Barking & Dagenham 0-1 Orpington & Bromley (after extra-time)
FOLLOWING VICTORY OVER St Albans in the previous round, Barking & Dagenham were again taken to extra-time in the last sixteen of the English Schools’ FA Cup, this time against holders Orpington & Bromley. Whereas the previous encounter was a goal-filled see-saw encounter with the district side triumphing on spot-kicks, this was a much more attritional affair as a tie that finished in stalemate was finally settled by a late free-kick to put the Kent side into the quarter-finals.
Orpington began the brighter, establishing themselves as an attacking force early on and prompting Francisca Arhin into two early stops at each of her respective near posts.
Excelling
For all of their opponents front-foot flair, Barking & Dagenham stood firm with Chloe Ajewole excelling in the centre of the back line with a series of blocks, interceptions and tackles as well as prompting several attacks with her calmness on the ball.
The hosts though struggled to get out of their own territory, with just Dominyka Petrauskaite’s speculative effort and Sasha Stoute’s thirty-yard blast registering as attempts on goal for the entirety of the first half.
Jaydee Williams buzzed around upfront, but was often isolated from her midfield support, with illness reducing the home side’s options.
Instead, the game evolved into an immense defensive effort from the entire Barking & Dagenham team, with Arhin’s clean handling and the woodwork to thank for arriving at half-time goalless.
The same pattern of play continued after the interval, with Arhin coming off her line to save from close range before a brace of incredible stops maintained her clean sheet.
Despite being under heavy pressure, Barking & Dagenham’s dogged resistance largely limited Orpington to attempts from the edge of the box. Rusne Rimkeviciute and Laura Ameny stood alongside Ajewole in defiance, ably supported by the willingness of Jasmine Amrane, Atene Skendelis and Amelia Hussain’s midfield screen.
Pressure
And as they soaked up wave after wave of pressure, Petrauskaite’s nuisance-value offered a glimmer of hope on the break which began to cause tension in the visitors’ ranks.
The red wall in front of the Barking & Dagenham goal stood firm throughout, with the tie eventually forced beyond normal time.
However, with a sense of inevitability, the decisive moment eventually came and settled the tie in the away side’s favour.
A free-kick on the right hand-edge of the box zipped towards the opposite bottom corner, and – with Arhin just millimetres away from yet another incredible fingertip save – the ball dipped over the line for an Orpington victory.
Barking & Dagenham: Ajewole (George Carey), Skendelis (Godwin), Arhin (Northbury), Petrauskaite (Richard Alibon), Williams (Goresbrook), Stoute (Rush Green), Rimkeviciute (William Bellamy), Ameny (Valence), Amrane (Gascoigne), Hussain (Richard Alibon)