Non-League and Academy football writer

This opening league game of the season for both Fairlop Rovers and CSM London took on early Saturday afternoon at Broadfields Sports Ground. This Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division fixture would end in a 2-2 draw.

CSM would start this game well, going on to create a really good opening in the first couple of minutes of the game. Then soon afterwards, CSM player Daquan King would power a good effort narrowly over Sean O’Sullivan’s crossbar, from distance. Five minutes later and after Fairlop midfielder Ollie Palmer had done well to win the ball in midfield, he would play a good forward pass in to the path of Freddie Bose. The Fairlop player would take the ball forward in his stride, down the right-hand side of the CSM box, before hitting a low effort across goal. Freddie Bose’s effort would hit goalkeeper Joe Biscoe’s right-hand post, as Fairlop came within a fraction of making it 1-0.

Two goals in relatively quick succession from Will Brobby’s CSM side would give the visitors a two goal cushion going in to half-time. For their opening goal of the game, CSM defender Kane Huggins-Solomons would deliver the ball in to the Fairlop penalty area from out on the right flank. Cyril Pluche would head the ball up in the air, with Daquan King then getting to the ball before volleying a low effort in to the goal, past O’Sullivan, 0-1. For their second goal of the game it was a superb effort from distance by Mahmoud Yagob. With the CSM number 19’s powerful and excellently hit effort (from over 30 yards out on goal), dipping past O’Sullivan and going in to the right-hand corner of the goal, 0-2.

Just before half-time and a Fairlop free-kick delivery from out on the right flank (by Sonny Clarke), would be headed just wide by Enos Owusu at the back post of the goal. On to the second half and it was quite a scrappy start to the second half. Fairlop Rovers had definitely improved though, in their all-round play. And they were competing a lot better against CSM in their individual battles. Fairlop did go on to get a goal back in the game, after a fairly uneventful start to the second half. With a testing long forward ball being headed back towards CSM goalkeeper Joe Biscoe inside of the penalty area. However, alert Fairlop player Jack Kibblewhite would get to the ball ahead of Joe Biscoe, before finishing in to the goal off his left-hand post and on the stretch, 1-2.

Fairlop Rovers continued to make it difficult for CSM to play their football to good effect. And before the end of the game and with Fairlop looking the more likely side to get the next goal of the game, they did manage to secure a point. They did get a bit of fortune for their goal, with Freddie Bose’s powerful low effort on goal (from 25 yards out) not being quite gathered by CSM goalkeeper Joe Biscoe, as the ball crept in to the goal, 2-2. In second half additional time Fairlop player Dylan Scutt was sin-binned, before CSM player Luke McElroy was shown a straight red card soon afterwards, for something which had happened off the ball.

This was a real game of two halves. Yes, CSM will be disappointed to let a two goal lead slip during the second half. But, on their day and since they won promotion to the Senior Division a couple of years ago, Fairlop have shown that they can compete with the very best in this division. Fairlop dug deep to get the point in the second half today, with Freddie Bose, despite competition from Benjamin Williams and Lewis Crowe, being named my overall player of the match. My CSM player of the match was Daquan King.

Starting line-ups/match-day squads: 

Fairlop Rovers:

(1) Sean O’Sullivan 

(2) Joe Head

(6) Lewis Crowe (captain)

(5) Lucas Maxwell

(27) Sonny Clarke 

(8) Matt Stratton

(44) Ollie Palmer 

(47) Haydn Campbell

(15) Freddie Bose

(7) Jack Kibblewhite 

(19) Enos Owusu

Substitutes:

(80) Seb Gardiner 

(45) George Birch

(16 Benjamin Williams 

(37) Dylan Scutt

(4) Ellis Simmonds

CSM London: 

(1) Joe Biscoe 

(2) Kane Huggins-Solomons 

(4) Jacob Cande-Dalton

(15) Lewis Wallace 

(24) Hardi Bernard 

(5) George Breen (captain)

(8) Daquan King

(10) Tyrell Huggins-Solomons

(20) Isaac Sijuade

(19) Mahmoud Yagob

(9) Cyril Pluche

Substitutes: 

(17) Moussa Youssuf

(14) Hamza Kargbo

(7) Luke McElroy

(11) Rabbi Hossain

(6) Christian Carr