Gloucester 2-0 Barking & Dagenham
WITH JUST FOUR MINUTES left on the clock, a breakaway goal for Gloucester broke the deadlock against brave Barking & Dagenham girls in a gripping National Cup quarter-final tie that provided the toughest challenge yet for the district side. Then, with the visitors pushing for a last-gasp equaliser, the hosts added another following a further counter-attack to edge a nervy but beautifully-balanced game between the two old rivals.
An hour earlier, it was Barking & Dagenham who created the game’s first golden chance as interplay involving Marcella Sibbons-Setal and Aysia Matabaro saw Gracie Jones threaded in down the right flank. The Grafton winger’s cross zipped across goal with pace and dip, narrowly evading Rihanna Zaman at the far post with the goal at her mercy.
Edge of Box
That proved to be the only real sight of goal for Barking & Dagenham during a first half spent camped on the edge of their box. Dalia Wyszczelska had to be at her brilliant best in goal to repel wave after wave of Gloucester attacks. And Tobe Edoka twice made vital blocks at the last minute to deny top-scorer Holly Myatt.
Bit it was inspirational skipper Marcheri Sherriff who really caught the eye as she showed great composure to lead a back-line that continued to thwart the home side, who had racked up an amazing seventy-four goals in their previous fourteen games before this one.
After half-time, Barking & Dagenham looked to have weathered the storm as their frustrated opponents struggled to create any clear-cut chances.
Restricted
Myatt continued to look dangerous, however the visitors tightened up in midfield with Rehema Okungu and Zaman’s industry restricting Gloucester to a series of speculative efforts.
With twelve minutes remaining, Sherrif’s thirty-five yard free-kick almost yielded an identical goal to the equaliser against Croydon in the previous round, only this time no-one was on-hand to convert the deflection after it bounced up off the keeper’s shins on the half-volley.
But as the game entered its final throes, Barking & Dagenham began to visibly wilt. Where once bodies had been laid on the line, flagging legs struggled to cover the ground necessary to maintain parity.
Gloucester issued a warning with ten minutes left, Olivia Birt thundering an effort of the bar after finding acres of space on the edge of the Barking & Dagenham box.
Lead
And it was the same player who broke free on the half-way line when the ball ran kindly into her path, sprinting clear to slam home with great composure for a late, late lead.
In response, Barking & Dagenham shuffled their pack to try and get back into the game. But this left them exposed at the back and Gloucester broke once again.
That resulted in a foul on the edge of the penalty area and, from the resulting free-kick, Lainey Lanceley stepped up to double to lead, bending an effort around the visitors’ wall that settled the tie beyond doubt.
Barking & Dagenham return to Gloucester on the 31st May to contest the semi-final of the Southern Counties Cup.
Barking & Dagenham: Tobechukwu Edoka (George Carey), Ganiyat Jimoh (Northbury), Gracie Jones (Grafton), Aysia Matabaro (Roding), Chi-Chi Musa-Onyeka (St Peter’s), Rehema Okungu (George Carey), Marcella Sibbons-Setal (Monteagle), Marcheri Sheriff (Grafton), Dalia Wyszczelska (Hunters Hall), Eva Young (Hunters Hall), Rihanna Zaman (Hunters Hall)