September 1, 2024...League1 Ontario...Hamilton United vs Burlington SC game report (by Rocket Robin)

................

Result and details of the Sunday September 1, 2024 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game between Hamilton United
and Burlington SC played at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton at 1:00pm.

Hamilton United (orange socks and shirts, gray shorts, white numbers)

......................1 Michael Ciarmoli
5 Miles Phillips...3 Bleron Azemi...6 Alban Boci...14 Ibrahim Ahmat
........7 Elton Nyumah (cpt)...24 Dylan Aziz...12 Denis Neziri
.......18 Zachary Maharaj...22 Ali Assaad...21 Graydon Howie

Subs:...11 Leandro Alberto Silverio...18 Vukasin Kovacevic...20 Moussa Limane
team officials:...head coach Kamran Derayeh...assistant coach Andrew Derayeh...physiotherapist Jamie Volk

Burlington SC (yellow socks and shirts, blue shorts and numbers)

.....................1 Daniel Novak
18 Daniel Jodah...5 Juan Jaramillo (cpt)...19 Joseph Nagnonhou...16 Antoni Pyziak
12 Ddavid Gambrah...11 Adam Poradzisz...17 Matheus Mello...26 Keani Fairbanks
.............15 Leaford Allen...22 Christian Ferraro

Subs:...40 Andrew White (gk)...7 Lucas Raposo...8 Yordan Stoyarov...13 Jacob Bagaso
...21 Osilama Sunny-Kanabe...24 Thierry Irumva
team officials:...head coach Darren Tilley...assistant coaches Neil Wilson, Alban Lika, and Julio Garcia
...goalkeeper coach Michael Neptune...physiotherapist Dana Flatt

Game officials:...referee Nava Rajajbi...referee's assistants Parsa Norouzian and Ehsaan Khan
...fourth official Mahboob Gulestani

First Half:...game starts 1:01pm...Hamilton defends north end.
50 sec...Burl player's chip from 25 yards on left is wide right is deflected for cornerkick.
5 min...Ham Nyumah bursts up middle is squeezed by two defenders at 22 yards and ball deflects over to Ham Howie
but his first-touch rolls it over end line wide left from 18 yards.
9 min...Burl Gambrah cross from 20 yards on right has goalie leap to swat ball out left side of box starting Ham fast break out.
11 min...Burl Ferraro low 28 yard sshot from slsight left hass goalie save on near post.
12 min...Burl Mello cornerkick from left has ball stopped on left side of box by nearest defender. Burl Fairbanks lofts 15 yard
rebound from slight left well over net.
14 min...Burl Maharaj shoots 18 yard roller from right between players in box and goalie smothers on near post.
16 min...Ham Nyumah at Burl 40 yard line rolls pass forward to Ham Howie who runs to 10 yard line.
16 min...Burl Gambrah run to right end line and cross is caught by goalie on near post.
17 min...Burl Allen on give and go gets between players and goalie sprawl and pushes ball wide left.
18 min...Burl player's cornerkick from left has goalie swat ball out right side of box.
18 min...Burl Poradzisz 7 yard shot along left end line has goalie make save.
19 min...Burl Jodah 25 yard low shot between players on far right has goalie save with sprawl.
20 min...Burl Ferraro shot from left is saved. Burl Poradzisz rebound is also stopped.
20 min...Burl Ferraro shoots 28 yarder from slight left that's well over bar.
22 min...Burl Ferraro cornerkick from right has goalie palm ball over bar.
23 min...Burl Mello cornerkick from left is low and Ham Maharaj clears on left side of box.
24 min...Burl Ferraro shot from 20 yards near left end line has goalie make great foot save.
25 min...Burl Jaramillo freekick from 25 yards slight left hits outside of right post.
27 min...Burl Jaramillo 20 yard freekick from slight left hits head in player wall and then the bar.
27 min...Burl Jodah high cross from near right cornerflag is over players in box and defender clears on left.
29 min...Ham Neziri long chip from 40 yards has Ham Maharaj not able to keep ball in play on right end line.
29 min...Burl Ferraro low 15 yard shot from left has goalie slide to save and clears away on left.
31 min...Burl Jodah blasts partial clearance from 25 yards up middle just wide right.
32 min...Burl Jodah touched pass up right and blasts 25 yard shot from far right is well over net.
35 min...Burl shot from 25 yards hits face of defender at 15 yards and deflects to goalie.
36 min...Ham Assaad can't win Penalty kick on check on him at 15 yards and stays down as play goes back upfield.
38 min...Burl Gambrah low crosss from 22 yards on far right is between players.
39 min...Burl Poradzisz shot from 25 yards on slight left wins cornerkick on deflection off defender.
39 min...Burl player's cornerkick from left is high over players in box. Burl Jodah chip from 30 yards on right has defender
pop up header on left post and Burl players can't get away shot.
41 min...Ham Nyumah threads pass from 40 yards on left. Ham Assaad is open at 20 yards on right and blasts shot off bar.
42 min...Hamilton Zachary Maharaj GOAL...Maharaj is tapped a pass and blasts 20 yard shot from slight right into left side
of net past goalie Daniel Novak.
43 min...Ham YELLOW card...Assaad earns it for knock down of Burl Ferraro at Ham 31 yard line.
45 min...Ham player blassts 20 yarder from slight right that goalie bats down and picks up.
46 min Burlington (Ibrahim Ahmat own goal) GOAL...Burl David Gambrah gets to cross sent in from left and
connects on 7 yard header down the middle that HU Ibrahim Ahmat heads up at 3 yards and ball drops over goalie
Michael Ciarmoli into right side of net.
46 min...half ends 1:47pm.

