Barking & Dagenham 3-0 Woking

BRILLIANT BARKING & DAGENHAM CLINCHED a fifth London Girls’ League title in a row following a devastating and clinical second half display against fellow title challengers Woking. The Surrey League, Southern Counties League, Southern Counties League Cup and Southern Counties Cup winners were rocked as Dominyka Petrauskaite, Amelia Hussain and Tolu Elofowju all struck within a lethal twenty-minute spell to set up a stunning victory and secure the silverware once again.

Lesser sides could have gone into the contest still licking their wounds from defeat at the hands of the same opponents just two weeks beforehand in the Southern Counties Cup final. Not Barking & Dagenham though, who were on their mettle right from the start, just edging a cagey first half that saw both sides restricted to efforts from outside the box.

Tester

The first fell to Atene Skendelis in the fourth minute when Petrauskaite’s in-swinging corner was cleared after a goalmouth scramble, with the Godwin midfielder’s curling effort from twenty yards testing the keeper early on.

Eight minutes later, Jasmine Amrane almost opened the scoring in spectacular fashion when her rasping drive from even further out was tipped over following Petrauskaite and Elufowoju’s high press.

And two minutes from the interval, Petrauskaite’s lung-bursting run from her own penalty area saw her sprint clear to drive low at the near post for the final chance of the half.

Straight from the restart, she was almost in again, this time riding a series of challenges to reach the Woking by-line before cutting back to Jaydee Williams who was denied by a last gasp challenge six yards out in a central position.

So perhaps there was no surprise when it was Petrauskaite who produced a moment of magic to give her side the lead just three minutes later.

A standard pass into feet on the edge of the box looked to present no danger as the Richard Alibon forward received the ball twenty yards out with her back to goal. With her marker pressing touch-tight, a wonderful spin and turn rolled her opponent, opening up the freedom of the penalty area all in one movement – an invitation which she duly seized upon to stroke home her eighth of the season and put Barking & Dagenham on their way.

Chance

Midway through the second half, the reintroduction of Elufowoju to the home side’s attacking ranks immediately paid dividends when she took possession from a Barking & Dagenham throw-in on the left flank, before waltzing through the visitors’ defence to carve open another chance.

Just when it looked as if she would pull the trigger, the top scorer’s vision saw her unselfishly lay the ball off to her right to pick out an unmarked Amelia Hussain sprinting in from the right wing to fire home first time and double the lead, much to the delight of the vocal home support.

In response, Woking threw bodies forward, testing the Barking & Dagenham backline with a succession of free-kicks, dangerous throw-ins and whipped corners.

But the hosts were up for the challenge, with the warrior Skendelis winning tackle after tackle in the centre of the pitch and the Barking & Dagenham back three, led by the combative Chloe Ajewole, dealing with the best the Surrey side had to offer.

Conjuror

Instead, it was the home side who added to their lead through Elufowoju’s twenty-sixth of the campaign – the most goals by any Barking & Dagenham player in a debut season.

Like a conjuror’s cup and ball routine, she shifted her balance one way then the other to skip past two tiring Woking defenders inside the penalty area, teasing her opponents with her skill and dexterity. And as the visiting keeper was drawn from her line to join in the pressure, a cheeky poke through the legs made it three and secured the points.

Woking more than played their part, ensuring Barking & Dagenham had to work hard for their win and applying pressure from the first to last whistle.

But it is testament to the district side’s defensive capabilities and work rate that Francisca Arhin in goal did not have to make any saves of note, nonetheless showing composure and safe handling to mop up any through balls and crosses that came her way.

At the time, the hosts finished the game knowing a point in their final game of the season against Wokingham next week would give them an unassailable lead at the top of the table. However, the Berkshire side’s trip to Hackney on the same morning only yielded a 2-2 draw, meaning that Barking & Dagenham cannot be caught as they registered their seventh straight win in the London Girls’ League this season and capping off yet another year to remember.

Barking & Dagenham: Ajewole (George Carey), Skendelis (Godwin), Arhin (Northbury), Petrauskaite (Richard Alibon), Williams (Goresbrook), Stoute (Rush Green), Rimkeviciute (William Bellamy), Elufowoju (Rush Green), Hossein (Northbury), Ameny (Valence), Amrane (Gascoigne), Hussain (Richard Alibon), Adjoh-Davoh (George Carey