Barking & Dagenham 3 – 0 Maldon and Tiptree
A MILD DAY BY the Thames saw Barking & Dagenham extend their winning streak to six straight games, with back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season.
Maldon & Tiptree of the Echo League were the latest team to visit Barking Riverside, and they started brightly. Crisp passing moves had the hosts on skates, as they struggled to shake off two weeks of rust.
The visitors were quickly into their stride, and it wasn’t long before Grafton’s George Miller had to make his first save on five minutes.
The warning hadn’t been headed, and the Jammers had the ball in the home side’s net on nine minutes – only to be denied by an offside decision.
Resistance
More slick movement down the visitor’s right-hand side nearly unlocked the BAD Boy’s defence but found Dexter Douglas in inspired form at left back. His tackling and interceptions playing a vital part in the home side’s backs to the wall resistance.
The scare woke the hosts from their slumber. Energetic striker Chibuzo Okoli began buzzing around the visitors’ area, and the threat of his pace gradually unsettled the Maldon & Tiptree defence.
Indeed, Okoli would himself be denied by the offside rule – after sweeping home Denzel Decardi-Nelson’s rebounded shot on fifteen minutes.
With self-belief brewing again, the BAD Boys got into their stride. St Peter’s duo of Decardi-Nelson and Chinoso Ibeh were by now running at both full backs, and Okoli once again nearly opened the scoring. The William Ford striker’s jinking run ending with a fine save from the Maldon & Tiptree keeper.
Opener
Okoli would however only be denied for so long, and he opened his and Barking & Dagenham’s account for the day by side-footing home after another Decardi-Nelson shot was saved on nineteen minutes.
Having got their noses in front, the hosts began to pass the ball around with confidence. A swift seven pass move from back to front almost ended with another Okoli goal, but the visitor’s goalkeeper had other ideas.
Enter Captain Lesecond Yeutembip in the second half. The imperious skipper had spent the majority of the first half orchestrating attacks from deep – aided by central midfield partner Jahcorey Blair-Charles.
Les however – as he often does – decided it was time to take over. He made a serious of surging runs through central midfield that served notice of what was to come, and on forty-three minutes the masterpiece arrived. The Northbury powerhouse beat four players, before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable shot from outside the box that bounced in off the crossbar. A stunning second and Barking & Dagenham had ended the Maldon & Tiptree resistance.
Final Act
Northbury teammate Marvellous Opppong almost made it three shortly thereafter – shooting just wide – and the ever-dangerous Decardi-Nelson nearly scored twice with fizzing shots just over the bar.
Yeutembip just missed from a free kick, and Ibeh and Okoli were both denied by the Jammer’s keeper – who was making a stand in the visitors’ goal.
With two minutes to go, Maldon & Tiptree native Douglas would pull the strings on the final act. The St Vincent’s full back surged forward from left back, before brilliantly setting up Okoli for his second – and the BAD Boys’ third.
In the end a comfortable victory, and much to look forward to with semi-finals in both the Lester Finch Trophy and Crisp Shield to come in the upcoming weeks.
Barking & Dagenham: George Miller (Grafton), Dexter Douglas (St Vincent’s), Ibrahim Msabah (George Carey), Marvellous Oppong (Northbury), Chinoso Ibeh (St Peter’s), Denzel Decardi-Nelson (St Peter’s), Lesecond Yeutembip (Northbury), Jahcorey Blair-Charles (George Carey), Chibuzo Okoli (William Ford), Shayne Pickering (Richard Alibon), Ruari Stanton (Northbury), Jayden Ikechukwu (St Vincent’s)