Barking & Dagenham 5-2 Basildon

IT’S ELEVEN GOALS IN their last two Essex Girls’ League games for Barking & Dagenham as they romped to another dynamic victory, this time against visitors Basildon. Tolu Elufowoju netted four for the second week in succession, backed up by Jasmine Amrane’s first-half strike, with the home side moving within touching distance of leaders Chelmsford at the top of the table.

Right from the off, Barking & Dagenham looked in the mood when Jaydee William’s alert throw-in and subsequent run infield drew defenders away from Elufowoju, who held the ball up well before laying off the Amrane for a fierce early drive.

Opener

And in the seventh minute, the Barking & Dagenham press brought the opener, with Godwin’s Atene Skendelis’s nuisance value in the centre of the pitch causing chaos as she charged down a clearance that fell to Elufowoju on the edge of the box. Two touches later and the hosts were up and running.

The second came in similar fashion four minutes later. This time Skendelis’ midfield sidekick Amrane stole possession back before powering through to finish in emphatic fashion.

Midway through the first half, Amrane once again found herself well-placed on the edge of the box, this time laying off to the effervescent Williams whose well-struck drive forced a fine save from the visiting keeper.

Another piece of inspired goalkeeping kept the score down six minutes later, when Elufowoju was felled twenty-five yards out and Amrane strolled forward to take the free-kick. A stunning effort arrowed towards the Basildon goal only for a fine fingertip save to deflect what looked like a certain goal onto the upright.

Flowing

Williams and Elufowoju fashioned further gilt-edged first-half chances, but it was the latter who extended the lead a minute before the interval to cap off a wonderful flowing move.

Williams laid the ball back into her own half on the left-hand side where Rusne Rimkeviciute showed calmness on the ball to square to Chloe Ajewole. The centre-back strode confidently forward past the opposition challenge to find Skendelis, duly slotting a through-ball directly to Elufowoju who skipped clear for her tenth of the season and an unassailable lead.

The break did nothing to dull the sharpness of the Barking & Dagenham attack when Williams immediately tee-ed up Elufowoju for another attempt that fell just wide.

But there was no denying the Rush Green markswoman her hat-trick when she seized the ball in her own half-way before embarking upon a devastating run that saw her power clear and stretch the lead further with a dazzling solo goal.

Done & Dusted?

And when, a minute later, Sasha Stoute’s measured long-pass found school-mate Elufowoju in space to make to it 5-0, the game looked all done and dusted.

Basildon rallied though.

First, Francisca Arhin was finally forced into action in the Barking & Dagenham goal when a howitzer from distance drew a firm-handed diving stop.

And when a the visitors took advantage of a lack of concentration at the back with a clinical finish, Barking & Dagenham were rocked.

So much so that possession was conceded straight from kick-off, as the grateful Basildon midfielder was given the freedom of the pitch to brilliantly slalom past a series of weak challenges to draw Arhin off her line and slot a second.

Stunned, Barking & Dagenham had to dig deep as the fear of conceding further, especially having spurned so many chances of their own, added a hitherto absent mood of jeopardy to proceedings.

Honest

But like all good teams do, the hosts took stock and gradually wrestled back control to see out the final twelve minutes of the game with relative comfort, albeit in the face of a resilient Basildon forward line who kept their opponents honest right up until the final whistle.

When it finally came though, the points were secured and Barking & Dagenham reached the half-way point of the competition knowing that three more wins will ensure at least a share of a maiden 9-a-side county title.

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