George Carey 3-0 Parsloes
HOT ON THE HEELS of victory in the Essex Schools’ FA Parish Cup final against Brentwood Prep., George Carey Church of England Primary School added a second major title to their impressive list with a win over Parsloes Primary School in the Barking & Dagenham Post Cup final. A hat-trick for hitman Ryan Asiedu proved the difference between the two teams, in a slow-burning encounter that eventually saw the Barking school wear down their Dagenham opponents with the sheer consistency and quality of their play.
It was Parsloes who enjoyed the early chances. First of all, Freddie Hammat’s cross-shot in the fifth minute was almost converted by Frazer Smith when well-placed and Andrei Gagiu tested Edvinas Naudzius with a pile-driver of a free-kick a minute later.
The first opportunity for George Carey came when Jahrell Daniel advanced on the left-hand side, towards the penalty area, with a curling effort that drifted just wide of Lyndon Bull’s upright.
Well-organised
But clear-cut openings remained at a premium, with George Carey resorting to hopeful attempts from distance as a well-organised and balanced Parsloes side hassled and harried whilst threatening on the break, via the sharpness of Hammat and Smith.
With six minutes until half-time, George Carey finally fashioned a way through. A dangerous corner from the right was initially dealt with by Parsloes’ Hazel Walker but no-one was on hand to deal with the return ball when it landed back in the box. Asiedu gratefully converted and his team were up and running.
A second Jesse Matsalou corner almost led to another on the stroke of halftime, with Daniel’s uncontested header cannoning back off the post moments before Hammat has Parsloes best opportunity of the half, narrowly missing out on converting a deflected cross close to goal.
Robust
After the break, Daniel continued to threaten down the George Carey right; however, he was confronted with a formidable opponent in the form of Darius Agyeman whose robust tackling and physicality shored up his side of the pitch. And with Tiago Moreira and Arcadie Cretu also on top form, Parsloes were still very much in the tie.
However, an injury to the latter meant a reshuffle for Parsloes and, in Cretu’s absence, the lead was doubled. A long ball over the top put Asiedu in once more, with the striker keeping his cool to set and finish into the bottom corner.
With ten minutes remaining, Parsloes eventually registered their first effort on goal of the half, with Smith’s thirty-yard effort forcing Naudzius into a save.
But it was George Carey who asserted their dominance in the closing stages.
Asiedu and Daniel combined well with neat interplay that carved a hole into their opponents’ defences, with Bull sharp of his line to smother the attempt.
And a minute later, Asiedu robbed the last man of the ball before playing in Matsalou, whose left foot shot on the run corkscrewed wide.
Inevitable
There was an air of inevitability about the third as the game approached its conclusion. This time Jayden Oloyede fed Asiedu on the edge of the box, with a sublime finish leaving Bull with no chance.
In addition to the success of their 9-a-side team, George Carey have also lifted the Appleyard Shield for Girls this season as well as the National Football League Regional Cup in what has been a remarkable campaign so far. They remain in contention for the Ballerz Girls’ League and the Essex Jim Smith Trophy in the weeks to come and will be no doubt looking to add to their impressive haul of silverware.
George Carey: Edvinas Naudzius, Tiago Soares, Obinna Nnoluga, Zuheir Ali, Sultan Odofin, Temitope Sanda, Jahrell Daniel, Jayden Oloyede, Ryan Asiedu, Judah Blair-Charles, Jesse Matsalou
Parsloes: Lyndon Bull, Connor Russell, Arcadie Cretu, Tiago Moreira, Hazel Walker, Vasile Paul, Freddie-Lennon Hammat, Frazer Smith, Andrei Gagiu, Emran Sultani, Finley Conway, Darius Agyeman, Joshua Yeboah