Mohammedan 1 – 0 Bricklane

Although the scoreline may suggest another quiet, dull, cold afternoon in Victoria  Park, this highly anticipated action packed derby proved to be quite the opposite.

The exhilarating game itself was intensely fought, with battles taking place in every department of the pitch. A game of nerves, opportunities, misses and amazing saves followed by one magical moment had the crowd on their toes throughout the whole game.

Both Mohammedan and Bricklane displayed a very strong defensive strategy from the start. Eager not to concede the first goal, both teams were very effective at breaking down each others attacks and stopping the fluidity of the play. Bricklane however dominated throughout the game (for upto 75 minutes) with better passing, better first touch control on the ball and by getting men behind the ball.

Both teams had ample opportunities to score, with Bricklane looking like the most deserved team to take the lead. But due to a lack of clinical finishing and missed opportunities, Bricklane failed to take the game by the horns. Their amazing young striker, Altaf missed a golden opportunity to take lead, but was denied due to a bobble on the pitch, leading him to completely miss cue his shot and miss the ball from 8 yards out.

Mohammedan also had their chances, but were denied by the Bricklane keeper, Ruhel,  who was on fantastic form. Ruhel would have been deserved of the Man of the Match title had they won. But this honour was to be recieved by another hero, a player who helped Mohammedan clinch the victory with seconds remaining on the clock.

A stroke of genius was to set the teams apart and decide the final outcome of the game. Mohammedan were trailing quite far behind in the first half. The former league champions looked sluggish and lacklustre against an up and coming young, energetic, youthful Bricklane team. However, due to resilience, grit and determination, the team finally managed to lift up their spirits, knowing that the title was at stake and a point would not suffice. Had Mohammedan lost this game, the run for the title would surely be over. The team needed the victory and started to treat the game as more of a cup final rather than just another Sunday afternoon league match.

This eagerness to win amplified their enthusiasm on the pitch and lead to a wave of attacks towards  the Bricklane goal in the latter part of the second half. Both teams played a very direct style of counter attacking football in the last twenty minutes, with Mohammedan forcing more saves and blocks from the Bricklane defence. The end to end pace of the game was taking a toll on all the players on the pitch. Stamina was the key to winning the game and unlocking the result, both teams had given it their all, but only the fittest were to survive. After an array of missed opportunities, the game was looking as though it may head for a stalemate. But one piece of magic, skill and brilliance was to prove otherwise.

It was predicted that something special was definitely needed to separate the two teams after an arduous work out from both teams.  With only seconds to go before the end of the game, Mohammedan winger Sadique drifted towards the centre of the pitch and gave a diagonal aeirel through pass to Raju, from just outside the box. The ball was perfectly lifted above the bricklane defence, only for Raju, who had broken the offside trap, to latch on to the ball inside the penalty area and finish it with classy lifted half volley into the back of the net. Raju was determined to lead by example as Joint Player Manager of the team and proved it by scoring an amazing goal.

This Victory for Mohammedan has taken them into third place and a step closer towards fighting for the title, where as Bricklane, who would have been happy with a draw, are further deepened into worry after edging towards a fight for survival in 7th place.

Fozzie, Mohammedan Joint Player Manager / Coach concluded by saying:

“This game was always going to be a tight one, local derby’s always seem to be closely fought and contested. But we won in the end, even though we could have played better. This is a sign of a potential championship winning side. A team who, although playing not so well, can  grind out an important result”.

With plenty of big games ahead, and to win the title or to avoid relegation, Mohammedan and Bricklane must treat every game as a must win game.

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Inner London Football League

Match report by Juwel Mahmud (East London News)