Barking & Dagenham 0-1 Woking (a.e.t.)
A PERFORMANCE FULL OF defiance and never-say-die spirit saw Barking & Dagenham come within a whisker of lifting the inaugural Southern Counties Cup alongside old foes Woking. With illness and injury playing havoc with the regular line-up, a reshuffled pack dug in valiantly until a late winner, six minutes from the final whistle, saw the Surrey side add the title to their Surrey League and South East 9-a-side crowns.
With defensive lynchpin Ianna Msekwa falling ill on the morning of the final, skipper Emily Brown dropped into the backline, with Grace Young stepping into central midfield as Barking & Dagenham looked to curb the intensity of Woking’s start.
Maria Omotayo had to be alert to prevent several sighters from distance finding their mark, with the Roding stopper also showing safe hands to claim a dangerous cross whilst under pressure.
Early Storm
Omotayo then tipped a twenty-five yarder from Abi Fruellet onto the bar as Barking & Dagenham clung on to weather the early storm.
An ankle injury to Young mid-way through the first half saw Miquellah Meade switched inside from the left flank with Elishah Mintah Adarkwah brought on from the sidelines. The pair combined instantly, with Mintah Adarkwah winning possession before playing in Meade. The diminutive midfielder prompted panic in the Woking rearguard, pulling defenders out of their positions before prodding the ball forwards to set Ellie Mai Morgan clean-through on goal. The Henry Green striker opted for power, blasting a howitzer of a shot from eight yards, with the Woking keeper tipping over in dramatic fashion to keep the scoreline level.
At the other end, Woking also engineered a one-on-one, only for the formidable presence of Omotayo to charge quickly off her line and repel the goalbound effort with her shins.
By now the seering heat of the Bank Holiday lunchtime fixture was taking its toll on Woking, and Barking & Dagenham began to gain a foothold in the game. A patched-up Young returned to the action to begin and end a flowing move involving Kayla Grain, Morgan and Meade.
Restricted
Meanwhile, Barking & Dagenham’s rugged defence saw their opponents restricted to efforts from distance as the resistance of Brown and Abigail Asare saw Woking frustrated and denied space in the penalty area.
As the second half progressed, Brown’s inswinging corner almost flew straight in and had to be palmed behind at the last gasp. And, for Woking, Fruellet continued to threaten with long-range pot-shots.
However, with fifteen minutes remaining, Young’s injury finally took its toll so Brown was redeployed further up the field as Barking & Dagenham looked to put their opponents on the back foot and snatch the victory their disciplined performance deserved.
It almost paid off immediately when the captain thrust forward from midifeld on a lung-bursting run before firing into the side netting under pressure.
Then Brown sent Grain away down the right, with the Richard Alibon winger’s initial effort blocked close to the line and Holly Anderson’s follow-up denied in similar fashion.
The tie seemed to be turning in Barking & Dagenham’s favour as the game was forced into extra-time.
However, with just six minutes remaining until the trophy was shared, a high ball into the Barking & Dagenham area caused danger. A further attempt to clear the ball was charged down by the Woking striker, with the deflected ball rebounded back into the Barking & Dagenham goal.
Cruel
It was a cruel blow – however Barking & Dagenham weren’t finished yet.
Brown continued to penetrate, first narrowly firing over from Anderson’s lay-off before Meade played her in moments later, this time the ball deflecting behind for a corner.
A goalmouth scramble ensued from the subsequent set-piece with Anderson and Grain both seeing efforts blocked close to the line.
In the end though, time ran out for the district side as Woking claimed the win. It was tough luck on Barking & Dagenham, who exited the South East 9-a-sides on penalties to the same opponents just two weeks before. A win against Lewisham on Saturday however will set up a head-to-head with Woking once more to determine the London Girls’ League title, this time the Essex side playing hosts.
Barking & Dagenham: Emily Brown (Godwin); Kirsten McNaughton (George Carey); Miquelleh Meade (Henry Green); Ellie Mai Morgan (Henry Green); Abigail Asare (Henry Green); Maria Omotayo (Roding); Kayla Grain (Richard Alibon); Grace Young (Hunters Hall); Elishah-Oliviae Mintah Adarkwah (George Carey); Holly Anderson (Grafton)