Match Report
Thurlow Nunn Division 1 South - Wednesday 8th October
NW London 0-1 Stansted
Dan Jones 1' (Stansted)
NW London faced 4th-placed Stansted at Coles Park on Wednesday night, with just four points separating the sides heading into the fixture.
It was a nightmare start for the hosts, as Stansted took the lead after just 52 seconds — Dan Jones was played through following a turnover in midfield and calmly finished past the onrushing Will Barker.
From there, it became the familiar pattern of sustained NW London possession against a deep, disciplined Stansted defence. The visitors made their intentions clear early on — defend in numbers and frustrate.
Despite dominating the ball, NW London lacked their usual attacking sharpness. Several half-chances came and went, but whenever a sight of goal appeared, a Stansted defender seemed to be in the way. The visitors offered little going forward themselves, with their only notable chance being a header that drifted wide from a corner.
The closest NW came in the first half was when Gerrardo Lucchesini blazed over following neat combination play between Wesley Café and Hussein Farhat.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Stansted sitting even deeper and NW London probing for openings. The tempo increased in the final half hour, with several penalty appeals waved away and key defensive blocks denying clear shooting chances.
As the pressure mounted late on, Salama was presented with a huge opportunity in stoppage time — a long throw found him unmarked at the back post, but his volley was straight at the goalkeeper.
It was a rare off night in front of goal for NW London, who had been averaging over two goals a game this season. The absence of top scorer CJ Eseka was keenly felt, as the side struggled to find their usual attacking rhythm.
The Gorillas will look to bounce back quickly when they travel to Basildon Town this weekend.