5.30pm 5 November 2023
Somali British Champions League, Group Stage
Manchester Powerhouse 4 Streatham 2 (att 58)
I enjoyed the games I saw in the last Somali British Champions League so was keen to track down fixtures in this season's competition.
Details aren't too easy to come by but I discovered that Manchester's representatives, and winners of last season's final, were at home and playing on a ground I'd not been to previously. Sort of.
I say 'sort of' as their chosen venue was one of a pair of new artificial pitches at Hough End, where I saw a game on grass in 2019. The 3Gs are far enough from the grass pitch that match was on to justify counting this as a new 'tick'.
When I saw Manchester Powerhouse in the Somali British Champions League last year they thrashed Leicester Atletico. I expected them to do the same to London-based Streatham, who play on Saturdays in the lower reaches of the Surrey South Eastern Combination.
But, although they came out on top, it was a tough Sunday evening for Powerhouse. They fell behind to an early penalty, against the run of play, before a neat finish provided an equaliser before half time.
The home side were on top after the break, going ahead and then getting a third goal that looked to have settled the outcome. Streatham pulled a goal back, but any hopes they had of a revival were quickly deashed by a fourth Powerhouse goal.
This season's Somali British Champions League begins with all eight entrants playing a round robin format. The top two sides will qualify for the semi-finals, those placed third to sixth will play off to join them, while the bottom two are eliminated. Hopefully I'll see more games as the competition progresses.
Comments
Post a Comment