Soul Tower Hamlets have won the SCEFL First Division play-off Final with a penalty shoot-out win over Forest Hill Park in front of nearly five hundred fans at Corinthian after the sides battled to a goalless draw. 

Rian Patel was the hero as with the tenth penalty of the shoot-out he drove the ball beyond a despairing George Kamurasi in the FHP goal. Ironically it was the closest a keeper had got to any of the previous nine but after Tobi Coker sent his spot kick high over the bar, it was left to Patel and Soul finally edged home. 

It was tight contest throughout with clear chances few in number. FHP played up the Corinthian slope in the first half and Bradley Ryan had the games first opportunity as he shot straight at keeper Sidi Haidara. That was then followed by Temi Alaka heading wide after Alfie Saunders long throw was flicked on.  

With Soul struggling to make a clear chance in the opening half, the best chance of the half came on the stroke of half time as Ryan pulled the ball back for Alaka who got the ball completely stuck between here feet. 

The second period started in similar fashion with the side kicking up the slope on top. Mo Kamara glanced Soul’s first chance wide as he got on the end of Patel’s centre.  

After a horrible FHP mistake at the back, the hat-trick hero from the Semi Final win over Sheppey Sports – Sherman Artmeladze – wriggled through and got between keeper and defender and as he tried to find Philip Brown, the chance was gone. Moments later Artmeladze was inches away from opening the scoring leaving Kamurasi motionless as the strikers shot flashed a yard wide. 

FHP gradually came to grips with playing down the slope without really testing keeper Haidara and there was a sense that they would need help to get doing again. They duly did as with twenty minutes to go, Eric De Melo was absolutely clobbered inside the Soul box by Dillon Woods giving FHP the golden chance to get ahead, by Ryan Palmer’s penalty was magnificently turned aside by Haidara. 

Both sides had late chances to win the game – Palmer hit a snapshot a yard wide after some wonderful play from Kamara whilst at the other end a long Souk freekick was knocked down by Kieran James, and Willie Maxwell’s toe poke beat the keeper but was hacked off the line. 

And so to penalties and to begin with, there was a thought that it might be a long one as there were eight really good penalties which gave the two keepers no chance at all to start the shoot out – Georgi Steeds, Palmer, Kamara and Eric De Melo for FHP with Garrett Kelly, Ashaan Siddik, Salim Miam and Steve Carvell replying. 

Coker then sent the nineth penalty high into the Car Park and beyond leaving Patel the chance to win promotion for his side which he duly did if only just… 

Soul Tower Hamlets then are promoted to Step Four, but will they take a place in the SCEFL Premier next season? 

SOUL TOWER HAMLETS – Haidara, Bell, Woods (Larrington), Kelly, Hill (Miah), Brown (Cole). Artmetadze (Carvell), Maxwell (Zeddini), James, Patel, Siddik 

FOREST HILL PARK – Kamurasi, Saunders, McKay, Johnson, Kamara, Barrett, De Melo, Ansah (Coker), Ryan (Steeds), Alaka (Mbango) 

Subs – Fischer, Barrance 

REFEREE – Mr. Fitzpatrick