Barking 3 Maldon & Tiptree 1

Isthmian League One North, Friday January 14th

I was over at Mayesbrook Park for some Friday night football in the Isthmian North and saw Barking come from behind to beat Maldon & Tiptree after a George Purcell volley, a debut goal from Freddie Parker and a screamer from Barney Williams sealed a big three points.

The hosts needed the points to try and pull themselves further away from the relegation play off spot, they started the evening just three points above it, but with only one win in their last five form had not been great, and they welcomed a Maldon & Tiptree side to Mayesbrook who were looking for three points themselves to try and keep up a play off position in touch, they began the day six points off fifth spot in tenth.

The Jammers form before their last game saw them net back to back wins in a three match unbeaten run, but defeat at AFC Sudbury last time out knocked them back a little, so they were looking to try and hand The Blues a second successive defeat and get back on track, so how would this one pan out at a freezing Mayesbrook Park.

The Blues had to terrific chances early on to take the lead, Purcell hooking across goal and wide from close range, and then Kieran Jones headed wide from a great position, but they were barely threatened by a rather abject Maldon side, that was until ten minutes before the break when a huge moment of controversy saw the visitors awarded a spot kick.

This came about when a ball played into Eoin McKeown saw the attacker with his back to goal anticipate a touch from his marker so fell to the ground asking for a penalty, and the referee obliged and pointed to the spot, much to the despair of the hosts who were furious, and resulted in James Folkes receiving a booking for his protests. There was barely any contact with the defender so it did seem to me that the award of a penalty was harsh to say the least.

A penalty it was though, and Shad Ngandu dispatched the spot kick emphatically to give the visitors the half time lead, and the home crowd certainly let their feelings be known to McKeown and the referee as they walked off down the tunnel past them, they were less than impressed and felt very hard done by, how would their side react to this set back in the second half?

The reaction was a very positive one as it turned out, and four minutes after the break levelled when a ball looped into the path of Purcell saw him beat the offside trap to volley past Tommy Dixon-Hodge, and then seven minutes after that took the lead when a lovely ball from Williams found Parker who slotted beyond Dixon-Hodge, and in eleven second half minutes Barking had turned this one around.

Could The Jammers respond, well they tried but found the hosts defence resolute, and also found James Shaw in the Barking goal solid as well as he made a decent near post stop, but Barking were to go further in front with just under twenty minutes to go in some style too, as Williams sent an unstoppable long range effort into the top corner and handed the Blues a two goal cushion. It was a superb strike it really was, one of the finest I have seen this season.

Barking then continued to defend well and keep the Jammers from having many efforts at goal, they did manage one decent attempt thereafter but Shaw saved down to his right very well indeed, but apart from that as said, Barking were very solid in defence and comfortably held out to take a superb win and earn a big three points and put some daylight between them and the bottom three.

The gap to third bottom is now six points as they jump up three places to 14th, whilst for Maldon it was a difficult night for them and not their best showing I'd suspect, and The Jammers remain in tenth and still six points off the play off spots.

Full time Barking 3 Maldon & Tiptree 1