Halftime Entertainment: Ball girls from the Hamilton United youth teams take Penalty kicks.

Second Half:...starts 2:04pm...suddenly the hot sun that was missing in the first half comes out.
Halftime subs:...Burl Stoyanov replaces Mello.
...................Ham sub...Kovacevic replaces Aziz.
47 min...Ham Boci 40 yard freekick from left has defender head away in center of box.
48 min...Burlington Yordan Stoyanov GOAL...Burl Christian Ferraro feeds pass up left from 30 yard line that finds
Stoyanov who rushes to 15 yard line while cutting in towards goal and he shoots low over sliding goalie to short left side of net.
51 min...Burl Jodah run to right end line andd rolls pass back and to center for Burl Stoyanov to blast 12 yard shot well over net.
52 min...Burl Jodah cornerkick from left has Ham Maharaj on near post heads ball behind end line.
53 min...Burl Jodah cornerkick from left is further out this time and Ham players start fast breakout.
53 min...Ham Assaad low 28 yarder up middle is wide left.
55 min...Burl Nagnonhou feeds pass upfield to find Burl Allen on breakaway and his 15 yard shot has goalie sprawl to tip wide left.
55 min...Burl sub...Sunny-Kanabe replaces Poradzisz.
56 min...Burl Jodah cornerkick from left has Ham Boci head over own net in crowd of players in box.
57 min...Burl Allen can't get shot away on 1 v 6 in 18 yard box.
58 min...Ham Howie is injured at Ham 27 yard line and needs trainer and teammate is there to help him hop off the field.
59 min...Ham sub...Limane replaces injured Howie.
60 min...Burl Ferraro run up left to 10 yard line and his low cross has defender clear.
62 min...Ham Kovacevic low 28 yard shot up middle has goalie dive right to push wide of post.
62 min...Ham Kovacevic to Ham Phillips short cornerkick from left is shot wide right.
63 min...Burl Ferraro 288 yard shot from left is wide right.
65 min...Burl Allen long chip from 55 yards on right has goalie beat Burl Sunny-Kanabe to catch on bounce at 15 yards.
66 min...Ham goalie punches away Burl Gambrah shot from 25 yards.
68 min...Burl sub...Irumva replaces Gambrah.
68 min...Ham Kovacevic is injured on run to Burl 25 yard line and needs trainer.
.............Burl YELLOW card...Nagnonhou earns it for pulling down Kovacevic.
71 min...Ham Neziri 25 yard freekick from slsight left is over net.
71 min...Burl Ferraro run down left and low cross along 10 yard line has goalie dive forward to push ball away from two Burl
players charging into box.
72 min...Ham sub...Silverio replaces Azemi.
72 min...Ham Kovacevic cornerkick from left hass Burl Jodah head away on left side of box.
74 min...Ham Assaad buts between two defenders. Burl Pyziak gets back to deflect 12 yard shot wide left.
74 min...Ham Maharaj cornerkick from left has Burl Jodah head away on left side of box.
75 min...Ham players short cornerkick from left is cleared for fast break out.
78 min...Burl Irumva run on right and crossses over to Burl Stoyanov at 10 yards on left but he trips over ball and defender
clears away.
79 min...Burl Irumva cross near right corner flag wins another cornerkick.
80 min...Burl Ferraro cornerkick from right has Burl Jodah header deflect off defender for another cornerkick.
81 min...Burl Ferraro high cornerkick from right is over players in box and Burl Stoyanov can't get to it.
82 min...Hamilton Moussa Limane GOAL...HU Zachary Maharaj on run down right sends low cross along the 12 yard
line that charging HU Elton Nymah was a step behind but ball continues over to charging Limane who blasts 10 yarder
from left into right side of net with goalie frozen expecting Nymah to shoot.
83 min...Burl Ferraro low 30 yard shot from left. Ham Silverio deflects clearance into side netting for cornerkick.
84 min...Burl Jodah cornerkick from left has Ham Neziri pop up header to clear on right side of box.
85 min...Burl YELLOW card...Stoyanov earns it for pulling down player to stop break-in.
85 min...Ham Kovacevic chips 40 yard freekick up middle. Ham Nyumah survives shirt tug and shoots 15 yarder on right side
right of net.
85 min...Ham goalie is out to clear through ball pass at 25 yard line.
87 min...Ham player's cornerkick from left has Ham player flick header from near side but no Ham players are on right side of box.
90 min...Burl sub...Bagaso replaces Irumva.
91 min...Burl players cornerkick from right has Ham Aziz clear away.
91 min...Burl Ferraro high cross from 25 yards has goalie catch ahead of charging Burl players.
92 min...Ham Kovacevic pops long cross into box over own net to prevent tap-in.
93 min...Burl Pyziak 40 yard chip from left has goalie palm ball away.
94 min...Burlington Joseph Nagnonhou GOAL...Burl Keani Fairbanks chip from 50 yards up the middle and Nagnonhou
beats the defenders in an offside trap to receive ball in the middle at 18 yards and roll 8 yarder into right side of net.
95 min...Burl Stoyanov on 3 on 1 rush shoots wide left from 15 yards.
96 min...game ends 3:55pm. with Burl Nagnonhou injured at Burl 40 yard line.

