90 Minutes

Imagine an episode of EastEnders styled like the 1997 Nike commercial cut to Blur's Parklife and you get the gist of Simon Barker's follow-up to Night Bus (2014), which also linked several storylines to present an acerbically astute snapshot of London life. The setting is Hackney Marshes, as Sunday league teams Lea Valley and Forest Road meet in a table-topping showdown. Lea manager Nick (Anton Saunders) has been kicked out by wife, while rival striker Mark (Marlon G Day) is in lumber with his spouse because he's being cheered on by a mystery woman. However, the focus falls on the burgeoning touchline friendship between football-hating Jack (Robert Ristic) and Naima (Peyvand Sadeghian) whose estranged father and talented brother are on opposite sides. Marking a cameoing Rio Ferdinand's second outing as an executive producer after Dead Man Running (2009), this will strike chords with anyone who's played grassroots football. But, while Barker's banter and editing are spot on, several plot strands are short-changed and the characterisation is wafer thin.