Liam Blaney on an emphatic victory for Wingate & Finchley on Saturday

Wingate & Finchley players celebrating a goal during their 5-1 victory over Whitehawk — Wingate & Finchley players celebrate a goal – (Credit – Martin Addison)

Wingate & Finchley continued their unbeaten start to 2024 with an emphatic 5-1 triumph over visitors Whitehawk on Saturday. The win sees Wingate remain in the playoff positions as the season edges towards its conclusion.

The first quarter of the match saw Whitehawk dominate possession, without really troubling Ben Goode in the Wingate goal. When Wingate & Finchley were awarded a free kick around 20 yards from goal in the 22nd minute, all eyes turned to Ruben Carvalho, who has already netted a number of times from this situation this season. He stepped up and calmly converted the free kick, although the away side’s wall parted at the wrong time allowing the free kick to sneak through.

Shortly before the interval, Carvalho looked certain to net again as he was put through on goal, but Hawks keeper Mitch Walker came out well to block the chance at the vital moment. Luckily for the Blues, this miss was not costly as two minutes after the restart, striker Anointed Chukwu got his head to a cross from the left flank after some excellent build-up play and nodded past the stranded Whitehawk keeper.

Whitehawk struck back almost immediately, with a goal which appeared to go straight in from a Ryan Worrall corner, nobody in a Blue shirt able to make a clearance. This setback did not last long, as Ruben Carvalho netted his second of the afternoon just two minutes later after some neat footwork saw him weave through the Whitehawk defence and place a cool finish into the back of the net. And a crazy 10 minutes was completed in the 55th minute as Carvalho scored again to complete his hat-trick and make the game 4-1 to the North London side.

This season, the goals from the Blues have come primarily from their attacking three of Chukwu, Carvalho and Elliot Long. And such was the case today when Elliot Long completed an excellent team performance with an audacious flick from the edge of the box which nestled in the top corner to seal the deal at 5-1. Whitehawk threw attackers onto the pitch but the Blues managed the game well to secure victory and a vital three points.

Next up for the Blues is a home fixture against fellow high-flyers Chatham Town on Saturday 20th January at the Maurice Rebak Stadium.

Wingate & Finchley: Goode; Solomon; Cracknell; Bani; Frempah; Achuba (Frimpong 80′); Garrett-Douglas (Krabbendam 74′); Carvalho; Chukwu (Newton 74′); Long; Biler.

Unused subs: Williams; Hernandez

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