Waltham Forest 1-7 Barking & Dagenham

THERE WAS A MAGNIFICENT seven goals for Barking & Dagenham who moved to the top of the Essex Girls’ League table with a powerful and dominant display at Waltham Forest. A maiden hat-trick for Malaika Uwandji, a brace for top-scorer Simonette Johnson and Comfort Mazel’s first district goals sent a message out to their title rivals that Barking & Dagenham mean business in pursuit of the county title.

Once again though, Barking & Dagenham started poorly. A failure to clear their lines was punished when a loose pass from the back was cut out. With the Waltham Forest midfielder allowed the freedom of the park, she slotted into Emily Peka’s bottom corner with just three minutes on the clock.

It was an early lead for the hosts. But it proved to be their only attempt on target all game as Peka never touched the ball again.

Level

Within a minute, Barking & Dagenham were back on level terms. Amelia Hussain cut out an under-hit goal-kick on the right flank, with her snapshot well-saved. The loose ball ran through to opposite winger Uwandji however, and the Roding playmaker smashed home for her first of the campaign.

And five minutes later, Uwandji pounced again, robbing possession in the box before lashing in for a lead the visitors never looked like giving up.

On thirteen minutes, it was three. Again, it was a Barking & Dagenham player who was fierce in the tackle as Abbie Blewitt mobbed the ball back in a central position before switching wide to Uwandji. A carefully placed centre picked out Johnson who controlled and finished inside the box, slotting through a crowd to score for her third in four games.

The visitors were now rampant. A flowing move involving Blewitt, Hussain, Uwandji, Mazel and Johnson saw Barking & Dagenham switch play from one flank to the other, before Blewitt almost finished the move she started many passes previously.

Everywhere now, Blewitt popped up in pockets of space, dictating play and feeding Hussain and Uwandji in their wide positions. A sumptuous through ball to the latter saw Uwandji sprint clear and drive into the box again.

Face

Her first attempt hit the keeper full in the face. The follow-up struck the bar. And Uwandji’s final attempt saw her header from the rebound drop agonisingly past the wrong side of the upright.

On the stroke of half-time, Gilda Hassani stepped out confidently from the back into midfield before picking out Johnson, who burst through to narrowly miss out on doubling her tally for the morning.

Johnson didn’t have to wait long though when, one minute after the interval, she pressurised the home defence to bundle home from close range.

For the rest of the match, Barking & Dagenham were camped deep inside enemy territory as Waltham Forest made a much stronger fist of repelling their advances.

Hussain, Paloma Correia and Uwandji all went close again before skipper Jona Islami slalomed the length of the pitch, picking up the ball in the centre of defence before riding a series of tired tackles and firing wide.

Goals

With five minutes to go however, came the goals that Barking & Dagenham’s attacking play deserved.

First, Uwandji’s deep corner was deflected in, with the delighted set-piece taker quick to claim the goal.

Then Mazel made it six with another deflected effort from the edge of the area.

But the best was saved until last as Mazel channelled her adrenaline to scamper back the ball straight from Waltham Forest’s restart. The Godwin midfielder then marched through the centre circle and unleashed an unstoppable effort from thirty yards which curled and dipped into the top corner for a champagne finish.

Next up for Barking & Dagenham is a trip to Havering in the same competition. A third win from as many games will see them go into the new year as league leaders and guarantee a home tie in the league play-offs in the Spring.

Barking & Dagenham: Emily Peka (Valence); Jona Islami (Roding); Gilda Hasani (Northbury); Abbie Blewitt (Hunters Hall); Paloma Correia (George Carey); Amelia Hussain (Richard Alibon); Malaika Uwandji (Roding); Simonette Johnson (St Peter’s); Comfort Mazel (Godwin); Maria Mateus (George Carey)