Greenwich 0-3 Barking & Dagenham

RED HOT BARKING & DAGENHAM took their winning streak to seven straight games, as they booked their place in the Lester Finch Trophy Final. With three straight clean sheets thrown in for good measure, the BAD Boys appear to be peaking at the crucial part of the season.

 The visitors knew that heading south of the Thames would be a tough assignment, with Greenwich eager to make amends for defeat at Riverside in the Crisp Shield earlier in the season. As expected, the South London side came flying out of the traps in the first five minutes, putting Barking & Dagenham under early pressure.

Storm

The BAD Boys however had come prepared and weathered the early Greenwich storm.

Captain Lesecond Yeutembip – aided by deputies Jahcorey Blair-Charles and Ibrahim Msabah – built a wall in the centre of the pitch, forcing the hosts to attack from wide positions.

Waiting for them there were the St Peter’s wing duo of Denzel Decardi-Nelson and Chinoso Ibeh, who quickly turned South London forays into East London counter-attacks.

A warning of things to come came on seven minutes, when the dangerous Decardi-Nelson crossed for William Ford’s Chibuzo Okoli to volley and bring a fine save from the home goalkeeper.

The visitors were humming, and Ibeh brushed aside the Greenwich left back three minutes later to cross for Okoli. Once again, his shot was saved – and the rebound was blazed wide by Decardi-Nelson with the goal gaping.

Bludgeoning

Not to be deterred, Barking & Dagenham came again. The hosts had no answer to Ibeh’s power and pace, and he seemingly had defenders bouncing off him at will. Another bludgeoning run and cross after twenty minutes was cleared by the panicking Greenwich defence.

The resulting Decardi-Nelson corner was partially cleared, before rebounding back to the St Peter’s man. He made no mistake this time, rifling a low right foot shot into the bottom corner.

Brimming with confidence, the visitors began to turn the screw. More mayhem down the right from Ibeh produced yet another dangerous cross, but Blair-Charles and Decardi-Nelson couldn’t quite finish it off.

Okoli would also have another shot just wide – and a penalty shout on the stroke of half time – but the BAD Boys would have to go in content at 1-0.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first, with Greenwich laying siege to the visitor’s goal.

Cross Bar

Preferring to attack down their stronger left-hand side, the hosts tried to make inroads into the East London half. There they met Northbury’s Ruari Stanton in equally determined mood. A string of interceptions and strong tackles turned defence into attack, with Okoli sniffing around the last man.

Still, it remained 1-0 and tense. Indeed, the South London side put the cat amongst the Barking & Dagenham pigeons, with a fantastic shot from twenty-five yards that hit the cross bar.

The scare was just what the doctor ordered for the visitors – and Captain Lesecond Yeutembip. The Northbury man rallied the troops and began to make a series of marauding runs deep into South London territory.

On forty-five minutes, one of his runs was abruptly ended short for a free kick on the edge of the home penalty area. Up stepped top scorer Decardi-Nelson, whose free kick took a slight deflection before nestling in the bottom corner for 2-0 – and his seventeenth goal of the season.

Far from giving up, Greenwich went into a furious attacking frenzy. Wave after wave of black and red shirts poured forward in search of a way back into the game.

Staggering

Their best chance came on fifty-one minutes, but George Miller decided to remind everyone why his teammates have nicknamed him Superman. The Grafton stopper made a staggering double save – the second of which came in the blink of an eye, after he was on the ground from making the first save – with Greenwich in disbelief.

Shortly after, a low cross into the danger area looked certain to half the home side’s arrears, but Stanton was on hand to block the first attempt – and the follow up to preserve the clean sheet.

Pushing forward in this manner left the home side vulnerable to the counter thrust and Barking & Dagenham sealed the victory on fifty-eight minutes. A Greenwich attack was thwarted by Blair-Charles, who played the ball up the left-wing line to Decardi-Nelson. With the home side scrambling to get back, the top scorer crossed for fellow St Peter’s winger Ibeh to smash home a superb left foot volley – and get the goal his endeavours richly deserved.

Job done, and safe passage through to the Lester Finch Trophy Final on Wednesday 21st July. There, Barking & Dagenham will meet an equally strong Chelmsford & Mid Essex side.

Barking & Dagenham: George Miller (Grafton), Marvellous Oppong (Northbury), Ibrahim Msabah (George Carey), Dexter Douglas (St Vincent’s), Chinoso ibeh (St Peter’s), Lesecond Yeutembip (Northbury), Jahcorey Blair-Charles (George Carey), Denzel Decardi-Nelson (St Peter’s), Chibuzo Okoli (William Ford), Ruari Stanton (Northbury), Joel Ladegbaye (George Carey), Jayden Ikechukwu (St Vincent’s)