Barking & Dagenham 1-4 Chelmsford & Mid Essex

THE FIFTEENTH INCARNATION of the Barking & Dagenham SFA girls’ district team were faced with the toughest of tests in their opening game of the season against a ruthless Chelmsford & Mid Essex side. After a dominating a first half that eventually saw the visitors edge in front, Roding’s Aysia Matabaro equalised for the hosts before a deadly five-minute spell for Chelmsford blew away the Barking & Dagenham resistance for a deserved away win.

As early as the fourth minute, Barking & Dagenham settled into their stride and began to utilise the attacking talent in their ranks. First, Matabaro held up play well before spreading the ball wide to the right where Elizabeth Dimitrova burst in behind the Mid Essex backline. A return pass picked out Matabaro in the box, only for last season’s leading scorer to fire agonisingly wide.

Sharp

At the other end, the home side’s backline was eventually pressured into a mistake – keeper Honey Thomas was sharply off her line though to block a seemingly certain goal from point blank range.

Immediately, Barking & Dagenham were up the other end as Erin Taylor and Matabaro combined before the latter again found the dangerous Dimitrova causing havoc on the wing. Her centre was met by Parsloes’ Hazel Walker, however her eventual attempt looped well over the crossbar to safety.

Matabaro and Mia Green then had shots charged down in the box as Barking & Dagenham began to dominate the half.

A sweeping move saw Charlotte Bryant clip an intelligent ball into Matabaro from the left-flank. The Matabaro/Dimitrova axis again resulted in a dangerous cross which flashed across goal, narrowly evading Bryant at the opposite post.

Rasping

A minute later, Matabaro was again denied as her rasping effort from the edge of the box was too powerful for the keeper to hold, before she recovered amazingly to tip the bobbling ball off the line, against the post, and back into her grateful arms at the last gasp.

And with Dimitrova again prompting a smart save, it seemed only a matter of time before Barking & Dagenham took the lead.

Crucially though, with five minutes remaining until half-time, the opposite occurred. Where once there had been solidity and confidence, a giant hole suddenly opened up in the centre of the pitch and Chelmsford profited, firing in from the edge of the area to take a narrow lead into the interval.

Visibly rocked, the home side clung on until the break thanks to Thomas’ incredible double save; the respite of half-time provided a welcome chance to regroup.

Parity

Two minutes after the restart, parity was restored. Matabaro earned just reward for her earlier endeavours, showing strength, power and persistence to fashion another opportunity inside the penalty area. This time she showed no mercy.

At this point, the game was in the balance. Barking & Dagenham were being pushed back – but still offered plenty of menace on the break in what was proving to be an incredible game for a first outing of the season.

However, that lack of understanding between new teammates clearly told when the away team pounced again to restore their lead.

The goal took the stuffing out of Barking & Dagenham who had fought back admirably but were now faced with a barrage of blows as they swayed and crashed against the ropes.

A third and fourth followed in a matter of moments and the game was all but over.

Rallied Well

To their credit, the hosts rallied well. Mid Essex were cock-a-hoop and in the mood for more, but Pearl Brown and Amaya Amaning’s dogged determination prevented any further additions to the score-line, providing another plus point to the morning’s work.

It was a harsh lesson for Barking & Dagenham, but sometimes a defeat can teach a team more than a dozen wins; that lesson will have to be learnt quickly, ready for the weeks to come.

Barking & Dagenham: Amaya Amaning (Warren), Pearl Brown (Rush Green), Charlotte Bryant (Roding), Elizabeth Dimitrova (James Cambell), Zoe Freeman (Rush Green), Kadie Gibbs (James Cambell), Mia Green (Southwood), Aysia Matabaro (Roding), Chioma Musa-Onyeka (St Peter’s), Lara Sousa Franco (St Peter’s), Erin Taylor (The Leys), Honey Thomas (James Cambell), Hazel Walker (Parsloes)