HIGHGATE ALBION V FLAUNDEN

Competition: FA Sunday Cup, Round 4

Date: Sunday January 21, 2024 (1:25pm Kick-Off)

Venue: New River Sports Stadium, White Hart Lane, London N22 5SW

This 4^th round FA Sunday Cup tie brought together; two teams who are champions of their respective leagues. The FA Sunday Cup is like the Champions League of Sunday football, and features the best Sunday teams from across England. For those who think Sunday football is “pub football” and that Sunday football is a dumping ground for the overweight and unfit – think again. The FA Sunday Cup is essentially semi-professional football, and most teams at this stage of the competition would comfortably hold their own in a Step 4 league (and maybe higher) anywhere across Britain. Most of the players who played in this match also play for semi-professional clubs on Saturdays; for clubs playing as high as Steps 3-5 in the football pyramid. A spectator who watched a game in this competition several years ago confessed: “I was very, very, very shocked just how good the football was”.

HIGHGATE ALBION

The home team Highgate Albion is from north London and won the Barnet Sunday League last season (for the 5th time in the past 6 seasons). Last season, Highgate Albion also did something that no London Sunday team had done for nearly 30 years. Not since Ranelagh Sports won the London Sunday Challenge Cup and the Surrey FA Sunday Premier Cup in 1994 had any London team managed to win county cups in two different counties. Then Highgate Albion came along…

In May last year, Highgate emulated that great Ranelagh Sports team by winning the Middlesex FA’s Sunday Premier Cup to add to the London Sunday Challenge Cup it won a month earlier. Those two cups were among the five trophies that Highgate won last season (in the club’s 40th anniversary season). Highgate Albion reached the FA Sunday Cup final in 2022 and went into this tie seeking to reach the FA Sunday Cup quarter-final for the third consecutive season.

This season Highgate left the Barnet Sunday League to join the Sunday Football League – London (SFL). Highgate made this move in order to prioritise the FA Sunday Cup; which the SFL’s light schedule (teams play each other only once per season) will help them to do.

Highgate were without two key strikers for this game: Leon Lobjoit (a prolific striker who scored 60 goals in 50 games for Spartan South Midlands Premier Division champions Leighton Town last season), and powerful striker Jake Cass (who plays semi-professionally at Step 3 on Saturdays for Enfield Town in the Isthmian League Premier Division). Cass is recuperating after surgery on an achilles injury, and although he could not play, he instead supported Highgate as a member of its coaching team.

Despite Lobjoit and Cass not being available, Highgate fielded a very strong squad filled with players who play semi-professional football for Saturday teams who play at Steps 3-5 of the football pyramid (as well as goalkeeper Charlie Taylor who has played international football for Panama`s under-20 team):

FLAUNDEN

The away team Flaunden is from the village of Flaunden in Hertfordshire. Flaunden is the champion of the Berkamstead Sunday League – which Flaunden won last season without losing a league game. That title win was Flaunden’s second consecutive title win and the third time it won the Berkamstead Sunday League in the past six seasons. Flaunden was seeking to become the second Berkamstead Sunday League team to win the FA Sunday Cup after Aylesbury Flooring who won it in 2019.

Both Flaunden and Highgate have long histories. While this season is Highgate Albion’s 41st^t season, Flaunden has been in existence for over 30 years under a variety of predecessor names such as “Classic Envelopes” and “Green Dragon Flaunden”. The three time Berkamstead Sunday League champions travelled down to the New River Sports Stadium in north London to face Highgate in a London v Hertfordshire cup tie. Flaunden brought an impressively large number of supporters, and despite being the away team, they had more supporters in the stadium than Highgate did! Their supporters were also noisier.

Like Highgate, Flaunden’s squad also includes several players who play semi-professionally on Saturdays for clubs at Steps 3-5 of the football pyramid, as well as some players who play for Bovingdon on Saturdays in Division 2 of the Spartan South Midlands League. These include striker Matt Bateman who is the captain of Berkamsted FC who play in the Southern League Premier Division Central (Step 3) and central defender Ed Canham who also plays for Berkamsted. Both players won the Southern League Division 1 championship and Hertfordshire Senior Cup with Berkamsted last season.

Some of their other players also formerly played for high level semi-professional Saturday clubs (such as James Potton who formerly played Step 3 football for Enfield Town and Royston Town).

In FA Sunday Cup matches, the officials usually lead the two teams out onto the pitch, line them up Champions League style, and then have one team walk past the other and shake hands. Flaunden did not seem bothered with this pre-match ritual and instead went onto the pitch to warm up without the officials or Highgate. The officials instead awkwardly led Highgate onto the pitch while Flaunden continued warming up and generally ignored them. By the time the officials and Highgate arrived on the pitch, Flaunden had already lined up in formation ready to play, and reminded the referee that he was late. The match was scheduled to kick-off at 1:15pm, but started 10 minutes late at 1.25pm.

THE GAME

Highgate almost took the lead in the 15th minute when midfielder Luke Alfano hit the crossbar with a fierce left footed shot from the “D” 20 yards out from goal. Alfano hit his shot so hard that the Flaunden goalkeeper Danny Nash did not have time to get his hands up to try and stop it.

