Barking & Dagenham 2-0 Mid Essex
BARKING & DAGENHAM KEPT THEIR hopes of winning the Essex League alive, with a hard-fought win over Mid Essex at Robert Clack.
Despite most of the country being on storm watch, a calm, sunny winter’s morning greeted the two sides in Dagenham.
Mid Essex started equally as brightly, stringing together neat passes in midfield. One such move yielded an early chance for the visitors, but there was no one on the end of the dangerous cross flashed across the home penalty area.
Wide
The hosts rumbled into life, and as ever it was the captain leading the way. In-form Michael Milburn had the ball on a string at the edge of the Mid Essex penalty area but shot just wide after eleven minutes.
Five Elms teammate Jordane Thomas had his near post shot saved three minutes later, and Eghosa Ekhosuehi of St Vincent’s also shot narrowly wide.
The home side were on top but could not find the finishing touch.
Suddenly, Milburn found himself charging through the Mid Essex midfield and bearing down on goal with eight minutes until half time. With everyone expecting the net to bulge, he shot just wide, and the sides looked like they were both content to go in level at half time.
Unsettled
The second half began with the BAD Boys pressing the visitors high up the pitch. The tactic was working, as it seemed to surprise and unsettle the Mid Essex defence – who had been passing out from the back in the first half. Barking & Dagenham were squeezing, and the visitors could not mount an attack.
Despite the pressure however, the home side could not get the goal they desperately needed. Milburn shot just wide again, Grafton’s Kylan Okosi blazed over, and neither Thomas nor Valence’s Oba Adetona could sort their feet out in time to get a shot on target on forty-five minutes.
Both sides knew that a draw would not be enough for either’s title aspirations, so the game became stretched. The open play would however favour the hosts, and a long ball caused a mix up in the Mid Essex penalty area.
First to pounce on it was Finley Hossack of Godwin, and a rash challenge gave the home side a penalty. Up stepped the captain and he made no mistake for 1-0.
Lead
Finally, a lead and the hosts sat back and invited mid Essex on. Enter Judah Blair-Charles. Determined not to even allow the visitors a shot, he frantically chased around and blocked shots from inside and outside of the home penalty area in equal measure – aided by Okosi. Both players threw every part of their bodies in front of the ball to frustrate the visitors and maintain the clean sheet.
Barking & Dagenham needed insurance though, and it arrived three minutes from time. Quick interchanging of passes on the edge of the box between Milburn and Thomas put Owen Orhue in on the left wing. The St Vincent’s man’s low, hard cross saw shots from Milburn and Hossack blocked by the Mid Essex defence, before Thomas converted the rebound to settle the nerves.
Barking & Dagenham: Freddie Cable (Grafton), Samuel Eghosa Ekhosuehi (St Vincent’s), Judah Blair-Charles (George Carey), Callum Salmon (Grafton), Jordane Thomas (Five Elms), Kylan Okosi (Grafton), Captain – Michael Milburn (Five Elms), Owen Orhue (St Vincent’s), Finley Hossack (Godwin), Oba Adetona (Valence), Zuheir Ali (George Carey), Firdaus Bakare (Roding), Elijah Armah (Richard Alibon), Oliver Grange (Roding)