Non-League and Academy football writer

After a 2025/26 season to be proud of, Lymore Gardens hosted Stansted at Parkside Stadium (Aveley FC) on Friday night, in one of the opening Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixtures of the 2026/27 season. In what promised to be an interesting game, between two sides who will be pushing for promotion this season, it was Lymore Gardens who would win an excellent game of football, 4-3.

Stansted were quick off the mark in this game, going on to take a very early lead. After Stansted’s captain Michael Mignot had received the ball out on the left flank, he would whip a good cross into the Lymore box, where Harry Pittuck would get to the ball ahead of the Lymore goalkeeper, as he finished into the goal, 0-1. And not very long after scoring that opening goal of the game, Stansted would double their lead. Michael Mignot would this time run on to a good lofted pass over the top of the Lymore defence, where from over 22 yards out on goal, he would skilfully lob the ball over the outrushing Lymore goalkeeper (Pharrell Chinyere) and into the goal, 0-2.

Lymore Gardens did manage to show signs of improvement, after conceding those two early goals to Stansted. The game soon became more even, and Lymore would soon go on to create the next chance of this lively game. As Dylan Roberts would, after cutting inside from the right flank, play a short pass towards the run of Sertan Kirman down the right-hand side of the Stansted box. However, his powerfully hit effort at Sam Butler’s near post, was really well turned behind by the Stansted goalkeeper. Having now found their rhythm in this game, Lymore Gardens would finish the first half the better of the two sides, and not long before half-time they would get a goal back in the game.

For Lymore’s first goal of this game, Tyrique Peters would receive a pass around 30 yards out from goal, and in a central area of the pitch. His resulting low, accurate forward pass would find Malik Donaldson, who from the edge of the Stansted box would skilfully go beyond two defenders, before finishing low into the bottom right-hand corner of Sam Butler’s goal, 1-2.

During the opening stages of the second half, Stansted player Harry Pittuck would see his looping cross hit Pharrell Chinyere’s crossbar, before Lymore managed to get the ball clear. But, after another good spell in the game from the home side, Lee Benjamin’s team managed to draw level. Lymore midfielder Sertan Kirman would pass the ball out to the influential Gaston Mendy down the left flank, and his good curling cross into the box was punched only partially clear by Sam Butler, to Malik Donaldson inside of the box. Malik Donaldson would once again show good composure to finish into the goal beyond the outrushing goalkeeper, 2-2.

After Lymore substitute and debutant Patrick Clarke had curled a free-kick effort (from 23 yards out on goal) over the Stansted wall, which was heading for the top right-hand corner of the goal but for a great stop by Sam Butler, Lymore would then soon go on to take the lead. The creative Tyrique Peters would finish another good Lymore move, by passing the ball across to Malik Donaldson inside the Stansted penalty area, from where his powerful low effort, which had taken a deflection off a defender, would just cross the goal-line, despite the best efforts of Sam Butler, 3-2.

Lymore’s lead didn’t last very long, however. With Stansted drawing level after Jeff Agyeman had powered a header home, after meeting Danny Palmer’s well delivered corner-kick into the Lymore penalty area, 3-3. The game had now become quite stretched and end to end, as we reached its latter stages. The hardworking Sertan Kirman would do ever so well to chase down a long ball down the right-hand side of the pitch, before keeping the ball in play and starting Lymore’s latest move inside Stansted’s final third. Tyrique Peters would then play a low ball across towards Gravlyn Kitondo in front of the Stansted goal, with a Stansted player scoring an unfortunate own goal ahead of the Lymore player, 4-3.

Stansted did push Lymore all the way though, very late on in this highly entertaining contest. Firstly, Harry Pittuck’s glancing header from close range was well gathered by Pharrell Chinyere, before a lofted ball into the Lymore box (a couple of minutes later and deep into added time) was caught really well on the volley by Stansted defender Freddie O’Brien, whose effort would hit the top of the crossbar on its way over. Overall, and in terms of chances created I thought that Lymore Gardens deserved to win this game. That being said, they had to respond really well as a team to going 2-0 down to a good Stansted team, so early on in the game. And although it was a very competitive game, once they found their rhythm Lymore were great to watch, as they moved the ball around so well and effectively.

Harry Pittuck was my Stansted player of the match on Friday, with hat-trick hero Malik Donaldson being my overall player of the match, despite some competition from Tyrique Peters and debutant Sertan Kirman. What a game to start off the 2026/27 season!