Barking & Dagenham 0-3 Chelmsford & Mid Essex
AFTER FOUR WINS on the spin for Barking & Dagenham, their latest unbeaten run was halted by reigning county champions Chelmsford & Mid Essex who moved into top spot in this year’s competition with an accomplished performance at Parsloes Park. Two first half goals took control, with a third late strike securing three points, moving the hosts down into second and a home tie with Basildon in this year’s final four.
The visitors began the brighter, forcing keeper Emily Peka into a brace of early stops although the lively Zainab Touray almost stole through in trademark style with a thrusting break.
Resolve
Barking & Dagenham demonstrated plenty of defensive resolve in the face of a claret Chelmsford & Mid Essex wave, with skipper Jona Islami catching the eye with another strong defensive performance.
However, a loose clearance exposed spaces in the home side’s back-line, leaving Peka powerless to stop the away side’s opener.
The best chance for Barking & Dagenham emerged in the sixteenth minute when Maria Mateus’ right-sided throw-in was collected by Simonette Johnson who controlled, swivelled and muscled her way through, holding off her defender under heavy pressure before agonisingly finding the side-netting at the end of an impressive run.
On the stroke of half-time though, Barking & Dagenham were made to pay once more after standing off from the tackle, allowing time and space for a second Chelmsford & Mid Essex goal. Peka was down well to repel the initial effort, but the rebound fell straight to an opposition forward, who lashed in to double the lead.
After the interval, the hosts responded well. Abbie Blewitt chanced her arm from distance straight after the restart and typified the new determination found by the Barking & Dagenham defensive ranks.
Pride
There was now an extra snap to the tackle and a plan to the attacks, with Aaliyah Felix passing intelligently alongside the combative Blewitt.
Renewed pride rippled through the ranks, disrupting the away side’s rhythm and presenting Barking & Dagenham with a pathway back into the game.
On a number of occasions, runs behind the Chelmsford rearguard saw Johnson, Touray and Malaika Uwandji burst through one-on-one with the keeper. But the prevailing wind too often disrupted their run, until they eventually ran out of space or found themselves face-to-face with the opposition keeper.
Uwandji also saw a dangerous free-kick spiral past the wrong side of the upright after deflecting off the wall.
But it was the visitors who had the final say when they added a third ten minutes from time. A rare slip of concentration presented time and space on the edge of the box, with the Chelmsford forward needing no second invitation to rocket in a third from distance.
Barking & Dagenham: Emily Peka (Valence); Jona Islami (Roding); Gilda Hasani (Northbury); Abbie Blewitt (Hunters Hall); Comfort Mazel (Godwin); Grace Attwood-Adams (The Leys); Malaika Uwandji (Roding); Aaliyah Felix (Goresbrook); Simonette Johnson (St Peter’s); Zainab Touray (Northbury); Maria Mateus (George Carey)