STATISTICS

Date: Friday 20th December 2024
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Competition: Essex Senior League
Venue: Lawtech Stadium
Attendance: 74
Starters: Dan Purdue, Charlie Thomson, Geneiro Maragh, Sam Edwards ©, Jeremy Arthur, William Oduwa, Akiljo Balliu, Tyrese Sibanda, Juwon Akintunde, Sam Shaban, Jerold Cobblah
Substitutes: Fahad Nyanja, Tony Martin, Ellis Lawson, Miles Smith, Emmanuel Frempong
Substitutions:
53’ Smith for Cobblah
Goals:
16’ Akintunde 1-0
63’ David Gokou-Siakouri (Woodford Town) 1-1
66’ David Gokou-Siakouri (Woodford Town) 1-2
Yellow cards: Smith
Red cards: Edwards

REPORT

Barking started the festive football season with a disappointing and controversial defeat to a Woodford side that cemented second place in the league.

The game started at a frenetic place with neither side willing to put their foot on the ball and slow things down. Woodford’s winger David Gokou-Siakouri was a constant thorn in the side for the home team and on seven minutes he crossed for Georges Kebi who’s shot from close range was brilliantly pushed around the post by Dan Purdue in the Barking goal. This first clear-cut chance of the game seemed to spark Barking into life and a minute later Akilijo Balliu’s shot was deflected for a corner. The hosts took the lead on ten minutes as Sam Shaban did well to win the ball on the left before powering into the box and squaring for Juwon Akintunde to slam the ball home at the far post for his seventeenth goal of the season. Barking had a very strong shout for a penalty on 18 minutes as Shaban looked set to win a header 12 yards from goal before being clattered in mid-air by Michael Agboola. The referee waved away the protests following what was a very obvious foul. Agboola was back in the action on 22 minutes when he ventured forward for a Woodford corner but sent his header back across goal but just over the bar. Four minutes before half-time Shaban and Balliu combined well from a corner but just as Balliu’s shot stung the hands of former Barking keeper Manny Agboola, the assistant raised his flag. The visitors had the last attack of the first half but Gokou-Siakouri’s ball across the face of goal was unmet.

The second-half started with a crunching tackle by Woodford’s Ernest Okoh that ended Jerold Cobblah’s game but again went unpunished by the extremely lenient referee. Miles Smith replaced Cobblah for the home team. Woodford had had plenty of the ball in the first half without having a cutting edge but they upped their attacking game in the second half and looked more dangerous throughout the second period. On 61 minutes Nathan Sollosi shot wide for the visitors and this was just a forerunner of Woodford turning the game on its head with two quick goals. Firstly on 63 minutes Miles Mitchell-Nelson crossed for Gokou-Siakouri, who had slipped his marker to head home and tie the scores. Then just three minutes later Gokou-Siakouri bore down on goal and shot home from the edge of the box. But with Kebi in an offside position and directly in front of Purdue  the assistant instantly flagged for offside. However with Woodford players surrounding the ref he went over to the assistant and signalled for the goal to be given. On 78 minutes Smith’s cross was headed back across goal by Shaban to Akintunde. But Agboola did well to come out and block the shot from point blank range. With five minutes left things went from bad to worse for Barking as Sam Edwards was the victim of yet another crunching tackle and reacted too forcefully for the referee’s liking and was shown a red card.

That pretty much killed the game off as a contest and Barking could not create any more chances in remaining minutes. Blues fans will hope for a response when we resume our festive programme at home to Romford on the 28th.

Report source: Mark Harris/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.

To read/download a digital version of the match programme click on the above image