Barking & Dagenham 6-0 Gravesham

BARKING & DAGENHAM U11 boys’ team produced their best performance of the season against Gravesham on Saturday. Amin Karim’s hat-trick, a brace for Tyler Rice and Favour Fawunmi saw them seal a comfortable win over the visitors from Kent. 

Barking & Dagenham made a bright start as Karim was inches away from opening the scoring but was unable to apply the finishing touch to Fawunmi’s centre.

Karim then almost turned provider with the home side’s next attack but Jaqwaan Williams’ shot – from Karim’s cross – was well held by the Gravesham keeper.

Pressure

The home side were now in the ascendancy and the pressure finally told when they finally broke the deadlock. Fawunmi’s trickery took him past three challenges before he stood the ball up to the back post, where Karim rose highest to plant a firm header past the visitors’ keeper to give his side a deserved lead. 

Fawunmi then saw his fierce free-kick slam into the side netting before Joe Martin tested the Gravesham keeper with a fizzing drive from thirty-five yards after he had been teed up by Charlie Rich.

Rich’s through ball then set Karim free. The Parsloes man went around the Gravesham keeper but his effort on goal was cleared off the line by a retreating defender. 

 The home side continued to create chances and the next fell to Fawunmi. Qudus Onjobi’s goal kick saw the Hunters Hall winger through on goal. He skipped past the Gravesham keeper but he could only find the side netting from a tight angle.

Delicious

With half time approaching, the home side continued to dictate play and increased their lead with another headed goal. Rich released Emis Gasperavicius on the right-hand side. The William Bellamy wide man got to the by-line before whipping in a delicious cross and there was Karim to glance home his second of the game and give the home side some breathing space.

Two soon became three with the last action of the half but Fawunmi was denied by a smart save after Rich had created the chance with a pinpoint pass. 

The second half was barely a minute home when the home side did increase their lead. Fawunmi, a constant threat with his pace and direct running, swapped passes with the marauding Mason Stanton before slamming the ball home at the near post.

With no outfield substitutions, the home side shuffled their goalkeepers around and Brandon Dean came out from between the sticks to play as a striker. The move almost paid immediate dividends when Dean went close with an ambitious volley from outside the area. He then went closer still with another effort after showing great feet but his low effort was well held by the Gravesham keeper. 

Perfection

Dean then went back in goal and the team’s other keeper, Tyler Rice, tried his luck as a striker and within minutes of his introduction, he had his name on the scoresheet. Fawunmi was once again involved, getting in down the left hand side before sending in a cross. Rice timed his run to perfection and brilliantly guided the ball home with his head to put his side four goals to the good.

With confidence high, the home side were playing some delightful football and made it 5-0 with another well worked goal. Onajobi and Martin combined well down the right before Martin squared the ball and Rice was on the spot to gleefully fire home with his left foot. 

The home side continued to create chances but were unable to add to their tally. Karim forced the visitor’s keeper into a smart save with his feet before he blasted an effort wide of the post.

Hat-trick

Rice almost grabbed an unlikely treble but his effort went narrowly wide and Onajobi missed the chance to grab his first district goal when he fired wide from twelve yards out. 

However, with the last attack of the game, Karim completed his hat-trick. Fawunmi, who was now in goal, took a goal kick that wasn’t dealt with by the Gravesham defence allowing Karim to race free. His first effort was saved by the Gravesham keeper but he made no mistake with the folow up, firing home the side’s sixth, his third and the side’s first hat trick of the season.

The goal capped a good all-round performance and saw the boys end a disappointing run of results. They will now look to carry this confidence into next week’s Lester Finch Trophy tie against Wandsworth.