Tower Hamlets 0-6 Barking & Dagenham
AFTER BOOKING THEIR place in the Lester Finch Trophy semis the previous week, Barking & Dagenham now turned their attention to the Crisp Shield, once again facing off against Tower Hamlets for a spot in the last four.
The previous match had seen Tower Hamlets take the initiative, catching the home side sleeping in the opening quarter. This time however, the hosts were awake from the start.
Captain Lesecond Yeutembip and George Carey’s Jahcorey Blair-Charles quickly established control over central midfield and began spraying passes to the wide men from St Peter’s.
Dangerous
Wingers Denzel Decardi-Nelson and Chinoso Ibeh then set about the task of raiding the flanks and delivering dangerous crosses into the box.
Indeed, it was a Decardi-Nelson cross on three minutes that almost led to the opening goal, with Shayne Pickering getting his head on the end of it. He was denied by a clearance off the line, but a clear pattern was set.
However, Tower Hamlets nearly threw a spanner in the Barking & Dagenham works on ten minutes – catching the hosts napping with a swift counter-attack. It looked like a certain goal, but a spectacular double save from Grafton’s George Miller denied the visitor’s the lead.
The opener arrived on thirteen minutes, with Decardi-Nelson delivering another missile cross from the left. The panicking Tower Hamlets defence had no answer and could only deflect the ball into their own net.
Flood Gates?
It was 1-0 and seemed the flood gates would open. The visitor’s goalkeeper however had other ideas.
A slew of mind-blowing saves stopped the hosts from reaching double figures. First was point blank block from Chibuzo Okoli, with the William Ford striker left in disbelief. This followed by further saves from Yeutembip, Ibeh and Decardi-Nelson to keep the visitors in it.
The Tower Hamlets keeper seemed determined to make a stand – all by himself if necessary.
Captain Les has a goal ruled out from a free kick on eighteen minutes, as he took it before the referee was ready. Unphased, the Northbury midfielder picked up the clearance, and curled a sublime left foot shot just inside the near post for 2-0.
More heroics from the visitors’ keeper again denied Okoli on nineteen minutes, and Yeutembip blazed just over with a speculative shot from thirty yards on 22.
Looped
The third arrived on twenty-five minutes, as Marvellous Oppong’s cross-come-shot looped and dipped into the Tower Hamlets’ net.
Three turned into four on the stroke of half time, as Decardi-Nelson got on the end of a Benjamin Oluyemmy cross to head in his fifteenth goal of the season.
Barking & Dagenham went in at 4-0 and were cruising.
The second half started with the BAD Boys once again on the front foot. Okoli’s pace and trickery were causing the visitor’s defence nightmares, and Oluyemmy and Decardi-Nelson kept the supply coming from the wings.
Stubborn
Okoli was once again denied by a fantastic save from the Tower Hamlets keeper, and Oluyemmy narrowly missed with the rebound. The Northbury winger then did all the hard work – beating four Tower Hamlets defenders – before once again running into the stubborn visitor’s keeper.
The fifth arrived on forty-two minutes, as Okoli was fouled in the penalty area. He then stepped up and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.
Northbury pair Yeutembip and Oluyemmy would yet again be denied by the inspired Tower Hamlets keeper, before the captain made it six – tapping in a rebound from close range on forty-nine minutes after another save from the goalkeeper.
All that remained was for the hosts to maintain their composure to keep a clean sheet and look forward to two semi-finals in the upcoming weeks.
Barking & Dagenham: George Miller (Grafton), Ruari Stanton (Northbury), Ibrahim Msabah (George Carey), Dexter Douglas (St Vincent’s), Chinoso Ibeh (St Peter’s), Captain – Lesecond Yeutembip (Northbury), Jahcorey Blair-Charles (George Carey), Denzel Decardi-Nelson (St Peter’s), Shayne Pickering (Richard Alibon), Benjamin Oluyemmy (Northbury), Chibuzo Okoli (William Ford), Marvellous Oppong (Northbury), Jayden Ikechukwu (St Vincent’s)