St Albans 1-1 Barking & Dagenham
BARKING & DAGENHAM’S LONDON Girls’ League campaign began with a battling draw away to old rivals St Albans, with both sides registering a single goal as reward for their endeavours. The BAD Girls left Hertfordshire with a tinge of frustration however, after notching up fifteen attempts on goal – compared to their opponents one – resulting in a ninth draw in thirteen games this season.
From the outset, the visitors were dominant and crafted their first golden chance in the sixth minute. It was the harrying of Comfort Mazel and Simonette Johnson in the final third of the pitch that forced the opportunity as Barking & Dagenham’s high-press led to the ball bouncing across goal into the onrushing path of Aaliyah Felix.
The Goresbrook winger couldn’t quite get her knee over the ball however and her volley from eight yards blazed over.
Twinkle-Toes
A minute later, Malaika Uwandji’s twinkle-toes saw her skip down the right flank, evading a brace of challenges before a low, drilled attempt from an acute angle saw her shot cannon back off the post.
And the other side of the woodwork was left shaking midway through the half when Johnson latched onto Gilda Hasani’s quickly taken throw to power through in trademark fashion.
Again, Barking & Dagenham’s closing down in the final third almost yielded results as Zainab Touray tested the home keeper from outside the box with a left-footed effort as the interval loomed.
By the break, the home side were still to force a single attempt on target, with their best chance of scoring likely to come from one of several dangerous corners swung into the opposition box.
And so it proved four minutes into the second period when a centre from the right was allowed to bobble, with St Albans reacting first to convert and take an unlikely lead.
From then on, it was one-way traffic as Barking & Dagenham clawed for a route back into the game via any means possible.
Trickery
Touray was the catalyst, in a new role on the left of midfield, driving into the heart of the home defence with trickery and pace. Time and again, she ripped apart her opposite number but whenever the ball made its way across the box, a St Albans boot was always on hand to launch it clear.
The first exception came shortly after the opener, when Touray’s twists and turns presented a chance for Uwandji inside the box. A well-taken effort from twelve yards looked destined for the top corner – with the visitors’ dugout already on their feet in celebration – when a great, big St Albans glove appeared from nowhere, the home keeper pulling off an unbelievable save in spectacular fashion.
Uwandji, Felix, Touray, Mazel, Johnson and Abbie Blewitt all saw chances blocked, saved or deflected wide, with even imperious defenders Jona Islami and Maria Mateus striding out from the back to chance their arm from distance.
The breakthrough came with thirteen minutes remaining. It was Touray’s corner that was only half-cleared by a tiring Saints defence, as the sparky Blewitt pounced to side-foot home from inside the box. The ball was arrowing into the bottom corner, until another fantastic save blocked the attempt – but only towards the feet of top-scorer Johnson, who lashed home emphatically to level it up.
Shape
That set up the grandstand finale with Barking & Dagenham continuing to press.
However, the home side had now settled into their role as a defending force and kept their shape admirably to keep the Barking & Dagenham beast at bay.
Continuing to probe, the visitors remained on the front foot but could not find away through against the same opponents they drew with in the opening game of the season. In that time, Barking & Dagenham have only been on the losing side on one occasion. But they have only claimed the win on three.
Now it is time to start converting those draws into more victories.
Barking & Dagenham: Emily Peka (Valence); Jona Islami (Roding); Gilda Hasani (Northbury); Abbie Blewitt (Hunters Hall); Malaika Uwandji (Roding); Aaliyah Felix (Goresbrook); Simonette Johnson (St Peter’s); Comfort Mazel (Godwin); Paloma Correia (George Carey)); Maria Mateus (George Carey); Zainab Touray (Northbury)