Barking & Dagenham 6-0 Tigers

THERE WERE MAIDEN DISTRICT goals for Lara Sousa Franco, Mia Green and Zoe Freeman as Barking & Dagenham U11 girls registered their first win of the campaign in impressive style. Chi-Chi Musa-Onyeka and Aysia Matabaro also added to their tallies from last season, with the latter moving into the district’s all-time top ten scorers list with her sixteenth and seventeenth strikes of 2021.

It wasn’t all plain sailing though for Barking & Dagenham as Tigers U12s provided a tough physical and footballing challenge for the district schools’ representative team. Stepping in at late notice, the Hornchurch based side lined up with four of their regular players deployed in the home side’s ranks and it wasn’t long before the talent in both teams began to shine.

Calm

In the fourth minute, Sousa Franco’s calmness in the centre of midfield saw her pick out marksman Matabaro, heavily marked midway into the Tigers half. Neat interplay between the two saw a brace of exchange passes put Matabaro into the clear only for the visiting keeper to save well, repelling the early warning.

Three minutes later, Elizabeth Dimitrova flashed an early sighter across goal after breaking down the right flank, steadying herself to cut inside before firing just wide from forty-five degrees.

The opener came from the resultant goal-kick, albeit with a touch of good fortune. With Tigers opting to play out from the back, Matabaro’s urgent press prompted a misplaced clearance which hit an unfortunate defender on the edge of the box. Sousa Franco was alert to the opportunity and pounced to side-foot into the empty net.

The lead gave Barking & Dagenham confidence with Matabaro and the dangerous Dimitrova continuing to create chances with their direct running; and it was from one such foray forward that Barking & Dagenham doubled their lead.

Perfect

The James Cambell winger was dispossessed on the right-hand corner of the penalty area as she dribbled towards goal once again. The loose ball then rolled out perfectly for Green in her deep-lying central midfield role, twenty-five yards out, with her dipping first-time effort skidding off the greasy surface and in.

But it wasn’t just going forward that Barking & Dagenham were impressing. With the dominant Amaya Amaning moving centrally, Barking & Dagenham looked increasingly assured, with Musa-Onyeka and Kadie Gibbs given license to attack the ball on each side.

And it was from one such Musa-Onyeka burst that the third came, as the versatile St Peter’s defender broke up play near the halfway line, before lobbing a high ball behind the opposition rearguard. The pass ran perfectly into Matabaro’s stride and this time the Roding forward made no mistake.  

Barking & Dagenham carried the three-goal cushion into the half-time interval – and added to it shortly after.

Well-Timed

Again, the district side rode their luck, but that luck always came after hard work and endeavour. This time it was Erin Taylor who hassled possession near the half-way line on the left hand-side. Her well-timed block tackle caused the ball to ricochet forward into the space behind the opposition defence. Matabaro was there in a flash, switching on the after-burners and sprinting clear to seal her second of the morning.

Matabaro and Dimitrova had further opportunities to increase the lead, but the fifth eventually came when Freeman latched onto Sousa Franco’s intelligent lay-off before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

With the result now secure, Barking & Dagenham withdrew Matabaro and Dimitrova from their duties and experimented by throwing Musa-Onyeka up top.

The move paid dividends immediately when Freeman, buoyed by her earlier goal, slipped a through-ball straight into the make-shift striker’s path. Musa-Onyeka then burst powerfully clear to finish with aplomb.

Barking & Dagenham now have a three-week break ahead of their first away trip of the season to Berkshire side Wokingham. When they eventually embark on their travels, they will do so full of confidence and looking forward to building upon this hard-fought result against a resolute and determined Tigers team.

Barking & Dagenham: Amaya Amaning (Warren), Pearl Brown (Rush Green), Elizabeth Dimitrova (James Cambell), Zoe Freeman (Rush Green), Kadie Gibbs (James Cambell), Mia Green (Southwood), Aysia Matabaro (Roding), Chioma Musa-Onyeka (St Peter’s), Lara Sousa Franco (St Peter’s), Erin Taylor (The Leys), Honey Thomas (James Cambell), Hazel Walker (Parsloes)

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