Non-League and Academy football writer

Hayes & Hillingdon were looking to make it three wins from their last three league matches, after an opening day defeat to Camden & Islington United, when they hosted Wood Lane at Northwood FC on Saturday afternoon. This promised to be a good Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture, against a Wood Lane side who had started the season quite well, themselves. This game would end in a 1-1 draw.

The first goalscoring chance of this game would arrive in the 15th minute. A good move from Wood Lane would see Rashid Obbadi receive the ball out on the right flank. Rashid Obbadi would then deliver a good low cross into the Hayes & Hillingdon penalty area, and but for a vital challenge from defender Jadon Joseph, to put the ball the ball behind ahead of Kamaal Nur, he was able to stop an almost certain tap in from close range. Before half-time Wood Lane would create another good opening, from a well worked move. As Rashid Obbadi played the ball out to Mohamed Abdelrahman on the left flank. The full-back would deliver a good, low early cross into the penalty area. Finding Kamaal Nur, whose side-footed effort on the half-volley went narrowly over Kian Nicoll’s crossbar. 

Hayes & Hillingdon had not been at their creative best during the first half, but it had been quite a low key first half of football, although Wood Lane could have been leading 2-0 at half-time. Going on to the second half, and early on in the half Wood Lane would take the lead. Following on from a Wood Lane corner-kick, with play having been kept alive by Jay Hines, the ball was then played out to Kamaal Nur on the left flank. His good, curling cross into the penalty area would find Rashid Obbadi, in a bit of space. From where the Wood Lane number 21 would head the ball powerfully into the goal from relatively close range, 0-1. However, Hayes & Hillingdon had raised their intensity a lot during the second half. And it didn’t take the home team long to draw level.

For their equaliser, a Hayes & Hillingdon free-kick which had been awarded out on the right flank, would result in a set-piece routine which had arrived straight off the training ground. With Harry Bishop’s low delivery into the centre of the box finding Michael Gunster, whose effort was blocked by a Wood Lane defender. But, on the follow-up substitute Charlie Casey would power a low effort past goalkeeper Hossam Hassan and into the goal, 1-1.

Hayes & Hillingdon’s work-rate and shape continued to be good during the second half of what was proving to be a competitive contest. Some time after their equalising goal, and following a Charlie Casey corner-kick delivery into the Wood Lane box, the ball would fall for Emmanuel Sholola, whose quickly taken effort was well blocked by Mustafa Elmi. In the end though, and despite a competitive finish to the game, it would finish in a 1-1 draw. Wood Lane was in my opinion the more creative side during the first half. However, Hayes & Hillingdon definitely improved a lot during much of the second half, playing a lot better as a team. A draw was probably the fair result today.

For my overall player of the match award on Saturday, Hayes & Hillingdon’s right-back Jadon Joseph is named as my player of the match. He had a very defensively solid game today. For Wood Lane and despite competition from Mohamed Abdelrahman, I thought that the away team’s player of the match was captain and central-defender, Jay Hines.

Starting line-ups/match-day squads:

Hayes & Hillingdon:

(1) Kian Nicoll

(2) Jadon Joseph

(5) Luke Jones (captain)

(4) Michael Gunster

(3) Harry Bishop

(6) Liam Hind 

(11) Stanley Callier 

(8) Aaron Flower

(7) Samuel Baigent

(10) Harry Flower

(9) Liam Walford

Substitutes:

(12) Abdullahi Aden

(14) Charlie Casey

(15) Emmanuel Sholola

(16) Alfie Burgess

(17) Farhad Amiri

Wood Lane:

(1) Hossam Hassan

(25) Mohamed Abdelrahman

(20) Shuaib Ali

(6) Abdullahi Abdullahi

(12) Ayoub Amellal 

(7) Mohamed-Amin Astan

(10) Rayan Haddi

(5) Jay Hines (captain)

(8) Luqman Ibrahim 

(21) Rashid Obbadi

(14) Mohamuud Mohammed 

(11) Kamaal Nur

(3) Hassan Abdillahi

(9) Mustafa Elmi

(2) Moustafa Sa’ad

(18) Abdihakim Daahir