Non-League and Academy football writer

PFC Victoria London and Spelthorne Sports faced each other on Wednesday evening at the Robert Parker Stadium, in this Combined Counties Football League Division One fixture. PFC Victoria started this match in fourth place in the league standings and in the play-off positions, after 33 league matches played. Spelthorne Sports started this fixture in 20th place in the league table, after 28 league matches played. PFC Victoria would win this step 6 fixture 5-2, as they returned to winning ways.

Started at quite a good pace, it was Spelthorne Sports who came the closest of the two sides to taking the lead during the early stages of this game. With a low, well delivered cross from the right-hand side of the pitch, going across the PFC Victoria goal. And but, for a good sliding and timely intervention from a PFC defender, and some alert reflexes from their goalkeeper, Alexander Zamani, to keep his clearance out of the goal, the scores would stay level.

PFC Victoria did start to play some good, passing football as the game progressed. In the 23rd minute of the game, the home side would take the lead. A high line from the away team, allowed Jakub Matwiejszyn’s long and accurate lofted pass from deep, to find the run of Pawel Kowalkowski, in behind the Spelthorne defence. Now through on goal, the PFC striker would finish high and clinically into the goal from inside the box, past the Spelthorne goalkeeper, 1-0.

20 minutes after PFC’s first goal of the night, and on the stroke of half-time, another good bit of patient passing football, would result in them doubling their advantage in this game. This time their captain, Volodymyr Lema would get to the ball in midfield before playing a cleverly weighted forward pass into the path of Adam Dougui, down the right-hand side of the Spelthorne penalty area. Adam Dougui would then play a good pass across goal, to the on running Diego Munoz, at the back post. And Diego Munoz would finish well beyond the goalkeeper from close range, 2-0. 

The second half would begin positively for PFC Victoria, with the home side soon getting their third goal of the night. Volodymyr Lema would meet a nice forward pass just beyond the halfway line, and with the Spelthorne defence quite high up on the pitch, he would do well to spot Diego Munoz, playing a good pass across to his teammate, who ran onto the ball close to the edge of the Spelthorne box. From there Diego Munoz would shift the ball onto his right foot (the Spelthorne defence had recovered quite well by now), before powering an effort emphatically beyond the goalkeeper, Ben Grummitt, 3-0.

PFC Victoria were now eager to score more goals. Not very long after their third goal, Alexander Zamani’s long pass upfield would find the run of Pawel Kowalkowski, in behind the Spelthorne defence. Pawel Kowalkowski would go forwards with the ball down the left-hand side of the Spelthorne box, before cleverly turning past a defender and then laying the ball off for Kacper Kloc, who took his low effort quickly and well, into the goal, 4-0. 

Pawel Kowalkowski would power a one versus one effort from inside the Spelthorne box, against the goalkeeper’s crossbar, before PFC Victoria would make it 5-0. As the influential Kacper Kloc’s deep cross into the Spelthorne penalty area, was met at the back post by Diego Munoz, who volleyed the ball low into the goal from close range, 5-0.

Spelthorne Sports did improve significantly during the latter stages of this game. And after Yosef El Kasas had volleyed an effort home in the 74th minute of the game, after having met a deep cross towards the back post of Alexander Zamani’s goal, to make the scores 5-1, Spelthorne would then add another goal before the end of this game. As substitute Isaac Roberts had met a good cross from probably  Spelthorne’s player of the match on Wednesday, Yosef El Kasas, inside the PFC Victoria penalty area, and Roberts would volley the ball powerfully beyond Alexander Zamani, and into the goal, 5-2.

This was a good performance from PFC Victoria, but most importantly of all it was a return to winning ways, as they look to consolidate their position in the play-offs. Diego Munoz (look out for a post-match interview that I did with Diego), the scorer of a well taken hat-trick, was my player of the match on Wednesday. Playing off the left flank, his movement off the ball and anticipation of where the ball was going to be at key moments in the final third, was very good.