STATISTICS

Date: Tuesday 5th November 2024
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Competition: Essex Senior League
Venue: Lawtech Stadium
Attendance: 63
Starters: Dan Purdue, Miles Smith, Jay Bacon, Pat Ahern, Ryan Cosson, Simon Omope, Micah Jackson, Teddy Stacey, Juwon Akintunde, Sam Shaban, Sam Edwards
Substitutes: Rhys Paul, Andre Anderson, Ernest Okoh, Nelly Martins, Izzy Bademosi
Substitutions:
66’ Okoh for Omope
66’ Bademosi for Akintunde
79’ Martins for Shaban
79’ Anderson for Stacey
Goals:
Elton Tettey (Frenford) 70′ 0-1
Charlie Heatley (Frenford) 81′ 0-2
Yellow cards: Bacon, Edwards
Red cards: None

REPORT

ELTON IS FRENFORD’S ROCKET MAN

On Guy Fawkes night Barking tumbled to another home defeat in what can only be described at best as a very disjointed display with hardly an effort on target across the 90 minutes. 

The only surprise was that it took until twenty minutes from time for Frenford to open the scoring, there were no bangers in a Blue shirt.

The opening minutes offered little for either side, with Barking’s first real opportunity coming in the 16th minute as Ryan Cosson connected with a Micah Jackson corner, but his header was easily saved by Jimmy Parker in the Frenford goal. The visitors immediately responded with a blocked attempt, setting the tone for a half in which they created more chances. As Frenford grew more assertive, Barking’s goalkeeper Dan Purdue was called into action to make crucial saves to keep the scoreline level. Purdue’s low save in the 30th minute stopped a dangerous Frenford break after an interception in midfield, and he continued by parrying a dipping shot in the 37th minute. Despite these threats, Barking made it to halftime without conceding but showed little in the way of creativity going forward.

The pattern persisted in the second half, with Frenford looking more likely to score. Barking’s best attempt came from a free kick where the resulting shot sailed over the bar, but otherwise, they struggled to trouble Frenford’s defence. A double substitution in the 66th minute, with Juwon Akintunde and Simon Omope making way for Ernest Okoh and Izzy Bademosi, seemed to disrupt Barking’s formation rather than improve it. Just four minutes after the change, Barking’s failure to clear the ball properly proved costly. Frenford crossed the ball back into the box, finding an unmarked Elton Tettey, who headed it into the corner of the net to open the scoring. Tettey was then immediately subbed, having done his job in putting Frenford ahead. Barking’s defensive struggles continued, and in the 81st minute, Frenford doubled their lead as former Blue Charlie Heatley found himself unmarked with ample time to slot the ball home for 2-0. Despite a late series of corners, Barking failed to mount a meaningful response, and the game ended without any real threat to Frenford’s goal.

We are at home again on Saturday afternoon as we face Saffron Walden Town and hopefully we can see an improvement in performance.

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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