Gloucester 2-3 Barking & Dagenham
A STIRRING FIGHTBACK FROM Barking & Dagenham fell just short of earning a share of the spoils against Gloucester after a thrilling tie between the two sides. In form Ellie Mai Morgan’s fourth goal in three games, plus Kaltrina Ibrahimi’s first since the opening match of the season, hauled their side back from a two-goal deficit only to see the hosts edge ahead with five minutes to play.
Both sides made a slow start with neither able to break down each other’s well-marshalled defences. It took almost ten minutes before the first chance of the game as a ball into the Gloucester box saw Morgan, Ibrahimi, Ruby Abela, Violette Sharpe and Miquellah Meade all have half-chances blocked or saved.
At the other end, the consistent Kirsten McNaughton alongside Kezia Owusu-Abeyie and Jessie English, stood firm and limited their opponents to speculative efforts from distance or wide angles.
That all changed in the nineteenth minute when a wonderful solo effort saw three challenges evaded before an emphatic finish left keeper Mei Wang with no chance.
Barking & Dagenham thought they had levelled things up eight minutes later when Lily-Mae Elsey won possession in midfield and played the ball forward to Morgan. The skipper spread play wide to Ibrahimi, who took a touch before finding the far corner – only to see her effort chalked off for a narrow offside decision.
The visitors were made to pay when Gloucester doubled their advantage just after the halfway mark when Barking & Dagenham failed to clear a corner before being punished by a strike from just outside the penalty area.
The game then drifted before a ten-minute spell from the visitors saw them spring back into the tie.
Threat
First of all, Ibrahimi’s free-kick from twenty-five yards dipped and swerved, threatening the bottom corner of the Gloucester goal before Amelie Birchley managed to save at the last moment, sitting on the ball just as it looked to have passed underneath her diving attempt.
Moments later though, momentum shifted as the effervescent Meade broke from within her own half to drive at the Gloucester backline. Committing defenders, she created space for Morgan to run into, threading a through-ball behind her opponents for the Henry Green striker to chase. Holding off two challenges, Morgan won the race before thundering a first-time strike past the onrushing Birchley.
With the home side stunned, Barking & Dagenham levelled things up with fifteen minutes remaining. This time, Wang’s long kick from goal brought panic in the centre circle as Morgan was bravest, winning possession and lobbing a pass wide-left to Ibrahimi. As the ball bounced just inside the box, Ibrahimi got there first, calmly stretching a boot to lob into the vacant goal and silence the home crowd.
Barking & Dagenham were now favourites to win the game, attacking at will with their tails up.
However, with five minutes to go, a late foray into the Barking & Dagenham half wasn’t dealt with, leading to a corner. Barking & Dagenham once again had a chance to clear their lines. That wasn’t taken, but the half-chance was – with the ball bouncing back off the upright to rebound into the opposite corner for the win.
Defeat was harsh on Barking & Dagenham who deserved a little more for their efforts: however, there were plenty of positives to take forwards into their London Girls’ League campaign starting in February.
Barking & Dagenham: Mei Wang (Henry Green); Miquellah Meade (Henry Green); Kirsten McNaughton (George Carey); Ellie Mai Morgan (Henry Green); Violette Sharpe (Gascoigne); Jessie English (Roding); Lily-Mae Elsey (Northbury); Kaltrina Ibrahimi (William Ford); Kezia Owusu-Abeiye (Valence); Ruby Abela (Dorothy Barley)