Non-League and Academy football writer

I was in attendance for Barkingside’s Thurlow Nunn – Eastern Counties League Division One South fixture with Newbury Forest, on Wednesday night at The Cricklefield Stadium. It was a local Derby match, and it was a game which would be won 1-0 by the away side, Newbury Forest. After a fairly even start to the game, there was to be an early chance for inform Barkingside centre-forward Fred Agyemang, after he had managed to get onto a through-ball pass close to the Newbury Forest box. However, Fred Agyemang was met by the outrushing Newbury Forest goalkeeper, Sebastian Barford, who saved his effort with his body, after the Barkingside forward had tried to score with an early effort. At the opposite end of the pitch, and after there was a long and hopeful ball up the field, Newbury Forest created their first chance of the game. Following a potential foul inside the Barkingside penalty area, the ball came to Arthur Wright, whose effort on goal was saved by the Barkingside goalkeeper Hayden West. Not long after that chance for the visiting team, Hayden West made a good stop from close range.

A cross into the Barkingside penalty area resulted in Ruben Carvalho having a good headed effort on goal, well pushed behind by Hayden West. Ruben Carvalho then hit an effort wide of the Barkingside goal from the left side of their penalty area, before Joseph Koroma hit a low effort from about 20 yards out, on the Newbury Forest goal, but it was saved by Sebastian Barford. Not long before half-time, the more creative of the two sides took the lead. Newbury Forest player Reuben Campbell found Arthur Wright inside the Barkingside box, and the former Clapton Community player finished well, off Hayden West’s left post. Just before half-time Josh Adjei headed an effort over the Newbury Forest goal. During the early stages of the second half, a cross into the Barkingside box from Arthur Wright to pick out Ruben Carvalho, saw the midfielder’s headed effort saved by Hayden West. Then, a couple of minutes later, Barkingside managed to create a really good chance. Filip Ksiadz delivered a good and accurate cross into the Newbury Forest penalty area, to pick out Joseph Koroma, whose effort from close range was kept out of the goal superbly by goalkeeper Sebastian Barford’s excellent reflex save.

A really good effort from distance by Barkingside substitute Jack Allen, was tipped onto to the top of his crossbar by Sebastian Barford, before he managed to gather the ball at the second attempt. A good chance for Newbury Forest to double their lead arrived shortly afterwards. The impressive Arthur Wright found the Newbury Forest number seven with a pass close to the right side of the Barkingside box, from which the number seven gave the ball back to Wright, who had made a run into the penalty area, following a good run into the box. However, Arthur Wright’s effort was saved by Hayden West, who then also saved the Newbury Forest number seven’s effort on the follow-up. A Newbury Forest free-kick, which was taken by Ifeanyi Umeh on the edge of the Barkingside box, was saved well by Hayden West, with the ball then falling for Ruben Carvalho, inside the Barkingside box. However, his effort was well saved by the feet of Hayden West, before the ball came back to Ifeanyi Umeh, whose effort went wide of the goal. Just before the end of the game, Barkingside were reduced to ten men, after Josh Devlin had been shown his second yellow card of the game for a foul.

This was a competitive Derby game in East London, but despite it being quite an even game, I thought that Newbury Forest did enough to deserve to win, thanks to my player of the match, Arthur Wright.