Barking & Dagenham 4-4 Basildon

Barking & Dagenham U11’s shared an 8 goal thriller with Basildon in the Essex Finch League on Saturday. Despite leading 4-1 at the interval, courtesy of braces from Brooklyn Kabongolo and Rhys Gordon, they were unable to withstand a Basildon comeback and had to settle for a point.

The home side made the worst possible start, with Basildon taking the lead with less than a minute on the clock. Thomas Rosser making the most of some slack defending to fire his side in front from 12 yards. Barking & Dagenham slowly recovered from falling behind and Gordon had the side’s first effort on goal but his shot failed to hit the target. Brandon Gasper went closer soon after, meeting Callum Ferris’ cross field ball on the volley but it went the wrong side of the upright. The home side were well on top and George Godfrey was inches away from levelling things up after Ify Ogbonna and Jesse Olukolu had combined well. Kabonoglo then had a sight of goal but his effort, after a storming run, went wide.

The home side continued to press and Jack O’Mahoney saw his first touch, seconds after being introduced as a sub, went over with Basildon’d keeper, Cameron Hartwell, rooted to the spot. However Barking & Dagenham were soon level as their pressure finally paid off. Godfrey’s in swinging corner was met by the leaping Kabongolo, who gave Hartwell no chance with a powerful header. Moments later the home side were in front with a superb individual goal from Kabongolo. Picking the ball up on the half way line, the midfielder surged forward before hammering the ball into the top corner from 25 yards, the ball flying past Hartwell, giving him no chance.

With the visitors on the ropes, Barking & Dagenham seized the game and increased their lead via Gordon. Gasper’s ball found the Parsloes frontman, who showed great strength to hold off Ethan Downman, before his fierce shot went in despite the efforts of Hartwell. Barking & Dagenham were in the ascendancy and they grabbed a 4th just before the break. Ferris split the Basildon defence with a pinpoint pass, Olukolu racing on to it before cutting the ball back where Gordon finished smartly from 6 yards.

Any thoughts that the game was over were quickly dispelled as Basildon made a lightening start to the second half. Within the opening minute, just as in the 1st, the visitors scored from a corner. Georgie Wind’s cross was allowed to travel across the box where Mackenzie Brathwaite was on hand to fire the ball into the bottom corner. Barking & Dagenham responded with a chances of their own, Kabongolo drawing a smart save from Hartwell with a shot from the edge of the area. O’Mahoney was then denied by a good save from Hartwell before Gordon almost grabbed his hat trick but some good defending from Harry Wosltenholm kept Basildon in the game.

Barking & Dagenham continued to press looking to kill the game but Basildon hit then on the break to reduce the deficit, Wind, Rosser and Mitchell May sprung out from a Barking corner, releasing Brathwaite, who cooly rolled the ball in to put his side back in the game. Buoyed by the goal, Basildon pushed forward and Ben Lesslie had to be quick off his line to snuff out the danger after a clever ball from Wind almost found May. Brathwaite then fired wide from a corner as the visitors started to dominate the game. The visitors then thought they had got back on level terms but their goal was disallowed for offside. However the comeback was complete after some quick thinking from Rosser. His quick throw in found Wind, who hooked the ball over Lesslie and into the goal to level the score.

The goal seemed to shake Barking & Dagenham from their slumber and Gordon created a chance out of nothing, holding off 2 challenges but he was unable to get enough on the effort to trouble Hartwell. Ogbonna then went close, latching on to clever Gordon flick but Hartwell was equal to his shot. Hartwell then denied Gordon, getting down smartly to kept the shot out at the near post. Before Olukolu saw his shot go over the bar. With time running out, Barking & Dagenham continued to press for a winner but they had a major let off as Basildon hot them on the break. May and Brathwaite combined to find Wind who, with the goal at his mercy, somehow managed to fire over from no more than 2 yards.

That was the last action of a throughly entertaining game. One that both sides would feel they could of won. However both sides had to be content with a point in what was a game played in an excellent spirit from start to finish.

Barking & Dagenham make the short trip to Havering on Saturday, looking for 3 points if they harbour any real hopes of mounting a title challenge.

Team: Jesse Olukolu- Five Elms, Brooklyn Kabongolo- Valence, George Godfrey- Grafton, Jack O’Mahoney- Manor, Jack Bullen- Hunters Hall, Billy Eskelson- Hunters Hall, Brandon Gasper- Parsloes, Rhys Gordon- Parsloes, Ben Lesslie- Thomas Arnold, Callum Ferris- Valence