Flaunden’s first opportunity came in the19th minute when Flaunden’s James Powell ran through the inside left channel behind Highgate’s defence and as Highgate right back Hermes Matthew Gbio challenged him, Powell fell on the edge of the Highgate penalty area. The referee refused to award a free kick to Flaunden (much to the consternation of Flaunden’s players and coaching team). Had the referee awarded a free-kick he would also have had a bigger decision to make as he would probably have had to send off Gbio who was the closest Highgate player to Highgate’s goal and a foul would have been deemed a straight red card for Gbio for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.

1 minute after this controversial incident Hightgate striker Excellece Muhemba ran down the right wing with the ball and cut back the ball back to Solomon Ofori who shot from inside the area but the Flaunden goalkeeper saved. In the 23rd minute Highgate played a great passing move that started from their defence with center back Alvin Kyeremeh who passed the ball into midfield to left winger Tage Kennedy near the left touchline. Kennedy played a first time reverse pass infield to striker Excellence Muhemba who played in Ofori (who had made a crossfield run from the right wing into the inside left channel). Ofori ran into the penalty area and fired a left footed shot into the top right hand corner of the Flaunden net to put Highgate 1-0 up in the 20th minute.

1 minute after Highgate took the lead,  Muhemba curled a shot from the right edge of the Flaunden penalty area. Just as the ball looked like it was heading into the top left hand corner, Flaunden’s goalkeeper Danny Nash produced an excellent save to tip the ball wide. From the resulting corner Highgate’s captain Ian Maitland challenged for a header, and as the ball bobbled loose, it hit the post as several players on both sides scrambled to reach it. In the 27th minute Muhemba again made the Flaunden goalkeeper work when he hit a shot from the edge of the area which the keeper Nash tipped over the crossbar. At this stage, it was one-way traffic in Highgate’s favour and Flaunden struggled to threaten Highgate’s goal.

Flaunden got a boost when after a rare attack down Highgate’s right flank, Highgate’s captain and central defender Ian Maitland got injured after sprinting back to keep up with Flaunden’s left winger. As Maitland limped, Flaunden fired in a goalbound shot which unfortunately smashed against the back of another Flaunden player and ricocheted wide for a goal kick. Maitland went down after this move and immediately came off injured in the 31st^h minute. Harry Gallagher (who also plays semi-professionally on Saturdays for Northood in the Isthmian League’s South Central Division (Step 4)) replaced him. Gallagher scored the winning goal in Highgate’s 2nd round match against South-East Dons. Tage Kennedy took the captain’s armband from Maitland.

In the 34th minute Highgate worked the ball to Muhemba on the edge of the area, but he shot over the bar instead of passing the ball to right winger Solomon Ofori to his right – who was much better placed. Ofori gave Muhemba a piece of his mind for his poor decision making. In the 39th minute Highgate’s left winger Tage Kennedy (who also plays for Haringey Borough on Saturdays in the Isthmian League, Premier Division (Step 3)) squared the ball for midfielder Lonit Talla; who hit a shot from the edge of the box. Talla’s shot hit the crossbar. That was the third time that Highgate hit the woodwork in the first half. The two players involved in that move have back stories. Kennedy did not play in Highgate’s 2nd round match against South-East Dons in this competition after getting 18 stitches in a head wound he suffered during a car crash just before the match. Talla also plays semi-professionally on Saturdays for Step 3 team Harrow Borough in the Southern League Premier Division South.

After playing only 1 minute of additional time the referee James Keane blew the half-time whistle at 2:11pm. Amazingly, the score was only 1-0. With better finishing Highgate should have been 3-0 or 4-0 up at half-time.

HALF-TIME SCORE: HIGHGATE ALBION 1 –v- FLAUNDEN 0

Highgate started the second half as they ended the first half: putting pressure on Flaunden. In the 56th minute Flaunden’s goalkeeper Nash saved a goalbound shot by Luke Alfano from inside the area, and the ball ran loose and bobbled past Flaunden’s right hand goal post. Highgate’s attacks gained them a barrage of successive corners; which Flaunden’s defence did well to keep out in the cold and gusty conditions.

I kept thinking to myself that this was one of the most one sided 1-0 scorelines I had seen in a very long time, and whether Highgate would regret not converting all the chances they created. I soon got my answer.

In the 59th minute, Flaunden’s James Powell attacked down Highgate’s left flank. Some Highgate players briefly paused; thinking the ball had gone (or would go) out of play. However, Powell kept the ball in play, fired in a cross from the left flank and goalscoring midfielder Alex Marsh converted from the edge of the Highgate 6 yard box. Flaunden equalised with their first shot on target. The goalscorer Marsh has played semi-professionally on Saturdays in the Southern League for Hitchin Town (Premier Division – Step 3) and Biggleswade (Division 1 Central – Step 4). Highgate had only themselves to blame for not converting the many chances they created. By the time Flaunden equalised, it is no exaggeration to say that Highgate could and should have been 4 or 5 goals up with better finishing. This match reminded me of Highgate’s 2nd round match against SE Dons; where Highgate kept creating chances and also kept forgetting to score.

