Barking & Dagenham 9-1 Wokingham
FOR THE SECOND TIME in three matches, Barking & Dagenham hit nine goals in a single game to maintain their one hundred percent start to the campaign. This time it was Wokingham who were the victims in the opening fixture of this season’s London Girls’ League. The back-to-back holders stretched their unbeaten run in the competition to twenty-four games thanks to Aysia Matabaro’s four clinical strikes, braces from Marcella Sibbons-Setal and Rehema Okungu, and Gracie Jones’ third of the season.
Barking & Dagenham signalled their intent inside the opening minute when Matabaro spread play wide right to Jones, whose dangerous centre almost played in Okungu for an early opener.
But Barking & Dagenham weren’t left waiting for long as Matabaro won possession on the edge of the box in the fourth minute, before poking home the first of the day.
Strength
Two minutes later, the dangerous Roding forward was at it again, this time showing great upper body strength to win the ball on the edge of the box before breaking into the box to see her goal-bound effort saved.
Jones and Sibbons-Setal then both had chances to double the lead, with the second eventually falling to the latter in the thirteenth minute. Tobe Edoka’s throw-in was controlled first time by Sibbons-Setal and, from that moment on, there was only ever one outcome as she advanced on goal and buried a firm finish into the bottom corner to become the eighth different Barking & Dagenham scorer in three games.
Matabaro made it three with a characteristically bustling burst through the middle and wrapped up her hat-trick shortly before half-time when Rihanna Zaman’s sizzling energy saw her beat her marker to centre for her team-mate in the box.
Taken Out
After the interval, the pressure continued and it was no surprise when Matabaro made it five. The pass of the day set it up, with Okungu sliding a perfect through-ball to completely take out the entire visiting backline, perfectly into Matabaro’s stride. Her first attempt was well-saved by the brave Wokingham keeper, as was her second. In the end though, Matabaro’s sheer persistence forced the ball home as Barking & Dagenham refused to take their foot off the gas.
Skipper Marcheri Sherrif was determined to get in on the act as the half wore on and it was from one of her sorties up from the back that the next one came as she tee-ed up Matabaro on the edge of the box. A delicately weighted layoff was then stroked home exquisitely by Okungu.
A misplaced goal-kick then gifted Jones the seventh as she calmly stroked the ball into an empty net before she, Sherrif and Okungu all hit the woodwork in search of an eighth.
Reward
However, it was Wokingham who struck next. A needless free-kick was conceded on the left wing, midway into the Barking & Dagenham half. Sherrif met the in-swinging set-piece with a firm header; however, the hosts failed to deal with the second ball as the visitors received just reward for their valiant resistance.
If the goal was a blow to Barking & Dagenham’s otherwise unbeaten rear-guard, it certainly didn’t affect the team’s confidence.
Eva Young showed great wing-play down the left before centring to Okungu in the box. Holding up the ball in a wide position for what seemed like an eternity, there didn’t seem to be any options available to the George Carey midfielder. Surrounded by defenders, almost parallel with the touchline, she decided to have a go herself, crafting another sumptuously curled effort into the bottom corner.
The scoring was completed, with Sibbons-Setal’s second of the game as she showed great composure to hold at bay the attention of the Wokingham defence before arrowing an unerring finish into the back of the net.
Fluent
With each game, Barking & Dagenham are becoming increasingly fluent: this time their passing, movement and teamplay were much too much for their opponents who put up a determined fight. Ultimately though, the home side were just too strong and registered an impressive result that will send a clear signal to their title rivals as they look to make it a third LGL title in succession.
Barking & Dagenham: Tobechukwu Edoka (George Carey), Gracie Jones (Grafton), Aysia Matabaro (Roding), Rehema Okungu (George Carey), Marcella Sibbons-Setal (Monteagle), Marcheri Sheriff (Grafton), Dalia Wyszczelska (Hunters Hall), Eva Young (Hunters Hall), Rihanna Zaman (Hunters Hall)