An awkward, and ultimately uncomfortable victory for Magical Vegas, extended their run of victories to 4 with a win over new side Kensington Borough in the Islington Midweek Football League last week.
The two young sides didn't have a lot of difference between them in the opening exchanges with Kensington looking the more dominant in possession early on. Vegas failed to hold on to the ball for long enough to build up pressure but found the quickest way to goal was to be more direct with their passing as they faced an intense high press from their youthful counterparts.
With Borough looking dangerous, a great piece of playmaking from striker Erol Resat released Perry Price down the left who gave Vegas a 1-0 lead with a calm finish after 15 minutes. Despite the intense high press and technically good football players, Borough couldn't find an answer to the movement of the Vegas strikers in the final third.
Mikes Appiah, making his first appearance of the season, thundered a header past a despairing dive of the goalie from a pin-point cross from Shane McNamara after a clever back heel from Resat in the right channel, 2-0 Vegas. They soon made it 3 when Price swung in a dangerous ball from the right that was flicked on by Appiah, Resat pounced, and buried his sides third goal in 30minutes.
A fourth came minutes before half-time when Hussein Hussein played a good ball down the left into the run of Resat, there was still plenty to do. He ran 20 yards - under pressure throughout - and calmly slotted his second of the night into the far corner from inside the box. They simply had no answer to the clinical finishing the Vegas boys were displaying.
David Willis had made a crucial pair of saves for Vegas that had maintained the scoreline thanks to his magnificent reactions from long-distance shooting.
Half-time gave Kensington time to reflect and they came out all guns blazing in the second half, Vegas couldn't string 3 passes together and continually lost the ball in their own half. Eventually, the pressure told and Borough gave themselves a glimmer of hope when a pass out from the back was cut off and the nippy number 10 striker fired in past goalie David Willis with a strike that brushed the underside of the bar.
Their hope was short-lived and their insecurities at the back exposed when striker Kaleb King, on for Appiah, ran onto a long-ball from McNamara. The ball bounced over the onrushing goalie and King simply had to hold off the defender and tap the ball home - 5-1.
Resat was not to be denied his hat-trick, the man-of-the-match ran onto a good through ball from debutant Emmanuel Yeboah - rounded the goalie and fired a perfect shot from quite a far way out in the left channel to take home the match-ball (not really they're expensive!).
Borough still came at Vegas and a magnificent header from their striker made it 6-2 with his header looping into the top corner from a great cross about 10 minutes from time.
Vegas had the last laugh when a low corner was dummied at the near post by Resat, the fall was challenged and won by Tre Thompson which fell to King 8 yards out. He back-heeled a perfect effort into the near post to make the scoreline pretty embarrassing for Kensington.
Vegas will need to look after the ball better in their next game against fellow high-flyers White City Wanderers in the top of the table clash next week.
