Barking & Dagenham 1-0 Basildon

THERE WERE JUST four minutes left of regulation time when Simonette Johnson picked out the pass of the season to unlock a hitherto unbreachable Basildon back-line, and thread the ball into the path of St Peter’s team-mate Theresa Ezea. Two touches later and Barking & Dagenham had their third victory of the campaign against their defiant opponents and the BAD Girls lead at the top of the Essex SFA League was stretched to six points.

They had to work hard for it though.

The effort from both sides was clearly evidenced from the outset, with every player on the pitch showing the grit, determination and desire that district football demands.

Sweet

Barking & Dagenham forced the first chance, starting with the returning Whitney James who intercepted a Basildon forward pass in her own half before slipping a great ball down the right flank to send Paloma Correia off and running.

The George Carey winger then drove deep into enemy territory, whilst skipper Aaliyah Felix’s near post run drew the attention of two visiting defenders. That created the space behind for Bella Hines to meet Correia’s centre as she cut in from the opposite flank.

Her first time effort on the run was caught sweetly, garnering the necessary power to fire her side ahead, but sadly not the precision, as the ball nestled agonisingly in the well-positioned keeper’s mid-riff.

It was a let-off for the visitors who recovered well to organise their ranks into a stance of defiance, restricting Barking & Dagenham to Abbie Blewitt’s long-range effort in the tenth minute.

And, for the first half, that was it. Both sides grunted and groaned, cancelling each other out and denying their opponents space with admirable endeavour. But that meant no real chances of note in what became an arm-wrestle that saw neither team yield.

Change

That began to change in the second half as Barking & Dagenham slowly chipped away, wearing down the visitors until the crucial moment finally came.

First it was Felix, driving from deep within her own half and charging the length of the pitch for what would have been a stunning solo goal had the visiting keeper not got down well to her left to palm out a fierce attempt for a corner.

From the resulting set-piece, Johnson’s close-range daisy-cutter lacked power and direction – but the pattern of play was set. The squeeze was on.

Basildon were by no means out of the contest. Keeper Grace Attwood-Adams had to be alert in order to maintain order in the box, and Bella Yorke’s second half display at the back became the foundation upon which victory was eventually claimed as she wept up with typical calm and poise.

Bit-by-bit though, the hosts threatened.

Correia had strong claims for a penalty waved away, whilst a succession of dangerous Jo Mecvari corners asked new questions of a Basildon defence under pressure from the runs of Ezea, Johnson, Correia & Co.

Chance

And it was from one-such Johnson burst that the best chance came. Breaking from the half-way line, the leading scorer powered down the right flank before whipping a dangerous ball across goal.

Ezea completely missed it.

But so did the visitors’ centre-back, with the fresh legs of Hines running onto the loose ball ten yards out.

The Northbury forward’s stride pattern meant she had to take the shot first time, using her less-favoured left foot. The strike was hit straight and true, but another sharp stop from the Basildon keeper put paid to the opportunity as the minutes ticked by and the stalemate continued.

Then came the breakthrough.

Just inside her own half, Johnson looked up to see Ezea holding position in front of the Basildon rear-guard for a simple pass. At the last second though, the leading scorer adjusted her feet with maximum disguise to instead hook the ball behind the wrong-footed defence, like a matador whipping aside a red flag to send the bull to its fate.

Tuned In

For a moment, everything stopped.

But Ezea was tuned in to Johnson’s intention before everyone else in the ground. And – as realisation hit home – she raced clear, one-on-one with the goal at her mercy. After bearing down on goal, she smashed through the unfortunate keeper’s legs, with the ball trickling over the line for a dramatic winner and the three points secured.

From then on, Barking & Dagenham shut up shop.

Inevitably, Basildon threw bodies forward. But the barriers were down by then, with Amelia Pike and Lily Imititikua marshalling the space either side of Yorke to resolutely see out the game and keep Attwood-Adams’ clean sheet intact.

For a side fighting for silverware on four fronts over the coming months, it was a great way to start 2025. The games will come thick and fast, with the next county league game scheduled for two weeks’ time.

Before that though there’s a visit to St Albans in the London Girls’ League – one of three away fixtures in as many weeks.

Win those three, and it really will be time to get excited.

Barking & Dagenham: Grace Attwood-Adams (The Leys), Jo Mecvari (Southwood), Paloma Correia (George Carey), Theresa Ezea (St Peter’s), Aaliyah Felix (Goresbrook), Lily-Mae Fisher (Roding), Bella Hines (Richard Alibon), Lily Imititikua (St Peter’s), Simonette Johnson (St Peter’s), Amelia Pike (Valence), Bella Yorke (Northbury), Whitney James (Rose Lane), Abbie Blewitt (Hunters Hall)