings, with Rayleigh Town starting the match two places below Lymore in the table, in sixth place (after 22 matches played). This step 6 match was won very late on by Lymore Gardens, who won 2-1.

Despite both sides having started this game quite well, it was Lymore who went on to create the first real goalscoring chance of the match. Johneli Lungikisa would receive a short pass to the right-hand side of the Rayleigh penalty area, before shifting the ball onto his left foot and curling a good effort across goal, which was well tipped behind by Rayleigh’s goalkeeper, Josh Hudson. Still relatively early on in the game and soon after that chance, Lymore would take the lead. 

Malik Donaldson would get to the ball close to the edge of the Rayleigh penalty area, before progressing the ball down the left-hand side of the box, to the byline. Donaldson’s low whipped effort would go across the goalkeeper, before being unfortunately turned into the goal by a Rayleigh defender, who had attempted to clear the ball, 1-0. Lymore were starting to really find their rhythm now, but not long after Papa Ndiaye’s flicked effort at the near post of the Rayleigh goal (after meeting Ryo Brown’s low corner-kick delivery) had been gathered by Hudson, Rayleigh would draw level. 

Rayleigh’s equalising goal of the game came from the penalty spot. With Jamie Philbrick latching onto the ball following a loose pass from a Lymore defender. And after he had met the ball, Jamie Philbrick would surge forwards beyond a defender and into the Lymore penalty area. One versus one with the Lymore goalkeeper, Pharrell Chinyere, Jamie Philbrick was deemed to have been fouled by the goalkeeper who had tried to gather the ball from his feet. And despite the Lymore players being adamant that Pharrell Chinyere had made contact with the ball and not the Rayleigh player, the referee would point to the penalty spot. Dylan Jones’ resulting penalty was well finished close to the top right-hand corner of the Lymore goal, 1-1.

Rayleigh had definitely improved during the latter stages of the first half. But, it was Lymore who managed the final effort on goal of the first half. With Lymore’s captain, Ryo Brown, progressing the ball forward for a short while, before seeing his powerful effort from distance be well turned behind by Josh Hudson. During the opening stages of the second half it was clear that this game was developing into a great contest. Shortly after Cameron Sutherland’s well hit, dipping effort on the Lymore goal (from over 30 yards out) had been well tipped over his crossbar by Pharrell Chinyere, Lymore would go on to enjoy a good spell in the game, with the ball.

The very impressive Zidane Bolessa would do well to skilfully work the ball onto his left foot down the right-hand side of the Rayleigh penalty area, before playing the ball across to Malik Donaldson, on the opposite side of the box. His resulting curling effort would go just wide of the Rayleigh goal, however. A couple of minutes later and Malik Donaldson would see his low effort on goal, from the edge of the Rayleigh box, be held by Josh Hudson. Tyrique Peters would then see his curling corner-kick delivery connect with Hudson’s left-hand post, before Ryo Brown’s low effort on the follow-up went wide of the goal.

Dylan Roberts, Lymore’s all time top goalscorer was really starting to get efforts away on goal. One such effort, as we approached the latter stages of the game, would be well parried by Hudson, after Roberts had cut inside with the ball onto his left foot, inside the away team’s penalty area. However, on the follow-up Tyrique Peters would see his effort be brilliantly blocked behind by Liam Morritt. After that chance for Lymore, it was Rayleigh’s time to really take the game to Lymore, with both sides pushing for a late winner.

With Rayleigh starting to look like the more likely side to find a late winner, Pharrell Chinyere, on his debut in the Lymore goal, would make some big saves. Firstly, Rayleigh substitute Arnold Acheampong’s moving effort from the left-hand side of the Lymore penalty area, was well met and pushed over by the Lymore goalkeeper. A couple of moments later, and Arnold Acheampong would create a very good chance, as his pass across from the left, had found Charlie Little, in space and on the right-hand side of the Lymore box. He connected well with the ball, but his low effort on goal was excellently parried away by Pharrell Chinyere.

Arnold Acheampong had done really well with the ball since being substituted on. And the Rayleigh player would see his late, curling effort, from the left-hand side of the Lymore box, be really well gathered by the alert Pharrell Chinyere. Once again however as they have shown before, after having managed the game well during that good spell in the game for Rayleigh, Lymore would find a very late winning goal, in the final minute of added time! 

Zidane Bolessa’s short pass to Dylan Roberts, right on the edge of the Rayleigh box, would see Roberts go on to enter the penalty area. After cutting inside with the ball onto his left foot, under pressure from some Rayleigh defenders, Dylan Roberts would whip a perfect low effort beyond Josh Hudson, and into the bottom right-hand corner of his goal, 2-1. This was another dramatic late win for Lymore Gardens, who despite having to really defend their goal well, not very long before that winner from Dylan Roberts, they just didn’t stop believing in themselves. The coaching staff and the Lymore players kept on believing that they would find that winning goal, and in the end, courtesy of some really fine work from Dylan Roberts, they managed to get the winning goal of the game.

Overall it was a really good and competitive game of football, I thought. Both sides, although Lymore were the more creative side over the course of 90 minutes, had their moments in the game. I think that if it had finished 1-1, then not many people would’ve argued with that result. But, once again Lymore Gardens deserve huge credit for winning another really important game of football with great character shown, against a very good Rayleigh Town side. For Rayleigh Town on Friday night, I though that at left-back, Mofi Tunde-Ojolowo had a fine game. He was commanding in defence, and he read the game well. Also, Josh Hudson and Damian Siemienczuk were some of the other Rayleigh players who impressed me against Lymore.

For my player of the match award, Zidane Bolessa (he was outstanding at right-back), Dylan Roberts and Malik Donaldson were all contenders, from the Lymore squad. However, on his club debut and for some really crucial saves during the second half of this game, as well as commanding his penalty area really effectively, Lymore goalkeeper Pharrell Chinyere was player of the match.