Non-League and Academy football writer

In an important Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture on Wednesday evening, at Vale Farm (Wembley FC), Eagles Land Cricklewood faced Camden United. Eagles Land started this game in fourth place in the league table, after 20 matches played. Camden United would start this game in second place in the league table, after 22 matches played. This step 7 fixture would finish in a 3-3 draw, with all six goals scored, quite incredibly, in the opening 12 to 14 minutes of the game.

Camden United got off to a great start on the excellent pitch at Vale Farm, as they took a very early lead in this game. A really good Camden move which started from defence, resulted in Camden defender Henry Stirling Patrick Clark, going on a great surging forward run, with the ball. Past the halfway line, Clark would pass the ball to the feet of a teammate, who then laid the ball off to Ferhat Canlier, on the edge of the Eagles Land penalty area. Ferhat Canlier would catch the Eagles Land goalkeeper out, by curling a really good effort over him and high into the goal, 0-1.

Very soon after the resumption of play, and following a good run to the left-hand side of the Eagles Land box, by Mohammed Hassan, the ball was won off him. However, the Camden player would show some good persistence inside the penalty area, to then help the ball across to Ferhat Canlier, who close to the centre of the box, would clinically curl an effort beyond the goalkeeper, 0-2. The relentless pace and intensity, as well as the eventful start to this game, didn’t slow down, at all. Eagles Land managed to soon get a goal back in the game, through their captain and centre-forward, Terryl Harding-Nathan.

Terryl Harding-Nathan did well to meet a good and accurate lofted forward pass, from deep, in behind the Camden defence. Having then done well to just lift the ball over the outrushing Camden goalkeeper inside their box, Harding-Nathan would then head the ball into the goal after following it as it bounced towards the goal-line, 1-2. And following that goal for Eagles Land, another goal would follow. With an Eagles Land free-kick from deep, falling for Miguel Paim Camara, just inside the Camden penalty area, and from under pressure inside the busy penalty area, he would finish low and powerfully into the goal, 2-2.

The amount of goals that had been scored, one after the other during the opening minutes of this game, had been impressive. And there were to be two more goals that were scored, during this opening 12 to 14 minute spell in the first half. A good Eagles Land ball out to the right-hand side of the pitch, would result in a deflected cross into the Camden box, going towards goal, with Bilal Ourida, in the Camden goal, having to push the ball away from goal. Miguel Paim Camara would however, get to the loose ball inside the box, before finishing low and powerfully into the goal, 3-2. Then, a couple of moments after the game had started again, and Camden United found themselves level. 

With Matheus Santana meeting a cross inside the centre of the home team’s box, and his resulting headed effort on goal wasn’t quite gathered by the Eagles Land goalkeeper, Kevin Rrushi, as the ball crossed the goal-line, 3-3. Kevin Rrushi did make a good low save at his near post, around five minutes later, before then doing well to parry a powerful low Camden United effort on his goal, from distance, as Camden United ended the first half well.

During the early stages of the second half, Mohammed Hassan would show his skill with the ball, to take it forwards down the left-hand side of the Eagles Land box, beyond a defender, before seeing his powerful low effort across goal be parried away by Kevin Rrushi. Soon after that chance for the away side, and Endrit Feka would do well to shift the ball skilfully onto his left foot on the edge of the Eagles Land penalty area, before hitting a good low effort against the bottom of Kevin Rrushi’s left-hand post. And then at the opposite end of the pitch, Eagles Land player Mahdi Abedini would hit a decent effort from distance, with good movement on the ball, which had to be well gathered by Bilal Ourida, in the Camden goal.

Towards the end of this competitive second half of football, and Camden substitute Harrison Bacon would connect well with a looping cross into the Eagles Land box, with his resulting first time effort going narrowly wide of Kevin Rrushi’s goal. And then very late on in this contest, and Camden United player Mohammed Hassan was sent off, by the referee. However, Eagles Land didn’t really have enough time to try and find a winning goal, and so both sides had to settle for a point.

I doubt that the people who attended this game will see as eventful an opening to a a game of football, again. Especially with there being six goals scored so early on in this game. However, the game did settle down a lot more after its opening stages, as both sides played their football. I thought that overall, Camden United created more goalscoring chances over the course of the game. Yet, it was a competitive game, which showed a lot of moments of quality. Although both sides will be disappointed with the draw, especially as they are both going for the league title.

For Eagles Land, my Eagles Land player of the match was Miguel Paim Camara, with Terryl Harding-Nathan and Kristo Beshiku some of the other contenders, in my opinion. However, for my overall player of the match award, Miguel Paim Camara, Mohammed Hassan and Ferhat Canlier, were all contenders. And in the end I’m going to award Ferhat Canlier as my player of the match, following a fine performance, which saw him score two good goals.