Non-League and Academy football writer

Showista FC’s first competitive match in Sunday League football took place on Sunday morning at Pynners Close Playing Fields, in Dulwich. As they faced Sporting Crabs in a Southern Sunday Football League Three fixture. Sporting Crabs would respond to a heavy defeat on the previous Sunday, to win this game 4-1. In fact the home side would take an early lead in the fourth minute of this game. With their number 9’s good, lofted free-kick delivery (from out on the left flank) into the Showista box being headed home on the follow-up by their alert number 8, after the Showista defence had been unable to get the ball clear, 1-0.

Sporting Crabs had certainly started this game well. And shortly after their number 10 had his powerful effort from the right-hand side of the Showista box, pushed behind by the Showista goalkeeper at his near post, the home side would then make it 2-0. With their number 6’s resulting corner-kick delivery being turned home, on the follow-up, by 14 from close range, 2-0. Showista did improve as the first half went on though. And a spectacular and simply unstoppable effort on the turn from Abdirahman Hassan some 35 yards out, would find the top left-hand corner of the home side’s goal in excellent fashion, 2-1.

Showista continued to up their intensity during the remainder of the first half. And before half-time a good team move which had been started by the weaving forward run of Ridwan Mahamodali, would result in the Showista player passing the ball to Outhman Lumiisa, who in turn passed the ball across to Abdirahman Hassan. The impressive Showista midfielder was denied his second goal of the game, with a powerful low effort from 25 yards out, by a great save low down by the outstretched Sporting Crabs goalkeeper. 

During the opening stages of the second half Showista substitute Marco Banella would turn well with the ball before playing a good through-ball pass into the forward run of Abdirahman Hassan down the right-hand side of the Sporting Crabs box. His powerful low effort across goal would have to be well turned behind by the outstretched goalkeeper, however. Despite an initially positive start to the second half from Showista, it was Sporting Crabs who for much of the remainder of the second 45 minutes would finish the game the better of the two sides. They would score their third goal from a set-piece, after their number 14 had powered a very good low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the Showista goalkeeper’s goal from a free-kick close to the edge of the penalty area, 3-1.

Then relatively late on in this contest, Sporting Crabs would make it 4-1 to effectively seal their first win of the season. Their number 14 who was in my opinion their player of the match, would take the ball forward down the left-hand side of the Showista penalty area, where he was fouled by a sliding defender. A penalty was awarded to the home side, which their number 4 would calmly finish low into the middle of the goal, 4-1. It was a good team performance this morning from Sporting Crabs, who played their game well, defended well for much of the game and also scored four good goals from set-pieces. For Showista, I did think that in a long and exciting season ahead for them, that there was a lot of promising things that they could take from their first league game. I have no doubts that they’ll build on that going forward in the coming weeks, with a very talented group of players.

As mentioned previously, the Sporting Crabs number 14 was my player of the match today, with Abdirahman Hassan being my Showista player of the match.