Hadley Wood & Wingate 3 - 0 Arlesey Town Reserves

By Khalid Karimullah

Hadley Wood & Wingate welcomed basement strugglers, Arlesey Town Reserves, to the spring sun shined Maurice Rebak Stadium – and they put on a show for what was their last home game of the season.

Mason Tunbridge broke to the inside right, recycled with William Figueria, before striking wide of the left-hand post from 18-yards. Nicholas Kouroushi’s deep corner fell to Vassili Mandeville who placed back across to Figueria, but his shot on the turn was blocked and hooked away.

Tunbridge played Muyiwa Osenie away to chase the ball, who looked clean through for a one-on-one, only for Eodie Lungay to recover and deny the opportunity. Kouroushi dropped his corner right inside the six-yard box, Jake Casey rose highest placing his header inches wide of the back-post.

Casey’s cutting pass found Osenie to latch onto possession, his byline cross looking for Webb was hooked inches over the bar by Reece Stokes. Tunbridge played wide to Osenie down the inside right, whose one-on-one was saved down well by the legs of Alfie Hickman.

Kouroushi zipped a strike off the surface from 25-yards, which was near to creeping inside the bottom corner. Figueira paced through with Osenie to his left, he decided to go at it alone just lobbing his dipper inches wide.

Tunbridge demanded the ball, set up his shot on the turn from afar, which cleared the crossbar by a whisker. Casey found Osenie, who on the stretch got his shot away but was denied by Hickman staying big.

Mandeville recovered brilliantly to deny Charlie Scott from countering for a one-on-one with a clean, but tough tackle. Five minutes into the second-half, the hosts made their dominance count.

Tunbridge freed Osenie who latched on and placed across Hickman for a cool-as-you-like finish. Osenie came close to an immediate second, holding off Lungay before looking to lob Hickman who just managed to tip over.

Osenie shimmied through challenges prior to being taken down inside the area just past the hour mark. Olakunle Akinwande stepped up firing to Hickman’s right who got a strong hand to keep the deficit down.

Tunbridge drove through the middle poking through to Osenie who placed just wide across the face of goal. Tunbridge then crashed his in-swinging corner onto the top of the upright.

Akinwande rushed through on goal striking to the inside of the near-post which was kept out by Hickman down low. Two quick-fire goals saw Hadley Wood home safely. Akinwande dinked through to Osenie placing across to Webb, who prodded in from close nine minutes from the end.

Four minutes later, Akinwande controlled from his left to right, striking with menace as the ball deflected off Lungay and dipped over Hickman.

Tunbridge’s corner arrived to Yuhei Mizusawa, making his debut, who looked to guide in from close, but was denied his breakthrough goal when Hickman smothered his shot.

By Khalid Karimullah

Hadley Wood & Wingate:

1. Martin Arnauchkou
2. Cameron Lyttle
3. Romario Cazaubon → 12. Jake Mead 55’’
4. Jake Casey
5. Vassili Mandeville (c)
6. Joseph Toscani
7. William Figueira → 14. Olakunle Akinwande 61’’
8. Mason Tunbridge
9. Muyiwa Osenie
10. Ronnie Webb
11. Nicholas Kouroushi → 15. Yuhei Mizusawa 63’’

Unused Subs:

13. Ross Weinrabe
16. Mohammed Ahmed

Arlesey Town Reserves:

1. Alfie Hickman
2. Fabian Nieli
3. Ross Taylor
4. Aaron Gooch
5. Eodie Lungay
6. Reece Stokes
7. Cameron Sharp
8. Craig Skelton (c)
9. Callum Scott
10. Charlie Scott
11. Ryan Lamond

Unused Sub(s):

12. Sam Boggon

Referee: Giani Pop
Attendance: 31