“we could hear the contact from over here”

In the 61st minute Muhemba again ran into the Flaunden penalty area and went down. Highgate appealed for a penalty, but as Muhemba lay on the floor receiving medical treatment the referee instead harshly booked him for simulation. It was not a popular decision with the Highgate bench. Captain Ian Maitland (who went off injured) gave the referee an earful and shouted at him: “we could hear the contact from over here” (bench). 4 minutes later the quicksilver Solomon Ofori went on a mazy run down the right wing (as he often does), twisted and turned, then crossed into the penalty area; where Luke Alfano (who by his high standards had been quiet in the second half) headed in from about 7 yards out to put Highgate 2-1 up in the 65th minute. Flaunden were level for only 6 minutes. I had actually being recording video footage of the move that led to this goal but in my infinite wisdom, stopped recording 1 second before Highgate scored!

In the 72nd minute Tage Kennedy ran clean through on goal and just when it looked like he would put Highgate 3-1 up, he instead tried to square the ball to Ofori rather than shoot. The ball did not reach Ofori and Highgate squandered yet another chance. That was Ofori’s last meaningful involvement in the game as Highgate’s manager Adam Shahein substituted him in the 77th minute and brought on Shehzad Anwar to replace him. This led to a reshuffle as Anwar went into central midfield, striker Excellence Muhemba moved to the right wing where Ofori had been playing, and midfielder Luke Alfano moved to center forward where Muhemba had been playing. These multiple simultaneous changes made Highgate less fluid. They were unsettled and their game got scrappy for a few minutes as players tried to settle in new positions.

5 minutes after these changes, Flaunden attacked again and crossed from the right wing. The cross did not look dangerous and the wonderfully named Highgate midfielder Pele Riley positioned himself to stop the cross with his foot. However, Riley lost concentration, the ball ran under his foot, and it went straight to Flaunden’s midfielder James Potton who shot first time into the right hand corner of Highgate’s goal. Flaunden equalised with only 8 minutes remaining and scored 2 goals with their only 2 shots on target. Potton used to play at a high level at Step 2 for Hemel Hempstead in the National League South. The distraught Pele Riley held his head in his hands and almost fell to the floor in disappointment with himself. Unsurprisingly, 3 minutes later Highgate substituted the shell-shocked Riley and brought on Richard Kofi-Ennin to replace him.

Since so many of the players in this match also played hard matches the day before for their Saturday clubs, perhaps unsurprisingly both teams tired late on. Highgate looked the more tired of the two teams in the final 10 minutes. The second equaliser reinvigorated Flaunden and in the final 10 minutes they looked more dangerous than at any other point in the second half. In contrast Highgate at times appeared rattled in the closing minutes. Matthew Gbio completely missed the ball while attempting a clearance, and with only 3 minutes remaining, Highgate’s center back Alvin Kyeremeh played a disastrous back pass (if giving the ball straight to an opposition player deserves the name). Flaunden’s James Powell once bore down on goal, and tried to take the ball around Highgate’s goalkeeper Charlie Taylor, but at the last moment Taylor clutched the ball off his feet and saved the day for Highgate.

With only 1 minute of normal time remaining, Highgate left back Teddy Stacey ran into Flaunden’s penalty area, and had a chance to win it. However, his shot went just wide and hit the wheel beside the right hand goal post.

After the referee allowed 6 minutes of additional time to be played, the match went into a dramatic penalty shoot out. Highgate’s manager Adam Shahein kept lamenting his disbelief that they had to face a penalty shoot out in a match his team had dominated. Flaunden advanced in the previous round on penalties after winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot out over south London team Clapham Rovers of the Southern Sunday League.

For those who do not like spoilers, I have posted the penalty shoot out below.

Richard Kofi-Ennin scored the winning penalty for Highgate won a dramatic penalty shoot out 7-6 on sudden death to advance into the quarter-finals. Highgate gave themselves a real scare by not converting their chances and put themselves in unnecessary jeopardy. Another team may have punished them for those missed chances. Flaunden deserve credit for being far more clinical than Highgate at converting chances. While Highgate seemed to specialise in missing clear-cut chances, Flaunden were more ruthless with their chance conversion.

PENALTY SHOOT OUT SUMMARY:

FULL-TIME SCORE: HIGHGATE ALBION 2 –v- FLAUNDEN 2 (7-6 on penalties)

Highgate join east London team Baiteze Squad (who beat Highgate in the 2022 FA Sunday Cup final) in the quarter-final draw. In the quarter-final Highgate will play away against Hertfordshire FA Sunday Senior Cup holders St Joseph’s (South Oxhey) who ended the 20 month unbeaten streak of Kent Sunday Premier Cup holders and Ashford & District Sunday League champions Market Hotel in round 4 last weekend after beating Market Hotel 4-2. It is a real shame that two of these three excellent teams (Highgate Albion, St Joseph’s, and Market Hotel) have to be eliminated. They currently hold 4 county cups between them.