Chelmsford & Mid Essex 3-0 Barking & Dagenham
AFTER TEH EUPHORIA at winning the Proformance Tournament the previous weekend, Barking & Dagenham came back down to earth with a bump in the Lester Finch Trophy Final.
The opening exchanges were cagey – with neither side wanting to commit the first mistake. The ball spent most of its time in midfield, as neither side wanted to commit players forward early on. Mid Essex in particular had learned the lessons from their Profomance defeat to the BAD Boys, and kept things tight at the back.
The first real chance arrived on eleven minutes for Barking & Dagenham, when Denzel Decardi-Nelson flew down the left hand side and put in a perfect cross. Chibuzo Okoli got on the end of it, but somehow blazed over – with the goal gaping.
Stung
The chance stung Mid Essex into action, as it was clear that an overly defensive strategy would not work. The BAD Boys had eventually overrun them in Hemel Hempstead the week before, and Mid Essex were not about to let it happen a second time.
They began to play – and boy did they play. For the next ten minutes, Barking & Dagenham rarely saw the ball. Mid Essex put together multiple passes in clusters, and made the BAD Boys chase shadows in the summer heat.
It was only a matter of time before the goal arrived, and on twenty-three minutes a move of six passes led to a low shot from the edge of the penalty area that George Miller was powerless to save. Indeed, Superman was once again performing his usual heroics – keeping Barking & Dagenham in the game with a slew of fine saves.
Half-time came and went, but did nothing to halt the Mid Essex momentum. Miller made another fine save just after the break, as the BAD Boys struggled to gain a foothold in the game.
Second
Five minutes after the restart, the second arrived. A cross from the left hand side was not dealt with, and was tapped home for 2-0.
With the game escaping, the Barking & Dagenham stirred and launched a flurry of attacks at the Mid Essex goal. Okoli, Decardi-Nelsonn and Captain Lesecond Yeutembip all had efforts narrowly wide, but with Barking and Dagenham chasing the game – the inevitable counter attack goal came with seven minutes to go.
At 3-0 the game was over as a contest, and Mid Essex saw out time to claim the first silverware of the season. Barking & Dagenham will have to pick themselves up and recover quickly, as they face National Cup finalists Lewisham in the semi-finals of the Crisp Shield this Saturday.
Barking & Dagenham: George Miller (Grafton), Marvellous Oppong (Northbury), Captain – Lesecond Yeutembip (Northbury), Jahcorey Blair-Charles (George Carey), Dexter Douglas (St Vincent’s), Chibuzo Okoli (William Ford), Denzel Decardi-Nelson (St Peter’s), Chinoso Ibeh (St Peter’s), Jayden Ikechuwu (St Vincent’s), Joel Ladegbaye (George Carey), Ruari Stanton (Northbury), Ibrahim Msabah (George Carey)