Non-League and Academy football writer

In the final of this seasons’ Islington Midweek Football League Ken Doherty Memorial Astro Cup, Hilltop (Midweek), of the Premier Division, faced Division One champions Spicegun FC, at Market Road pitches on Wednesday evening. After a thrilling 4-4 draw in normal time, Spicegun would win 4-1 on penalties, to win the cup and in the process, win the treble.

After a steady start to this cup final, it was Spicegun who would create a couple of decent early openings, as they would grow into this game quite well, as it progressed. After Harry Clarke’s headed effort, following Kyle Lewis-Sinclair’s corner-kick delivery into the Hilltop box, had been saved and gathered by Sukhraj Dulai, Spicegun would go on to take the lead soon after. Ben Williams would get to a lofted forward pass, in behind the Hilltop defence. And after taking the ball through to the Hilltop penalty area, Williams would whip a low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1.

After play had resumed, and following a Hiltop corner-kick, they would go on to create the next chance of the game. As Luquman Ibrahim’s effort from the edge of the Spicegun penalty area was well cleared behind (off the goal-line) by a defender. Once again, a couple of minutes later, Ben Williams found himself through on goal (this time down the right-hand side of the Hilltop box), as his powerful low effort across goal had deflected just wide. And then it was Hilltop’s turn to enjoy a good spell in the game, as they came close to drawing level on two occasions in quick succession.

Firstly, Hussein Mahdi’s pass across to Kamaal Nur, who was just inside of the Spicegun box, would see his low first time effort on goal be excellently blocked by Spicegun defender Tom Stewart-Green. And with the game flowing well, Hilltop player Micheal Panford would then see his powerful curling effort on goal, from the left-hand side of the Spicegun box, be well kept out by goalkeeper Joe Macintyre. However, before the end of the first half, Spicegun would double their advantage in this cup final. Ben Williams once again scored the goal, after he had been alert to get to the ball down the left-hand side of the Hilltop box, before powering a low effort beyond the goalkeeper and into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 0-2.

Hilltop would start the second half at a much improved intensity, and they would soon manage to get a goal back in the game, during the openings stages of the second half. As Hussein Mahdi’s powerful low, whipped free-kick effort, from the edge of the Spicegun box, would expertly find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-2. Micheal Panford would then, a couple of minutes after the resumption of play, see his low, deflected effort from the edge of the Spicegun box, go a fraction wide of their goal, before Hilltop made it 2-2. Micheal Panford would receive a pass on the left-hand side of the Spicegun box, before shifting the ball onto his right foot and hitting a low effort into the goal, which had a lot of pace on it, 2-2.

Spicegun would go on to create the next chance of a lively second half of football. With Harry Clarke playing the ball forward to Kyle Lewis-Sinclair down the right-hand side of the Hilltop box, before seeing his powerful low effort across goal be excellently matched and saved by Sukhraj Dulai, who got down well. Then at the opposite end of the pitch, Hussein Mahdi would play a through-ball pass to the run of Micheal Panford, in behind the Spicegun defence. Through on goal and inside of their penalty area, he would go around the goalkeeper, before seeing his low resulting effort be excellently cleared off the goal-line by a recovering defender. 

Having been instrumental in this comeback for Hilltop, Hussein Mahdi would provide a lovely lofted assist for Hilltop’s third goal of the game. As he had sent Kamaal Nur through on goal inside of the Spicegun box, from where he finished low into the goal, 3-2. And there was to be a further three goals scored, during the latter stages of the game, with Hilltop making it 4-2, next. As Jamil Shariffu had ran onto the highly influential Hussein Mahdi’s through-ball pass, and from inside of the penalty area he would finish low into the goal, past Joe Macintyre, 4-2.

It was looking unlikely that Spicegun would get back into this game, but with little time remaining in the game for them to take it to penalties, they would stun Hilltop, by scoring two very late goals. After Hilltop had lost possession of the ball just inside of their penalty area, Ben Williams would get to the ball, before finishing powerfully into the goal, 4-3. And then very late on in normal time, Spicegun managed to find a leveller. It was that man again, Ben Williams, who would get the goal which would take the game to penalties. As he finished low into the goal from inside of the Hilltop box, after getting to the ball following a free-kick delivery into their penalty area, 4-4.

On to penalties, and after the scores were at 3-1 (after Joe Macintyre had saved two penalties) in favour of Spicegun going onto a potentially decisive penalty for them, and Kyle Lewis-Sinclair would keep his cool to win this seasons’ Ken Doherty Memorial Astro Cup, for Spicegun. What an eventful, quality and entertaining game of cup football this was. Both sides had great spells in the game, but Spicegun, when it seemed like Hilltop were going to win this game at 4-2 up, showed tremendous character as a team to take the game to penalties, which they would then win in emphatic fashion. Congratulations to Spicegun, the 2025/26 seasons’ winners of the Ken Doherty Memorial Astro Cup.

For my overall player of the match award on Wednesday (my Hilltop player of the match was Hussein Mahdi), I’m going to award it to the scorer of all four Spicegun goals, their excellent forward, Ben Williams.