A Point Earned, Two Slipped Away

This was a tight, hard fought battle between two sides that showed each other mutual respect. It was a balanced start to the game with both teams opting for a direct end-to-end approach.

Crostyx took the lead courtesy of a well taken short corner. GK Macey got an initial save but could do nothing on the rebound that was scrambled in by a Crostyx forward.

Havering responded strongly by stepping up their press. This paid dividends when P Johnson pickpocketed a Crostyx midfielder, passed it forward to Caruana Smith on the left (in the right post code this time, to everyone's relief) who perfectly picked out Narwal in the dee. Narwal's deft, ice-cold finish pulled Havering level. A goal that was beautiful in its simplicity.

The rest of the half followed a similar pattern with both teams creating chances. While Crostyx enjoyed more of the ball, it was Havering who came closest to stealing the lead when Joslin unleashed a beautifully crafted reverse hit that shaved the post by a whisker.

The second half was a bit more of a cagey affair with Havering's defence, marshalled by Lewis and True, completely stifling Crostyx's attack. Man of the match Ahmed led by example by repeatedly stepping in front of his opponents to snuff out danger early and keep Havering playing high up the pitch. Indeed Crostyx failed to have a single shot on target or a single short corner in the entire second half.

At the other end, Havering firmly held the upper hand. O Johnson and Lee on the right caused havoc with the latter producing a couple of his trademark marauding runs down the side line, helping to win a string of short corners. Sadly, a slight lack of composure in the final third meant a few promising attacks fizzled out just when it mattered most.

Ultimately, a cracking game wrapped up as a 1-1 draw. The Havering squad walked away knowing a point against a strong Crostyx side is nothing to sniff at—even if there was a lingering feeling of "what if" due to overall superiority and the number of chances missed in the second half.

Written by Michael Caruana Smith