Non-League and Academy football writer

Looking to bounce back from defeat away to Hutton last time out in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South, Lymore Gardens hosted Barkingside at The Techsoc Stadium on Friday night, in their latest league fixture. Lymore Gardens started this league fixture in eighth place in the league table, after 26 matches played, as Barkingside started this game in 21st place in the league table, after 30 matches played. Lymore Gardens would win this step 6 fixture 2-0. 

In the opening minute of this game, Lymore player Malik Donaldson would clip a nicely weighted forward pass to Lymore’s centre-forward, Paul Benfield. After doing well to get to the ball, under pressure, on the byline, his effort on goal was helped behind off his near post, by Barkingside goalkeeper Dino Maras. Still early on in the match, and Lymore Gardens would take the lead. Tyrique Peters would turn nicely with the ball, after receiving Dylan Roberts’s pass to the right-hand side of the away team’s box. Tyrique Peters would then finish emphatically, and high into the Barkingside goal, 1-0.

Paul Benfield came close to glancing a header into Dino Maras’s goal, after meeting a well delivered Dylan Roberts cross to the back post of the Barkingside goal, soon after play had resumed. And then following a really good Ryo Brown cross-field pass towards the run of Tyrique Peters, down the left-hand side of the Barkingside box, he had managed to get in front of a defender, before seeing his resulting powerful effort, be well turned behind at his near post, by Dino Maras.

Lymore Gardens would continue to play their passing game, but after Malik Donaldson’s laid off ball had been hit first time by Zidane Bolessa on the edge of the Barkingside box, with his powerful effort going just wide of the goal, at the opposite end, Barkingside would manage a goal attempt. As their centre-forward, Alexandru Vtornicov, had hit a low effort wide of Sidhant Nayar’s goal, from distance. Just before half-time, and with Lymore still much the better side, Tyrique Peters would hit a powerful low effort on the Barkingside goal, from the right-hand side of the pitch, which was well turned behind by Dino Maras.

During the early stages of the second half, and Lymore Gardens would make it 2-0. Tyrique Peters would play a superbly weighted threaded through-ball pass for Dylan Roberts to meet, in behind of the Barkingside defence, and inside their box. Roberts would then round the goalkeeper, before seeing his powerful low effort be well blocked by Barkingside defender Mame Balla Ndao, on the goal-line. However, on the follow-up, Tyrique Peters would run onto the ball inside the penalty area, and despite the best efforts of Bryan Ntueba on the goal-line, he would power a low effort into the goal, 2-0.

After a bit of an uneventful spell in the second half of this game, Barkingside would show real signs of improvement during the latter stages of the game. Following a Barkingside corner-kick, the ball would fall for Ayodeji Adelekan, inside the Lymore box. Having done well to get a good effort away on goal, his low and powerful effort was really well saved and then gathered by Sidhant Nayar in the Lymore goal. And just before the final whistle was sounded by the referee, a Kai Haysman curling free-kick effort, from the edge of the Lymore penalty area, would be well tipped over his crossbar by Sidhant Nayar.

I thought that overall, that this was a comprehensive win for Lymore Gardens, against a Barkingside team who got better as the game went on. However, the most important thing for Lymore Gardens, who reacted well as a team to defeat against Hutton last time out, was a win and three points. In my opinion, Ritchie Kalongo and Dino Maras were Barkingside’s two best players on Friday. However, 

playing in the CAM position against Barkingside, Lymore Gardens player Tyrique Peters was very influential during his time on the pitch, in this game. Importantly scoring both goals for Lymore, Tyrique Peters really showed his quality and creativity with the ball, as well, and he was my player of the match. Dylan Roberts and Ryo Brown were also contenders.