4.30pm 9 October 2022
Somali British Champions League, Group A
OIR 1 Tusaale United 7 (att 20)
The Somali British Champions League only caught my attention for the first time last season, as its concluding matches took place in June when football was thin on the ground.
I didn't make it to a game then, but I kept my eye out for details of this season's competition, which has attracted 12 clubs all with a Somali heritage. Most are London-based but it has a wide spread, stretching to Cardiff, Manchester and Sheffield.
Tusaale (the name translates from Somali as 'example') are from Sheffield. Having played a Sheffield County Senior League game on Saturday it's quite a commitment to then head down to London for a Sunday fixture.
OIR play in the Middlesex County League. Their regular home venue is at Enfield College, but this was played instead at nearby Enfield Grammar School. The 3G pitch is typical, being floodlit and enclosed by a tall fence. Changing rooms are just outside the 'cage'.
I don't know how closely the two line-ups reflected their regular teams for league games, but as Tusaale are effectively two tiers below OIR the size of their win was a surprise to me.
They scored early, had four by half time, and had reached half a dozen by the time some generous defending allowed the home side their scant consolation. Even then the scoring wasn't over, as Tusaale netted a late seventh. I imagine they'll have enjoyed their journey back up the M1.
Hopefully this won't be the only Somali British Champions League game I get to watch this season.
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