Football Review – A Non-League Football Review

Goals from Issa Sidibe and Matthew McDowell helped Walthamstow Reserves onto Essex Alliance League Senior Division victory over senior division champions FC Baresi.

Stow dominated early on in the match, but couldn’t make it count. The ball was pinged around the box in the opening minutes before the linesman’s flag halted the attack before an early cross was onto the roof of the net. The ‘away’ side looked to bring the ball forward themselves, but Stow managed to nick it away before Murat Karagul flicked the ball straight at the keeper.

Walthamstow had an opportunity to break the deadlock in the eighth minute as a Stow player was upended in the box by the Baresi keeper, but the keeper reprieved himself by guessing the right way. FC Baresi looked to get on the front foot after the penalty miss, but the keeper managed to get a stong hand to it, before the opening goal came in the 13th minute: Issa Sidibe played through and made no mistake as he slotted the ball beyond the keeper.

The game remained end-to-end as both sides came forward. For the ‘home’ side, Matthew McDowell twisted and turned on the edge of box, but sent his effort just wide and Sidibe couldn’t quite add his second, as he curled an effort wide of the target. Baresi’s chances came from a set-piece, which was headed clear before Raymond Poku saw his cross into the box cleared after a magnificent effort to keep it in play. FC Baresi found themselves level halfway through the first half out of nothing. A corner from Marvin Dolapo Hamilton-Omole came off the head of a Stow defender and straight into the net.

Walthamstow sought to retake the lead and came close as the Baresi keeper tipped the ball over the crossbar before McDowell added a second. Ezra Agyiri saw his shot come off the post with McDowell tapping home the rebound. Straight from the restart, FC Baresi looked to get back on level terms. Hamilton-Omole’s cross was straight into the keepers hands before Karagul came close twice: his first effort tripped around the post before his second came off the upright. A corner from the ‘away’ side bounced on the line, but the Stow keeper did well to scoop it away from danger despite shouts that it had crossed the line.

The second half had a slower start, but FC Baresi started the better of the two. A cross was held comfortably by the keeper before he managed to somehow keep a show out with the faintest of touches. Stow had finally managed to get the ball out of their own half, but a defensive clearance was tipped over the bar by the Baresi keeper, before they continued to come forward. Noyan Tajbakhsh was involved heavily for Baresi as he sent a ball across the face of goal, but no one was close enough to tap it home before he tried his luck from distance, but the ball was fired over the bar.

As the game reached the final 15 minutes, both sides continued to battle well in midfield and turning over possession regularly. Tajbakhsh unleashed a shot from outside the box but the keeper managed to get something on it with the resulting corner cleared before Junior Appiah looked to be through on goal, but a last ditch tackle denied him a goal scoring opportunity.

Walthamstow looked to seal the victory with only a few minutes to go but an effort from distance was just wide and Ezra Agyiri’s chip was just over the bar. Baresi threw what they could for the remained of the game, but couldn’t quite find the finishing touch. Nicola Rapacchiani attempted a chip over the keeper but saw the ball hit the top of the crossbar before they came close to an equaliser, but outstanding goalkeeping and a triple save meant the ‘away’ side were denied a late equaliser in added time.