Barking & Dagenham 3-0 Lewisham
GOING INTO THE FINAL London Girls’ League fixture of the season, Barking & Dagenham knew that a point against fellow title challengers Lewisham would be enough to secure a fourth successive first-place finish in the competition. In the end, all of the three on offer were placed firmly in the bag, but – as with every match in the Super Six phase this season – it was far from plain sailing for the holders, who were made to work relentlessly from the opening whistle to the last.
A worryingly sluggish start from the hosts saw Lewisham take hold of midfield early on, with their extra energy and desire causing Barking & Dagenham concern.
Chance
Even so, the best chance of the opening ten minutes fell to the home side, with Zoe Freeman’s speculative effort from the edge of the box almost wrong-footing the visiting keeper.
Eventually, it was the BAD Girls’ defence – who have limited opposition teams to just two goals in the last thirteen matches – who proved the inspiration for the team.
Amaya Amaning was immense throughout: time and again, her tenacity in the tackle and composure on the ball provided relief to an under-pressure Barking & Dagenham, playing balls out from the back and breaking up attacks at will.
And fellow centre-back Chi-Chi Musa-Onyeka forced the best chance of the opening quarter of the game, mopping up possession in her own half, before embarking on a typical length-of-the-pitch run that saw her blast through five challenges before being denied at the last gasp.
Five minutes later, and the skipper was at it again, galloping forward from half-way before advancing on the Lewisham goal. A brave challenge by the keeper, as Musa-Onyeka advanced into the six-yard box, kept out the marauding captain once again.
Intensity
But now Barking & Dagenham had flexed their muscles for the first time and the intensity levels duly stepped up a notch.
Mia Green almost opened the scoring when Dimitrova’s devastating run down the right flank saw the James Cambell winger square to her Southwood team-mate on the run, only for the shot on-the-run to deflect for a corner.
Next time though, Dimitrova didn’t need any help. After Hazel Walker won possession from an attacking Lewisham throw, Matabaro’s sweeping switch of play just inside the left defensive section of the centre circle to the right wing saw her skip clear, latching onto the slide rule pass in behind. Two perfect touches took Dimitrova from half-way to the penalty area, where she calmly stroked home a pinpoint drive into the bottom corner for a stunning goal.
Then, with half-time rapidly approaching, Barking & Dagenham made it two. A dazzling one-two on the edge of the penalty area between Lara Sousa Franco and Matabaro split the Lewisham backline in two and the latter prodded a neat left foot finish into the same corner as Dimitrova to double the lead.
Foot to the Floor
Now Barking & Dagenham were knocking the ball around with confidence. Erin Taylor, Green and Sousa Franco’s interplay almost resulted in a third whilst Freeman fired over when well placed, with almost the last kick of the half.
Freeman kept her foot to the floor straight after the restart too, winning possession and showing great feet on the right-hand edge of the box before firing wide.
A minute later, Sousa Franco squared to Charlotte Bryant who crafted another delicious pass straight into Matabaro’s path; the shot picking out the visiting keeper once more. Freeman was denied from a tight angle moments afterwards, and hesitation in the box saw another chance for Matabaro slip by.
At 2-0, the game was in the balance. Barking & Dagenham held their opponents at arms-length throughout the second half, with virtually no Lewisham possession of note in the final third of the pitch. But the longer the score-line remained the same, the longer the next goal would prove crucial. If it fell to the opposition, the game would be back in the balance, especially with the visitors’ tails up.
So, with just under ten minutes remaining, it was Matabaro who put the tie beyond doubt, with her twenty-third London Girls’ League strike and forty-eighth district goal. A mazy run following Dimitrova’s lay-off saw her dance past a brace of tired challenges before finding the far, bottom corner once again.
Shop Shut
From then on, Barking & Dagenham shut up shop, with Walker and Green sitting calmly in front of the home defence and Musa-Onyeka, Amaning and Kadie Gibbs on hand to deal with any forays that eventually broke through the line.
As the game entered its death throes, Musa-Onyeka decided to amuse herself with a series of rampaging runs from the left of the back three. Constantly hunting for the ball, she waltzed through midfield at will before smashing over or side-footing at the keeper in a cheerfully admirable pursuit of a seventh of the season.
And Bryant almost made it four from a Walker corner late on, flicking the crossed ball just over with the outside of her heel whilst contorting her body away from goal.
Three goals were enough though to maintain Barking & Dagenham’s remarkable unbeaten run in the competition which stretches back to 11th February 2017, when eventual national champions Haringey edged them out 1-0 at a snow-covered May & Baker. Since then, the district side have played thirty-four London Girls’ League matches, winning twenty-five, drawing nine and losing none. One hundred and sixteen goals have been scored in that time, with just fourteen conceded over a five-year period.
Victory completes a wonderful double winning campaign for the BAD Girls, who have a second trophy to add to their thrilling Southern Counties Cup victory at Oxford City FC earlier in the month.
Barking & Dagenham: Amaya Amaning (Warren), Pearl Brown (Rush Green), Charlotte Bryant (Roding), Zoe Freeman (Rush Green), Kadie Gibbs (James Cambell), Mia Green (Southwood), Hazel Walker (Parsloes), Chioma Musa-Onyeka (St Peter’s), Lara Sousa Franco (St Peter’s), Honey Thomas (James Cambell), Kornelija Klimaviciute (Parsloes), Aysia Matabaro (Roding), Erin Taylor (Leys), Elizabeth Dimitrova (James Cambell)