Match Report
London Senior Trophy Round 2 - Saturday 15th November
Wimbledon Casuals 2-0 NW London
Tom Phillipson 18' (Wimbledon Casuals)
Tom Phillipson 47' (Wimbledon Casuals)
NW London were eliminated from the London Senior Trophy in the Second Round, falling to a determined Casuals side from the Surrey Premier League—last season's unbeaten champions, who remain at that level only due to ground-grading restrictions.
The Gorillas entered the tie with an already stretched squad, missing Salama, Al-Nashi, Andeme, Mata, Lucchesini, Joseph, Javaloyes, Barker and Balde through injury. Matters worsened on the eve of the match when a virus swept through the squad, ruling out new signings Gul, Montorio and Sontan.
Despite the difficulties, NW London began competitively, but it was the hosts who struck first after 13 minutes, winning the ball high and curling home a composed finish.
The response, however, was immediate. Malanding Sanyang was brought down by the goalkeeper when clean through, an incident that reduced Casuals to ten men and gave NW London renewed belief. From that moment the match became attack-versus-defence, with the Gorillas dominating possession and the hosts defending deep in numbers.
Haliu came closest before the break, firing narrowly wide at the near post, but NW London struggled to break down the compact Casuals block.
The second half followed a similar pattern, but another early setback arrived when a flick-on from a long pass allowed Casuals to break through and score. Malik got a hand to the effort, but the ball still trickled agonisingly over the line for 2–0.
NW London pushed forward relentlessly and carved out several big chances through Sanyang, who twice went clean through—first shooting wide, then straight at the goalkeeper. He went closest of all when his third effort struck the post.
Despite having almost all the ball, the Gorillas were limited to half-chances by a highly disciplined Casuals back line. With only two substitutes available due to illness, NW London struggled to inject fresh energy in the closing stages. Their final opportunity fell to Krasniqi, who fired over deep into stoppage time, confirming their cup exit.
There was at least some positive news, with Farhat and Eseka both featuring after nearly two months out, offering welcome boosts ahead of the next league fixture.