Last season’s 2025/26 Corinthian Cup winners, East London Ballers Reserves, started their journey in this season’s highly prestigious Essex Sunday Corinthian Football League cup competition, when they faced Gants Hill in a second round tie (at West Ham Foundation Ground) on Sunday morning. Two strong Division 2 sides, East London Ballers Reserves would win this cup tie 8-2, after putting in an excellent team performance.
East London Ballers Reserves would start this cup tie the more creative of the two sides. However, it was Gants Hill who went on to create the best early opportunity of the game. With Yasir Rashid’s good, whipped corner-kick delivery to the back post of the home team’s goal being glanced just wide by Joshua Adu. Around ten minutes later, and the East London Ballers Reserves would take the lead. Their captain Mohammed Bhayat’s well delivered free-kick from out on the left flank had plenty of pace on the ball. However, after being met by Husnain Ahmed inside the team’s penalty area, he would volley an excellent effort past Shaan Dail and into the goal, 0-1.
Before the home team would make it 2-0, skilful Gants Hill player Yasir Rashid would skilfully create an opportunity inside the penalty area, having taken the ball across to a more central position inside the box. His resulting well hit effort would go only a fraction wide of Usman Khurshid’s right-hand post. However, for East London Ballers’ second goal of the morning Mahmoud Yagob would deliver a good ball (from a corner-kick) into the Gants Hill box. The ball was met by Husnain Ahmed, whose headed effort on target was just glanced into the goal by centre-forward Che Clarke from close range, 2-0.
East London Ballers Reserves continued to get better and better as the first half went on. Following some good anticipation from Mahmadou Camara to win the ball from deep, he would then progress the ball forward down the right flank before eventually playing the ball across to Husnain Ahmed, who from a more central area/towards the edge of the Gants Hill box, would get an effort away. And what an emphatic finish from Husnain Ahmed, whose powerfully struck and simply unstoppable effort went high into the goal beyond the goalkeeper, 3-0. Just before half-time the home team came close to going 4-0 up, after Husnain Ahmed’s perfect pass from midfield had found Che Clarke, who took the ball in his stride down the left-hand side of the Gants Hill penalty area, where his low effort on goal was well kept out and saved by the feet of the outrushing Shaan Dail.
Gants Hill started the second half in much improved fashion as a team. Following some good work down the left from Yasir Rashid, he would play the ball across to Joshua Adu on the edge of the home team’s penalty area. The forward’s powerfully struck effort on goal was well saved by Usman Khurshid, before East London Ballers player Mahmoud Yagob then went close following a counter up the other end of the pitch. After Gants Hill player Zayn Ali’s very good whipped free-kick effort (from 25 yards out) had found the top left-hand corner of Usman Khurshid’s goal (3-1), Gants Hill now found themselves on top as they looked for another goal. And the visiting team soon got another quick goal, following a good move which had been started by Yasir Rashid, would result in Umaru Kabia’s cross from the right being finished on the slide by Joshua Adu inside the penalty area, 3-2.
With Gants Hill now on the search for an equaliser, East London Ballers Reserves had to try and find their composure as a team again, and improve on the ball. And they certainly more than did both of those things as a team, in superb fashion! Some great pressing and persistence by Mahmoud Yagob inside the Gants Hill final third would see him get to a loose back-pass by a defender. And after Mahmoud Yagob had skilfully rounded the goalkeeper inside the penalty area, he would finish low into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 4-2.
Soon after getting their fifth goal of the game the Corinthian Cup holders would make it 5-2. East London Ballers substitute Oluwatayo Felstead’s excellent and top quality diagonal lofted ball from midfield found Ojukwu Chibueze Lawrence down the right-hand side of the Gants Hill penalty area, from where he would finish across goal and into the bottom left-hand corner, 5-2. What a great intensity and energy the East London Ballers Reserves would continue to play with, as they finished this game in relentless style.
For goal number six for East London Ballers, Cole Edwards would pass the ball to Husnain Ahmed on the edge of the away team’s box, from where his pass to Shaun Scudder saw his effort on goal be saved by Shaan Dail, with Husnain Ahmed following up to finish from close range inside the penalty area, 6-2. And then soon afterwards another influential substitute for the home side, in Shaun Scudder, would get to the ball down the left-hand side of the Gants Hill box, following a move. And Shaun Scudder would finish low and powerfully past the goalkeeper at his near post, 7-2. Before full-time a very impressive East London Ballers Reserves team would make it 8-2. Cole Edwards’ excellent and tricky forward run from deep down the left flank into the opposing team’s penalty area, resulted in him unselfishly squaring the ball for Husnain Ahmed, who for his fourth goal of the game would slot the ball low into the goal, 8-2.
Played between two very good Division 2 sides yesterday, this was an outstanding performance in large parts from East London Ballers Reserves. After Gants Hill had got the scores back to 3-2 and with the home team only leading by the one goal, it did look like the away side were going to draw level. However, this East London Ballers Reserves side, as they showed on their run to the final of this competition last season, are top quality once they get going, and their team performance in this cup competition was yet another one for them to be extremely proud of.
With an incredible four goals and one assist on Sunday excellent East London Ballers CAM Husnain Ahmed was my player of the match. Mentions must also go to Yasir Rashid, Mahmoud Yagob and Troy Osei-Bobie.
Team-sheets/match-day squads:
East London Ballers Reserves:
(1) Usman Khurshid
(17) Archie Niyazi
(9) Che Clarke
(3) Cole Edwards
(8) Iyaad Bhatti
(14) Kenzi Semar
(15) Mahmadou Camara
(10) Mahmoud Yagob
(7) Oluwatayo Felstead
(6) Mohammed Bhayat (captain)
(11) Ojukwu Chibueze Lawrence
(13) Raiyyan Patel
(16) Shaun Scudder
(5) Troy Osei-Bobie
(2) Zayd Moola
(12) Husnain Ahmed
Gants Hill:
(1) Shaan Dail
(17) Krishan Singh
(15) Dilan Thandi
(4) Othman Othman
(11) Umaru Kabia
(3) Omar Folkes
(19) Jamal Khan
(2) Ollie Crickmar
(9) Joshua Adu
(14) Mahdi Khan
(8) Yasir Rashid
(7) Zayn Ali
(16) Zaeem Husein
(10) Arminas Gricius
(12) Selemani Mohamed
(5) Deese Madia
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