South London 1-3 Barking & Dagenham
THREE WAS THE MAGIC number for Barking & Dagenham Girls’ U11s against South London as Mariam Daisy Ngobo Azeez hit her third district hat-trick of the season to ensure a top three finish for her side in the London Girls’ League. Results elsewhere must go their way for Barking & Dagenham to finish as champions but the runners-up spot remains in their hands if victory is achieved on the final day against favourites Brent.
In the opening stages, Barking & Dagenham looked odds-on to repeat their previous dominant 4-0 win over the hosts earlier in the campaign. In the first minute, Millie Blythe’s rasping volley was tipped over, with Ngobo Azeez teeing Blythe up for a similar effort moments later.
Exploited
Ngobo Azeez’s corner was then headed narrowly wide by Gabriella Gomes but a misplaced set-piece for Barking & Dagenham led to the cruellest of sucker punches. A quick throw-in and long ball over the top saw the visitors short of numbers at the back and the space in behind was duly exploited as South London edged ahead in the tenth minute.
Buoyed by their success, the hosts then threw everything they had at Barking & Dagenham, unsettling the visitors with their pace and power all across the pitch. However, the district side hung on and saw out the increasing threat as Alisha Johnson and Rachel Babatunde took a grip of the game from defence, establishing control once more for Barking & Dagenham to slowly regain confidence and play their way back into the reckoning.
Pace
So it was just reward for their industry and endeavour when, three minutes before half-time, Ngobo Azeez wrestled back part of the initiative with a fine individual goal. First of all, Ngobo Azeez won possession with a fierce tackle midway into South London territory. From that point, there was only one thing on her mind as she pushed the ball past the next defender at pace, drawing the keeper out from her line, before slotting the ball calmly into the empty net.
With nerves slightly settled, Barking & Dagenham began the second period with the ideal fillip for the rest of the game. A hopeful ball forward from Blythe looked to be comfortably rolling through to the home defence for a simple clearance. However, Ngobo Azeez sniffed an opportunity and foraged a half chance by chasing down her opponents and applying pressure just when it mattered most. No-one seemed quite sure what to do as Ngobo Azeez eventually nipped in unchallenged to establish a lead for the visitors in the most innocuous of circumstances.
Chip
A minute later, Gomes came close to doubling the lead as her effort thundered off the bar before Pahris Cotterell struck a post with five minutes remaining.
Barking & Dagenham then found the woodwork for a third time when Cotterell’s delicate chip fell onto the bar, however Ngobo Azeez was on hand to convert to claim the match ball and add to the twelve trebles she has already bagged for school and district combined this year.
Barking & Dagenham: Babatunde (Richard Alibon); Embery, Johnson, Blythe, (Valence); Gomes (St Joseph’s Dagenham); Bhavani (Parsloes); Cotterell (Manor Longbridge); Smith (Henry Green); Ngobo Azeez (Godwin)