Markham Magic

AFC Stanley produced some excellent finishing to defeat F.C. Greatness 3-2 at Cedar Road. On the back of their loss to Totaalvoetbal in their last match, Greatness started strongly and had two early chances by Faust Baronchelli go close. They would turn out to be the only ones of the half but the second would start in spectacular fashion. Martinus Benfari was the source of the excitement as he launched himself at a Filippinetti corner to put a diving header past Hessbo. Stanley finally emerged as an attacking force moments later but Garry Molseley couldn’t make a header count. Their task became much harder moments later as Filippinetti headed home a Sifredi corner to double the home side’s lead. However, Stanley weren’t done and Molseley responded with a fire-cracker of a shot inside the penalty area. The equaliser would follow quickly as Cal McMac looped a header over Rachao to leave Greatness reeling. Stanley would complete the stunning turn-around with a clever toe-poke from Mitchell Arkwright which would see their fans dancing in the stand. Baronchelli hit a free-kick straight at Hessbo as Greatness struggled to find a way back and were to be left wondering where it had all gone wrong. Stanley news reported that the club was ‘buoyed’ by their comeback as they prepare for the next match against Totaalvoetbal. Greatness manager Darrencalvert has been quiet in recent times following a couple of defeats but they are sure to come back hard in their next game.

ThunderCats F.C remained top of the table but had to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw with Milan. The game would have plenty of openings and Leonardo Borja forced Julian Speroni into an early save. Paulinho Ornelas was the next to have an opening for the hosts but his header went wide and Milan would then stun the leaders as Ricardo Kaka hit a delightful free-kick into the net. This lifted them and Kaka had a headed effort saved as they looked for the second goal. Nelson Queimado did nothing to ease the nerves of the home fans as he headed wide but Milton Alzamendi couldn’t capitalise as he also headed wide at the other end. The home side had further chances to equalise before the break but Nelson Queimado and Fabricio Cidade’s efforts only ended in frustration. Cidade brushed a post at the start of the second-half while Humphrey Biehn underlined the threat posed by Milan by going close with a side-footed shot. The home side finally managed to drag themselves level on 68 minutes as Silvio Falcao produced a flamboyant diving header to leave Speroni helpless. ThunderCats were now looking very confident and Queimado went close with a free-kick before Carlos Partini headed home to complete the home side’s recovery. However, just as they thought they had rescued the three points Milan produced a moment of clinical play. Sean Scannel would deliver a telling cross and Biehn looped a header over Magro to ensure Milan would go home with a point. Meelas won’t have been pleased after their second successive home draw and he will want his side to show a more ruthless streak. MarkieRich’s side have shown they can mix it with everyone in the league but consistency will be the key to whether they can move up the table.

Three Lions put in a tough display to leave Totaalvoetbal pointless at Wembley Stadium. The first-half saw Totaal edge play following a Zlatan Izuhimovic header which was saved by Rimmer. Horacio Metelo hit a free-kick just wide, Pierre van Diemen forced Casillas into a smart save and Edwin Hayter couldn’t quite overcome a tight angle as the visitors looked to break the deadlock. However, the chances went begging and Three Lions emerged the stronger after the break. Luca Tonizu forced Rimmer into an excellent save before Izu Kaka put a header just wide as they looked to up the pressure on the visitors. With the game in injury-time you sensed that both sides would be taking home a point each but a silly challenge from Barrere led to a penalty which Izu Casillas finished clinically. Totaal were disappointed with the defeat but manager Meeblind credited Izuka with ‘an excellent victory’ before wishing him ‘the best’ for the season. Izu paid tribute to his defenders who ‘were in fine form’ and he will hope they can maintain that in the coming weeks.

West Brom Strollers continued to gain in confidence in the top division with a dominant 2-0 home win over Hun Haters. Richard Sneekes laid the foundation for the win with a powerful eighth minute header which flew past Boruc. West Brom were impregnable defensively and might have added to their lead but Willie Johnston could only lob his effort over the bar. They suffered further frustration in their quest for a second goal as a brilliant lob by Cyrille Regis was chalked off due to a doubtful offside decision. The second-half was a similar story as HH couldn’t find any way to get through a strong rearguard while the Strollers continued to find openings. Regis had another lobbed effort but this time could only put it over the bar but they did eventually double their lead. Sneekes was put through by Tony Brown and he rounded the ‘keeper expertly to slot home. Regis missed a late headed chance but West Brom had done more than enough to secure the three points in a 2-0 win. Dinky declared himself ‘really pleased with the performance level’ before adding that the ‘defence has been immense’ in recent times. While everything is going well for West Brom these are worrying times for Celticchris at Hun Haters following a start to the season which has seen them take just one point and they could soon be completely adrift of those around them.

Another side struggling at the wrong end of the table are Yorkshires Amateurs and they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Santos. The Amateurs got off to a dreadful start as Fredrick Winnerljung shot home in the penalty area to give Santos a third minute lead. A free-kick teed up for Helmer Hedberg led to Vadge needing to be alert but the Amateurs would respond with their first chance. Micky Cox would finish expertly through the legs of Rodenas after being slipped in by Fred Franklin and the game was tied. The sides would then trade chances with Richardo Ferrari and Oliver Ambler forcing the respective ‘keepers into smart work before Patricio Bento fired over before half-time for Santos. The hosts would start the second-half in unfortunate fashion as Rogerio Franca hit an effort off the woodwork as they searched for their second goal. However, the Amateurs would have a response and had their own piece of misfortune as Andrew Potts hit the bar with a free-kick before Fred Franklin hit a shot into a post moments later. Santos would re-establish themselves from this point on, though, and Bento fired home from a corner to give them a vital lead. Franca headed over before Ferrari hit the bar with a header as Santos searched for further reward. Bento had a further chance in injury-time but their one-goal lead would be enough to give them the three points and leave Amateurs disheartened once more. Sean is quietly moving his side into a challenging position and if they can get their defence a little tighter they will be a real handful for the rest of the season due to their offensive capabilities. Danlufc13 will need to figure out a way for his side to start scoring as with just three goals in six games it is clear where their problems lie.

New York City had to rely on a late goal to take a point against Tranmere but will wonder how they didn’t take all 3 in a game they dominated. They nearly took the lead in the first minute as Leroy Upson hit his own post and Demetrio Delpiano also went close before Tranmere struck at the other end. Christiano Olias would be the scorer as he netted a penalty following a clumsy challenge. New York would immediately return to the front foot following the goal and shortly after a near-miss from Ralf Kron they had a penalty of their own. Unfortunately for them, though, they couldn’t take advantage as Elvis MacCaran saw Onyszko tip the ball over. The ‘keeper would then save at the feet of Shinosuke Isimaru as Tranmere managed to hold their lead going into half-time. The second-half brought fewer chances and Tranmere might have extended their lead had Olias got more bend on his free-kick. Eugene Kameni Idriss had a free-kick saved at the other end before a dramatic finish saved City. MacCaran was put through by Peng Man and powered in a super shot which Onyszko couldn’t do anything with. The sides remain level on points and both Jimmy and Baz will know they will need to keep picking up wins to keep themselves in touch with the leading teams as the season progresses.