Non-League and Academy football writer

Two step 5 sides in Dunstable and Hilltop met at Creasey Park on Saturday afternoon, in this FA Vase second qualifying round tie. Dunstable are currently in 14th place in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division standings after six league matches played. Hilltop, who play their football in the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division North, are currently in sixth place in that division, after seven league matches played. Dunstable would book their place in the next round of this season’s FA Vase, with a 5-1 win over Hilltop on Saturday.

In what proved to be a fairly even first half of cup football, in the 15th minute of this FA Vase tie, Dunstable would take the lead. With Israel Ajana getting to a loose Hilltop pass ahead of their goalkeeper, inside their penalty area. After taking the ball around the goalkeeper well in the centre of the box, Israel Ajana would slot the ball into the empty goal, 1-0. However, Hilltop would respond well, and in the 23rd minute of the tie, they would draw level. Ibrahim Salih would get to the ball inside of Dunstable’s half of the pitch, before quickly giving the ball to Nadeer Khassay who went forward with it through the middle of the pitch. The Hilltop forward would then play the ball to Kamaal Nur, who from close to the edge of the Dunstable box, would curl a fantastic effort into the top right-hand corner of Matt Burch’s goal, 1-1.

Soon after play had resumed following that Hilltop equaliser, Luqman Ibrahim would get a powerful, dipping effort away on the Dunstable goal (from 24 yards out) which was well tipped over by Matt Burch. Then in the 31st minute of the game and despite Hilltop being on top of the game, Dunstable would retake the lead from a set-piece. With Jake Anthony cleverly nodding the ball home at Hossam Hassan’s near post, after meeting Ashton Grant’s low corner-kick delivery, 2-1. And during the first minute of the second half, Dunstable would establish a two goal lead. As  Hadley Gleeson ran onto Ashton Grant’s perfectly weighted through-ball pass inside the Hilltop penalty area, before rounding the goalkeeper and then finishing past Hussein Hussein on the goal-line, 3-1.

Dunstable would make it 4-1 before the 70th minute of the game, and despite Hilltop creating some good additional openings and chances of their own. The most notable effort of which came from Kamaal Nur, whose curling effort from 23 yards out, was bound for the top right-hand corner of Matt Burch’s goal, but for a great fingertip save from him to tip the ball onto his crossbar. However, for Dunstable’s fourth goal of the afternoon, the influential Jake Anthony would powerfully head home from close range, after meeting Andrew Simmons’ lofted free-kick delivery (from out on the right flank) into the Hilltop penalty area, 4-1.

AbdulWahab Mahamud would go close to getting Hilltop’s second goal of the game, with a powerful low effort from inside the Dunstable box, against their goalkeeper’s left-hand post. But, Dunstable would get a fifth goal late on, and soon after that Hilltop chance. With substitute Aiden Swaby finishing low into the bottom left-hand corner of Hilltop goalkeeper Hossam Hassan’s goal, at the second time of asking from inside the centre of the penalty area, 5-1. Overall this was a very strong and effective performance from Dunstable today, against a Hilltop side who did create chances, but it just wasn’t really their day in front of goal on Saturday afternoon. Kamaal Nur was my Hilltop player of the match today, with Dunstable’s influential captain and number ten, Jake Anthony, being named my player of the match.

Team-sheets/match-day squads:

Dunstable:

(1) Matt Burch 

(2) Andrew Simmons 

(3) JJ Kenna 

(4) Alexander Butt

(5) Kai Phelan 

(6) Charlie Milton

(11) Hadley Gleeson 

(8) Ashton Grant 

(10) Jake Anthony (captain)

(15) Israel Ajana

(18) Daniel Forde

Substitutes:

(9) Danny Webb

(7) Kristian Swaby

(14) Kodi Briggs

(12) Aiden Swaby

(16) Kyle Rahho

Hilltop:

(12) Hossam Hassan 

(7) Ibrahim Khan

(3) Rayyan Adam

(4) Abbas Osman

(8) Hussein Hussein 

(21) Kamaal Nur

(6) Mohamed Hussein (captain)

(2) Luqman Ibrahim 

(20) Ibrahim Salih

(9) Nadeer Khassay

(11) AbdulWahab Mahamud 

Substitutes:

(1) Ahmed Omer 

(22) Hussein Mahdi

(19) Timothy Mpolesha 

(10) Ali Abdulkadir

(15) Samim Rahmani