Havering 1-4 Barking & Dagenham

FOR THE FIRST TIME since 2019, Barking & Dagenham are Essex Schools’ FA girls’ champions after a fifth straight win in the competition saw them register an unassailable eleven-point gap to their nearest challenger. Grace Attwood-Adams’ dramatic penalty save – with the tie in the balance at 2-1 – proved crucial, ensuring her side reached the break in the lead before powering away from the hosts in the second half.

For the second game in succession, it was the opposition who took the lead though as Barking & Dagenham were a yard off the pace and slow to close down. A well hit strike from distance brushed over Attwood-Adams’ fingertips, with The Leys stopper helpless to prevent the ball giving Havering a fifth minute advantage.

Plan

But Barking & Dagenham came with a game plan to expose the wide open spaces of Fairlop and, four minutes later, it worked a treat.

Paloma Correia was the beneficiary as play was spread to the right flank where her direct running caused havoc. The George Carey winger sprinted clear of the final defender, bore down on goal, and finished with deadly accuracy to cancel out the opener in fine style.

Captain Aaliyah Felix has been in outstanding form throughout the Spring, driving her side forward with a string of outstanding performances. Today was another, with the skipper putting her body on the line to charge down a clearance from a home defender.

Maintaining her momentum, Felix foraged forward to connect with the loose ball, sprinting clear and picking out the same corner found by Correia eight minutes earlier.

The bulk of the first half was an arm-wrestle, with both sides battling hard but unable to find the quality needed to carve open any clear chances.

High Noon

Then seven minutes before the break, a challenge just inside the box led to the spot-kick drama that could have drastically changed the course of the game – and possibly the county title.

Attwood-Adams though has been there before. Back in November, the district Number One was the hero in a dramatic Southern Counties Cup shoot-out in Sutton. Now it was time to draw on that experience and go again.

Like the sheriff facing down an outlaw, the moment’s protagonists stood at either end of the High Street, waiting for High Noon, trigger fingers itching to draw first.

And as the referee’s whistle sounded, Attwood-Adams refused to blink, holding her nerve – and her position in the centre of the goal – to clutch the lofted effort out of the air and maintain Barking & Dagenham’s advantage going into the interval.

The opportunity to regroup saw the visitors sharpen up. They came out for the second period with renewed resolve and a much better defensive shape.

As ever, central to that was Bella Yorke. The Richard Alibon centre-half has been a stalwart of the backline throughout the season, but side-kicks Lily Imititikua and Whitney James were equal in their defiance, the latter excelling with a series of blocks, tackles and clearances.

Nothing was going to get past.

Aggressive

As if inspired by their pressing, top scorer Theresa Ezea exercised similar determination at the other end and earned her team an extension to the lead.

After yet another midfield tussle, the ball broke inside the Havering half and the race was on to see who would get there first. That was Ezea, holding off a strong challenge to break free and advance into enemy territory.

A covering defender got round well, but Ezea’s aggressive running once again paid off as she extended a foot to block the clearance, stayed on her feet and entered the penalty area off-balance.

The touch was slightly heavy, and the home keeper looked favourite to sweep up and smother the opportunity. But Ezea again ate up the yards, reversing the odds with every step, before stretching a toe to poke the ball past the last line of resistance and double the advantage with her twentieth of the season.

Havering threw bodies forward to try and reduce the gap. But again, Imititikua, Yorke and James stood firm.

And when the hosts did break through, Correia and Felix in particular were outstanding on the cover, the skipper memorably charging back to block when lesser players would have been passing the buck and taking a breather. The attitude of a champion.

It was entirely fitting then that the captain should have the final say. The fourth came from a Havering goal-kick, with Ezea alert and willing as she harried and chased the home side whilst they attempted to play out. A panicked clearance was then placed straight across goal, where Felix pounced to intercept and finish to kill off the game for good.

Mindset

Barking & Dagenham are just and deserving winners, with each and every member of the squad more than playing their part. Since edging past Basildon in January, they have bagged thirty-seven goals in seven matches, with eight different scorers, never failing to register less than four in any game. They have been nothing short of rampant and the scenes at the end spoke volumes about their mindset.

Whereas most teams would have been jubilant, celebrating and sprinting to their supporters, this group shook hands with the opposition, got their bags and walked calmly away like it was just another day at the office.

Job done. On to the next one.

Barking & Dagenham: Grace Attwood-Adams (The Leys), 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), Jo Mecvari (Southwood), Bella Yorke (Northbury), Whitney James (Rose Lane)