Final Score:.....Hamilton United........2.......Burlington SC........3.........

Attendance was around 60 on this hot early afternoon. There was a storm cloud before the game but a burning bright sun came out just as the second half started.

This game was played at Brian Timmis Stadium at McMaster University in Hamilton. I had flashbacks while driving the one way streets around the campus (as if the one way streets in Hamilton weren't confusing enough) when I saw a building that said 'DeGroote School of Business'. Yeah this is where I heard the first formal introduction of the Canadian Premier League on February 1, 2018 with newly appointed CPL Commissioner David Clanachan answering questions.

The opening lineups didn't look too promising with Hamilton only listing three substitions for their bench as the home team. Burlington was better with six on their bench whereas the leaegue maximum is nine. I drove to an L1O game in my neighbourhood on Friday night even though I was warned by the app a few hours before the game that it was 'postponed' but in person I asked around and found out Alliance United the visiting team had forfeited. Yep this morning on my way out I looked at the app and found that the game was not played and the result was up as a 3-0 result (a win for North Toronto)...the standard forfeit score. This is the last weekend of the season. There are no playoffs for the first time this season and the relegation and playoff relegation place has already been determined. Also at the other end, there were only two teams that still had a chance to win the league title in the last weekend.

First half had brilliant goaltending by Hamilton goalie Michael Ciarmoli. I had said hello to someone I thought was a L1O official but it turned out to be a doppelganger who was a Burlington official. He said he'd heard that Hamilton might use an outfield player in net. Yes the app revealed that 18 year old Ciarmoli had played eleven games with Hamilton United's L2 (league 2 ie Reserves) and U20 teams but always as an outfield player. This was his first game as goalie and first with the Premier Division team.

A small crowd that included one Hamilton United's youth teams acting as ball girls today and entertaining at halftime in a Penalty kick contest. Also the usual entourage of players' relatives. After the game an older couple greeted Burlington goalscorer Yordan Stoyanov with 'So many missed chances'. This game even had the referee's relatives with Nava Rajabi getting her assistants and the fourth to pose for a picture from the stands after the game.

This stadium is the home of University of McMaster Marauders. This stadium is more cozy than Tim Hortons Field where the team has a few home games before a CPL game involving Forge FC kicks off. Brian Timmis Stadium keeps the football lines on view. It actually helps me mark down a 35 yard shot as I can see the lines or do the geometry of measuring the angle and yard markings to make my estimate. Official capicity is 5000 fans so larger than York Lions Stadium (on the York University campus) which hosts the CPL York United FC. It feels great to say that 5000 seats is now not large enough for Forge FC.

Hamilton United finish with a record of 0 wins, 5 ties and 17 losses for 5 points and finish twelfth of the twelve teams and will be relegated to the second tier Championship Division next season. They picked up their scoring a little but still finish with only 14 goals scored in 22 games and goals against of 60—both division worsts. This limited budget team couldn't pay for players and couldn't keep up with the (relative) 'big spenders' of other Premier Division teams. Probably second tier is their level.

Burlington improves their record (with one game to go) at 9 wins, 2 ties, 10 losses for 29 points. That's good enough for eighth place. I went a little overboard when they started their season with eight straight wins (two in League Cup play) proclaiming them the team to watch then they fizzled, not winning for nine games including being eliminated from the Cup. They have Daniel Jodah on their roster who is now 29 but played on the unbeaten Toronto FC III team that won the first season of competition in League1 Ontario back in 2014. Mo Babouli and Aidan Daniels were also on that team and are still CPL stars this season.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
X @RocketRobin01

Hamilton United starters