Non-League and Academy football writer

At Silver Jubilee Park on Wednesday evening, Hilltop Reserves faced Camden & Islington United, in a Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture. Hilltop Reserves started this important league fixture in 17th place in the league table, after 25 league matches played. Camden & Islington United started this game in eighth place in the Premier Division table, after 29 league matches played.  This entertaining match would finish in a 4-4 draw.

Early on and after an eventful start with a good pace to the opening minutes of the game, Hilltop Reserves would come close to taking an early lead. With Ibrahim Jamal Salih getting to the ball following a loose pass from a Camden & Islington player. Having skilfully skipped around a defender to enter the Camden & Islington  box, Ibrahim Jamal Salih would then hit a powerful low effort against Noah Blackmore’s near post. However, a matter of minutes later, and Camden & Islington would take the lead, still very early on in this contest. 

For the opening goal of the game Ryan Pickles would play a short pass to Nick Wigmore, who would in turn play a pass back to Ryan Pickles, slightly in behind the Hilltop defence. Having taken the ball around a Hilltop defender down the left-hand side of their box, Ryan Pickles would power a low effort across goal and into the bottom right-hand corner, 0-1. Jibril Mahdi would then see his whipped effort, following some nice skill to shift the ball onto his left foot inside the Camden & Islington box, be well parried away by Noah Blackmore, before Camden & Islington made it 2-0.

For their second early goal of the game, Ryan Pickles would get to a good lofted forward pass, in behind the Hilltop defence. After having gone around the starting Hilltop goalkeeper, Mohamed Afrah, on the edge of the box, Ryan Pickles would then skilfully take the ball into the penalty area. Once there, he would go around a Hilltop defender before finishing low and powerfully into the goal, 0-2. Hilltop Reserves reacted well as a team to conceding that second goal, although they hadn’t started the game badly, at all. And before half-time they would manage to get a goal back in the game. And their opening goal of the game would arrive from the penalty spot, after Jibril Mahdi had been fouled by a Camden & Islington defender inside the centre of their box. With Mohamed Hussein calmly slotting the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 1-2.

Early on in the second half, and Hilltop forward Ismail Malih would get to a rebound in behind the Camden & Islington defence, before taking the ball down the right-hand side of the visitors’ box, and hitting a powerful low effort a fraction wide of their goal. But, just like they had done at the beginning of the first half, it was Camden & Islington who would get the first goal of the half. And it was a hat-trick goal for Ryan Pickles, who after getting to a good pass, would run in behind the Hilltop defence. Having gone around a defender he would take the ball into the penalty area before finishing expertly into the goal, low and powerfully beyond the goalkeeper, 1-3.

In this game of many twists and turns, Hilltop Reserves would soon manage to get another goal back, in the game. With Salman Abdullahi receiving the ball around 25 yards out from the Camden & Islington goal, before powering an unstoppable effort into the top left-hand corner of their goal, 2-3. However, the home side would concede a fourth goal to Camden & Islington, a couple of minutes later. The Hilltop Reserves goalkeeper would rush out of his penalty area to clear a lofted forward pass, but he could only partially clear the ball, with Ryan Pickles getting to it out on the left flank. And for his fourth goal of the game, he would lob an excellent effort over the recovering goalkeeper and into the goal, 2-4.

The next goalscoring chance which had been created by the home side, would lead to them getting their third goal of the game. And it would arrive courtesy of a well worked move, which had been started by Mahmoud Sami, who would play a short pass to Abbas Osman on the edge of the edge of the away team’s box. Abbas Osman would then play a short pass into the path of Ismail Malih, who would finish low into the goal, from inside the penalty area, 3-4. It was Hilltop Reserves who would finish the game the stronger of the two sides. And after making it 4-4, following some good work from Jibril Mahdi out on the left flank, to do really well to find Ismail Malih in space, down the right-hand side of the away team’s box. Ismail Malih would finish powerfully into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 4-4. It was now Hilltop Reserves’ time to try and find a very late winner.

During the final minutes of the game, Ismail Malih would manage to get to a long ball over the top of the Camden & Islington defence, inside of their penalty area. But, Ismail Malih’s powerful effort on goal was well turned behind by Noah Blackmore. This was a highly eventful game of football, which had moments of real quality, drama, and which saw some good, fast paced football played, by both sides. In the end however, both sides would have to settle for a point. The scorer of four fine goals, Ryan Pickles wins my player of the match award on Wednesday. However, I must also mention the performances of Apollo Baron, Kieran Marshall, Jibril Mahdi and Ismail Malih, who all had good and impressive games.