Barking & Dagenham 3 – 0 Croydon
ON A BLUSTERY, WINDY evening at Riverside, Barking & Dagenham followed up their win against neighbours Newham two days earlier with their most complete performance of the season so far.
With driving wind and rain being pelted from the Barking banks of the Thames, the hosts quickly set about their business.
Playing against the conditions in the first half, the BAD boys kept the ball on the ground and pressured the South Londoners from the kick-off.
Valence’s Isaac Da Silva – returning from injury – was at the heart of the home side’s fluent attacks, with his lay off flashed just wide by Denzel Decardi-Nelson.
Threat
Chibuzo Okoli on the opposite flank once again set about the task of giving the visitors’ full back a hard time. The William Ford winger posed a constant threat to the Croydon back line, and the BAD Boys were particularly dangerous on the counter-attack.
A Decardi-Nelson corner from the right-hand side caused mayhem in the visitor’s penalty area, but the home side failed to finish it off.
The few attacks that Croydon did manage to muster were quickly turned into counter attacks by the hosts, and Okoli’s persistence and cross teed up Decardi-Nelson for a first time shot from just inside the box. The St Peter’s winger obliged and smashed home a low right footed shot for 1-0, scoring his fifth goal in four games.
Croydon gathered themselves at half-time, and came at the hosts with renewed energy at the start of the second half.
Intensity
The Surrey side would however come up against a combined brick wall of the Thames – whose wind and rain had picked up in speed and intensity – and the Barking & Dagenham rear guard, led by imposing Captain Lesecond Yeutembip. Aided by St Vincent’s pair Dexter Douglas and Jayden Ikechukwu – along with George Carey’s Jahcorey Blair-Charles – the BAD Boys’ goal was rarely in danger.
Returning keeper George Miller had only the odd save to make, as the hosts remained in control.
With fifteen minutes left in the game, Croydon conceded a free kick on the edge of their own penalty area. Da Silva stepped up and curled an exquisite set-piece beyond the visitors’ keeper to give the hosts the insurance they needed.
The goal effectively ended the away side’s resistance, and Da Silva would add a third – with six minutes to go – curling the ball into the top of the Croydon net directly from a corner.
Clean Sheet
Top scorer Decardi-Nelson could have had a second shortly thereafter, but shot just wide.
All that remained for the hosts was to ensure their first clean sheet of the season – which they did with the help of Lucas Marney. Marney would make two more saves to deny the South Londoners a late consolation.
Barking & Dagenham will go on the road in the next round to face the winner of the Luton & South Bedfordshire vs St Alban’s tie.
Next up is a Representative match – against Thurrock – at Robert Clack on Saturday 8th May.
Barking & Dagenham: Lesecond Yeutembip (Northbury), George Miller (Grafton), Jayden Ikechukwu (St Vincent’s), Jahcorey Blair-Charles (George Carey), Chibuzo Okoli (William Ford), Isaac Da Silva (Valence), Ibrahim Msabah (George Carey), Denzel Decardi-Nelson (St Peter’s), Chinoso Ibeh (St Peter’s), Dexter Douglas (St Vincent’s), Shayne Pickering (Richard Alibon), Theodore Mintah (Valence), Lucas Marney (William Ford), Marvellous Oppong (Northbury)