Non-League and Academy football writer

In a Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture at the New River Stadium on Saturday afternoon, AS London faced FC Baresi. After three league matches played, AS London started this game in 13th place in the league standings, and one place below FC Baresi, who had played six league matches. AS London won 1-0 against FC Baresi on Saturday.

AS London would start this game well. During the first ten minutes of the match AS London would come close to taking an early lead. Dexter Purton would play the ball across to Kleinti Loufi down the left-hand side of the FC Baresi penalty area, from where the AS London number seven would power an effort on Olatunde Omotayo’s goal. However, the FC Baresi goalkeeper would do well to push that effort on his goal behind.

Following on from a decent FC Baresi move, AS London player Kimani McDonald would hit a swerving, powerful effort from the edge of the FC Baresi box on Olatunde Omotayo’s goal, which was well parried away by the goalkeeper. Then, and after Joshua Adeojo’s volley (after meeting a cross to the left-hand side of the FC Baresi box) on goal had been well stopped by Olatunde Omotayo. AS London would be awarded a penalty before half-time, following a foul from Luis Fernando Flores Hernandez on Dexter Purton, inside the FC Baresi box. Up stepped AS London’s captain, Khaneil Brown, in the 39th minute of the game. And he would powerfully finish beyond Olatunde Omotayo into the right-hand corner of his goal, 1-0.

To the second half now, and a great driving forward run by FC Baresi winger Eduin Saul Cruz Aguilar, would result in him taking the ball to the edge of the AS London box. Eduin Saul Cruz Aguilar would then play the ball towards the run of Mkay Kitoko, down the right-hand side of the penalty area. One versus one with goalkeeper Bartosz Klimkiewicz, Mkay Kitoko’s initial low effort had to be well saved. And then on the follow-up, the FC Baresi player’s resulting effort was well turned behind by Bartosz Klimkiewicz. However, AS London would soon begin to create some good additional goalscoring chances. 

A clever pass across the ground by AS London’s captain Khaneil Brown to Emerson Mario D’Jar inside the FC Baresi box, put the AS London substitute through on goal. But, Olatunde Omotayo would make a top save to turn his low effort on goal behind for corner-kick. And the very impressive FC Baresi goalkeeper would then make another top save to get a strong hand to the ball and turn behind Emerson Mario D’Jar’s powerful outside of the boot effort, following that corner-kick.

The game had now started to open up a bit more, as Yannick Kamanan’s FC Baresi side really tried to create more additional chances against a strong and impressive AS London defence. Shortly after Mkay Kitoko’s powerful low effort from the edge of the home team’s penalty area had been well kept out by Bartosz Klimkiewicz, AS London would once again go at the FC Baresi defence. This time Kimani McDonald  went very close to making it 2-0, from inside the penalty area. FC Baresi debutant Carlos Solis would curl a late effort wide from 20 yards out, before the full-time whistle had been sounded. It was definitely a deserved win for AS London today, I thought. And the home side put in a fine team performance. FC Baresi were not at their creative best today. And their goalkeeper, Olatunde Omotayo, had a top game for them. Making several big stops, to limit AS London to just the one goal on the day.

Despite a lot of competition from Khaneil Brown and Benjamin Lewis-Gold, my player of the match award on Saturday goes to AS London’s right-sided central-defender, Ethan Leighton. I thought that he read the game well, putting in an impressive defensive performance.

Starting line-ups/match-day squads:

AS London:

(1) Bartosz Klimkiewicz

(2) Bradley Mavinga 

(6) Benjamin Lewis-Gold

(7) Kleinti Loufi

(3) Alfie Iker

(11) Kimani McDonald 

(5) Ethan Leighton

(4) Khaneil Brown (captain)

(9) Joshua Adeojo

(8) Dexter Purton

(10) Sergi Chele 

Substitutes:

(16) Amidou Traore 

(12) Stanley Adjei

(14) Lukman Ipese

(12) Lukman Ayoade

(17) Emerson Mario D’Jar

FC Baresi:

(1) Olatunde Omotayo

(5) Daniel Alawode

(16) Richard Arhin

(2) Saeed Emmanuel Bangura 

(11) Eduin Saul Cruz Aguilar 

(10) Korede Da Silva

(4) Mahmut Emirali

(3) Luis Fernando Flores Hernandez

(6) Jeremiah Francis 

(14) Mkay Kitoko

(15) Leo Ruci (captain)

Substitutes:

(8) Roberto-William Asaro

(17) Archie Flynn 

(7) Mubaarak Hameed

(9) Carlos Solis 

(12) Isaac Zumbu