In this interesting Essex Senior League (step 5) fixture on Friday evening at Wadham Lodge, West Essex faced Frenford. West Essex started this match in sixth place in the league table, one point outside the play-off positions. Frenford started this game in first place in the league standings. Frenford returned to winning ways this evening courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win.
After a steady start to this game, West Essex came very close to taking an early lead, from a set-piece. As Marcel McDonald’s whipped free-kick effort from a central position and 20 yards out would bounce off Dominic Alexandru’s crossbar. Then some time later and with West Essex being the more creative side in this game, a top save from Frenford goalkeeper Dominic Alexandru would deny West Essex the lead. With Anthony Martin lifting a cross from the right flank towards Theo Pratt at the back post of the Frenford goal, as his powerful volleyed effort on goal was superbly turned over his crossbar by Alexandru, who made a top reflex save.
Yet in the 35th minute of the game Frenford would take the lead. Steven Carvell’s well delivered lofted free-kick delivery from deep, was met by defender Hocine Krouchi who got up well inside the centre of the West Essex box, to power an unstoppable header beyond George Martin, 0-1. West Essex did create a couple of good additional goalscoring opportunities before half-time, but at the break the scores remained 1-0 to Frenford.
During the opening stages of the second half Frenford defender Hocine Krouchi came so close to getting his second goal of the game. After having connected with a well delivered free-kick into the West Essex penalty area, before then powering a header off the underside of George Martin’s crossbar, which bounced off the goal-line before Martin was just able to gather the ball in time. Quite a while afterwards, and a low free-kick effort by Marcel McDonald, from the edge of the Frenford box, would have to be well parried by Alexandru, after taking a deflection off the wall.
Having subsequently developed into quite an end to end game late on, a significant moment in the game would occur very late on in the game. A penalty was awarded to West Essex after a Frenford defender had fouled Scott Doe, following a long throw-in into the away team’s penalty area. However, after a bit of a delay in the penalty being taken, and some superb goalkeeping from Dominic Alexandru, the Frenford goalkeeper would make a big save to his right to keep out Marcel McDonald’s powerful effort on his goal, going on to save his side. During the final minute of the game a late counter from Frenford saw substitute Nelly Malek go forward down the right, resulting in him taking the ball just inside the West Essex box. But, his low effort on goal was well saved by the feet of George Martin.
Although this wasn’t Frenford’s very best performance of this season, Imrul Gazi and Steven Carvell’s team dug deep, adapting their game well and producing some important moments in the game in both goals to make sure of all three points, against a strong West Essex team. Two fantastic and hugely important saves and some good all-round goalkeeping from Dominic Alexandru, results in the Frenford goalkeeper being named my player of the match on Friday.
Team-sheets/match-day squads:
West Essex:
(1) George Martin
(2) Jimi Feeley
(15) Jovan Shand-Aldridge
(4) Theo Pratt
(5) Scott Doe (captain)
(14) Fahad Nazor
(8) George Rankin
(9) Chaka Barnett
(6) Martin Onoabhagbe
(10) Anthony Martin
(11) Marcel McDonald
Substitutes:
(7) Darnell Fuller
(17) Nick Reynolds
(18) John Elongo
(16) Kieran Bailey
(19) Presley Evans
Frenford:
(1) Dominic Alexandru
(15) Samir Hussain
(5) Thomas Scantlebury
(6) Hocine Krouchi
(3) Samuel Davanta Junior Bayon
(10) Steven Carvell (captain)
(14) Yasser Maalin
(19) Asad Ahmed
(7) Jesse Mansaray
(11) Rian Patel
(9) Christian Gyamfi
Substitutes:
(2) Mame Balla Ndao
(4) Theophilus Ola
(12) Arman Uzzaman
(17) Romeo Mudhar-Hedley
(18) Nelly Malek
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