STATISTICS

Date: Friday 25th October 2024
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Competition: Essex Senior League
Venue: Lawtech Stadium
Attendance: 86
Starters: Dan Purdue, Miles Smith, Jay Bacon, Sam Edwards, Ryan Cosson, Chris John, Izzy Bademosi, Teddy Stacey, Anthony Martin, Micah Jackson, Jerrold Cobblah
Substitutes: Juwon Akintunde, Sam Shaban, Andy Greenslade, Rhys Paul, Andre Anderson
Substitutions:
34’ Akintunde for Cobblah
63’ Paul for Bademosi
67’ Shaban for Akintunde
Goals:
Suley Zuhdu (Buckhurst Hill) 7′ 0-1
Suley Zuhdu (Buckhurst Hill) 33′ 0-2
Suley Zuhdu (Buckhurst Hill) 59′ 0-3
Akintunde 62′ 1-3
Jackson 69′ 2-3
Lucas Willison (Buckhurst Hill) 74′ 2-4
Yellow cards: Cobblah, Bacon, Smith, Edwards, Paul
Red cards: None

REPORT

A HORROR SHOW  

Barking’s near Halloween fixture against Buckhurst Hill turned into a nightmare, being defeated 4-2 in a match that saw defensive frailties and missed opportunities cost them dearly. 

The visitors, spearheaded by a hat trick from Suley Zuhdu, dominated much of the game, leaving Barking supporters without much to celebrate.

Barking welcomed back Dan Purdue between the sticks, but no doubt he found little cheer on his return.

Barking avoided conceding in the opening minutes, a positive step after their early setback against Ilford, but their relief was short-lived. In the seventh minute, a defensive error allowed the ball to fall to Zuhdu, who wasted no time in putting Buckhurst Hill ahead.

Barking tried to respond, with Sam Edwards sending in a free kick that Tony Martin headed over. However, Barking’s defence continued to look vulnerable, while the attack struggled to build momentum. The situation worsened in the 33rd minute when Zuhdu capitalised on another defensive lapse, scoring from a corner that Barking failed to clear. 

Down 2-0, Barking found themselves needing a serious turnaround sfter halftime to salvage anything from the game.

Barking looked to regroup, and keeper Dan Purdue made a critical save in the 48th minute to prevent Zuhdu from extending Buckhurst Hill’s lead. Moments later, Chris John almost pulled one back from a corner, but his header was saved by Buckhurst Hill’s Toby Smith. Despite amassing corners, Barking couldn’t convert the set pieces into goals. The pressure continued to mount, and in the 59th minute, Zuhdu completed his hat trick, firing in after a defensive scramble to make it 3-0.

Yet Barking quickly pulled one back: Sam Edwards found Martin, who set up Micah Jackson for a cross that Juwon Akintunde converted for his tenth goal of the season.

However, Akintunde picked up an injury in the process and was subbed for Sam Shaban. With the scoreline at 3-1, a long ball forward found Micah Jackson who in turn found the net in the 69th minute, scoring his debut goal to bring Barking within one goal of Buckhurst Hill. 

But any hopes of a comeback were dashed five minutes later when Lucas Willason capitalised on Barking’s inability to defend a corner, prodding the ball home virtually unchallenged for 4-2. 

On 77 the ball is surrendered close to the home goal and a Buckhurst Hill shot smacks the post for a let off. In the final stages, Purdue made a crucial save to deny Buckhurst Hill a fifth goal on 85, but Barking’s struggles continued, with Sam Shaban hitting the post in the 93rd minute, marking the last real opportunity of the match.

We now have seven days to resolve some of our problems as we travel to Hargrave Park to meet Stansted next Saturday with a 3pm kick off.

Report source: Terry Gilbert/Barking FC

Please note that the opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to Barking Football Club.

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