Non-League and Academy football writer

Athletic Newham and London Fennecs met at Parsloes Park Hub on Tuesday evening, in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. Athletic Newham had won two, drawn one and lost two of their opening five league matches of the 2026/27 season. Recently promoted side London Fennecs had lost two and drawn one of their opening three league matches of this season, going in to Tuesday’s game. Following a very late Athletic Newham equaliser, this game would finish in a 2-2 draw.

Around 16 minutes in to this game, London Fennecs’ captain Ramy Rouighi would press the ball well. After winning it he would play the ball forward to Mouadh Kermani, who was in space on the edge of the home team’s penalty area. With his resulting powerful effort being really well tipped over his crossbar by the recovering Oren Campbell. However, from the resulting corner-kick London Fennecs would take an early lead. Islem Guerniche was in a bit of space inside the penalty area, when he met Adam Toubal’s well delivered ball. And the London Fennecs defender would powerfully head an unstoppable effort off the underside of the crossbar, into the top right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1.

Soon after play had resumed, Athletic Newham player Harry Carter would make a defence splitting pass forward to the run of Dawid Potoczek down the right-hand side of the away team’s box. His effort, one versus one with the goalkeeper, would go over the goal, however. With the game developing in to an open contest, another chance would follow soon afterwards. With Adam Toubal’s flicked on lofted free-kick delivery in to the Athletic Newham box being met by Islem Guerniche, who from close range would hit an effort against Oren Campbell’s left-hand post. Next, an Athletic Newham counter would result in Idris Aminu getting to a long ball in London Fennecs’ final third. He would play the ball to Dawid Potoczek on the right-hand side of the penalty area, from where he would curl a good low effort just wide, across the face of the goal.

A bit of an error from a London Fennecs defender would result in his back pass being latched onto by Harry Carter, who would go around the London Fennecs goalkeeper inside of his penalty area, with the ball. Harry Carter would then be met by defender Cameron Sinclair who made an important piece of defending, before he put the ball over the goal on the follow-up. Saeed Pirmoradi’s first save of the game soon afterwards, was to importantly save Richard Mensah’s powerful effort from inside the penalty area. Just before half-time and with both sides continuing to play their football positively, a great team move from Zack Bettache’s London Fennecs side saw them come within a fraction of making it 2-0. As following some good work from both Obinna Nebuwa and Ahmed Ayoub, substitute Michael Babarinde would curl the ball just wide of Oren Campbell’s goal, from inside the penalty area.

During the opening minutes of the second half of this interesting and competitive game, Athletic Newham were awarded a penalty. After Cameron Sinclair had fouled the skilful Idris Aminu down the left-hand side of the London Fennecs penalty area, and close to the byline. Up stepped Robert Calancea, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of Saeed Pirmoradi’s goal, 1-1. That goal would give an Athletic Newham side who had already been playing well, added confidence. Both teams continued to play forward well, as the second half progressed. But, the next two chances of this game would be created by the home side. Firstly, Dawid Potoczek would play the ball through to Richard Mensah’s run down the right-hand side of the London Fennecs box. The Athletic Newham forward would skilfully shift the ball onto his left foot, before seeing his resulting low effort be well closed down and saved by Saeed Pirmoradi.

For their second chance in quick succession, Athletic Newham player Joseph Arnold would curl an effort narrowly wide of the target, from the edge of the London Fennecs penalty area. During the latter stages of the game, London Fennecs must have surely thought that they’d scored a very late winner. The influential Youcef Mezaoui had done really well to keep the ball in on the byline, passing it across to Camille Tani on the left flank. His good cross into the Athletic Newham penalty area would find London Fennecs debutant Nacer Nait Sidi Ahmed. His powerful low initial effort on goal was excellently kept out by goalkeeper Oren Campbell, but on the follow-up the London Fennecs number 17 would finish low into the goal, 1-2.

Athletic Newham would really push for a very late leveller. And they managed to achieve just that after London Fennecs’ captain, Ramy Rouighi, had been deemed to have stopped the ball with his hand, following an effort on goal inside the box, from a resulting corner-kick. With London Fennecs’ captain being shown a straight red card by the referee, as a very late penalty was awarded to the home side. For the second time in this game, Robert Calancea would finish from the penalty spot. This time finding the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 2-2.

It was a heartbreaking end to the game for London Fennecs, but they can still look back on it as a solid point earned, against another good footballing side, in Athletic Newham. All in all I thought that a draw was probably a fair result, although both sides will have thought that they should have got all three points. Rodney Dame, Dawid Potoczek, Idris Aminu and Oren Campbell were some of the Athletic Newham players who I thought had really good games on Tuesday, and they were all contenders for my player of the match award. However, as were London Fennecs players Youcef Mezaoui, Ramy Rouighi, Obinna Nebuwa and Camille Tani. But, in the end a strong defensive performance from London Fennecs’ central-defender, Youcef Mezaoui, and after some great leadership out on the pitch this evening, he is awarded as my player of the match.

Starting line-ups/match-day squads:

Athletic Newham:

(1) Oren Campbell (captain)

(19) Rodney Dame 

(20) Harry Carter 

(7) Idris Aminu

(2) Mihail Elenkov

(9) Richard Mensah

(3) Wilson Mario Mendes

(4) Ilyas Sheikh

(11) Dawid Potoczek

(8) Hector Beta

(10) Robert Calancea

Substitutes:

(6) Joseph Arnold 

(18) Seco Fati

(14) Lucas Gonzalez

(15) Jailson Seidi

(17) Kennybella Mingle

London Fennecs: 

(1) Saeed Pirmoradi 

(3) Camille Tani

(4) Islem Guerniche 

(5) Cameron Sinclair 

(7) Ramy Rouighi (captain)

(6) Youcef Mezaoui 

(14) Obinna Nebuwa 

(8) Mouadh Kermani 

(10) Adam Toubal

(16) Ahmed Ayoub

(12) Xavier Quintero 

Substitutes:

(20) Hichem Mechta

(18) Matthew Harris 

(11) Michael Babarinde 

(17) Nacer Nait Sidi Ahmed 

(2) Olumide Olagunju