STATISTICS

Date: Friday 17th November 2023
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Competition: Essex Senior League
Venue: Myrak Park
Attendance: 106
Starters: Ben Lane, Brad Rowland, Kenedi Dariri, Karl Kayembe, George Forrest, Fahad Nyanja (C), Jack Dickinson, Declan Nche, Luke Hirst, Anthony Martin, Shaye La-Rose
Substitutes: Mo Amghar, Greg Akpele, Tim Monsheju, Mohamed Diallo, Ahmed Mohammed
Substitutions:
58′ Diallo for Forrest
58′ Mohammed for Kayembe
81′ Monsheju for Martin
81′ Akpele for Hirst
Goals:
29’ Martin 29 1-0
74’ Hirst 2-0
Yellow cards: Akpele
Red cards: None

REPORT

LUKE, ANT & DEC’S FRIDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY

The Blues aimed for a stronger performance than their two previous visits to Myrak Park, and they succeeded in style with a 2-0 win, securing their first double of the season. The victory elevates them to tenth in the standings ahead of Saturday’s upcoming fixtures.

The vital goals, one in each half, were crafted by Declan Nche and expertly converted by Anthony Martin and Luke Hirst.

We welcomed back an old face in Tim Monsheju and a new one in Ahmed Mohammed, both players came off the bench in the second half.

In the early minutes, Barking demonstrated some fluid passing but lacked the final product. The home team, however, forced a couple of corners that were repelled by the visiting defence. Barking began to exert more pressure and in the 14th minute their efforts started to trouble the home side, but all efforts were blocked. An excellent shot from Declan Nche from outside the box in the 18th minute was palmed away by home keeper Alex Reed, but under pressure Jack Dickinson couldn’t reach the rebound. In the 22nd minute a promising run and cross by Shaye La-Rose was deflected away by Reed, only for the ball to hit a teammate and bounce back into his arms.The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Declan Nche won the ball and looped it forward to Tony Martin, who calmly rolled the ball past Reed into the net, leaving the home defence appealing in vain for offside.

Some sloppy defensive play by Barking in the 44th minute led to a corner for the home side, which then led to a second, but the defensive headers were excellent, clearing the threat effectively. In injury time Hirst and Martin engaged in a one-two, culminating in a powerful shot from the latter that narrowly missed.

The second half started with Nche delivering a good cross that Brad Rowland narrowly missed with his head. Despite Barking looking dangerous, the home side after making a couple of substitutions at half time started to pose a more significant threat and on 50 minutes Ben Lane rushed from his goal to grab the ball and snuff out a piece of danger. In the 55th minute Nche forced a corner that led to a big penalty appeal for handball and Jack Dickinson’s subsequent shot went wide. Buckhurst Hill were temporarily reduced to ten in the 67th minute when a home player was sin-binned for dissent. Barking continued to press with sub Mohamed Ahmed weaving into the box in the 69th minute but running into Reed and the chance was gone, The second goal arrived in the 74th minute when (Ant) Martin found (Dec) Nche who passed across the area to Luke Hirst, he produced a rocket into the roof of the net for a superb goal. 

Extending their lead seemed to settle any nerves Barking had and gave them a solid base to finish the game on. In the 86th minute a ball over the top found Tim Monsheju who strode through but was denied by Reed. In the final minutes Greg Akepele had a try: he worked his way into the box, firing a shot that flew across goal. Barking managed the game out efficiently in the closing stages, securing another welcome three points and a third consecutive clean sheet.

We return to action in eight days on Saturday November 25th and we are away from home again as we meet Stanway Rovers in the Essex Senior League with an earlier kick off at 2pm.

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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