Non-League and Academy football writer

FC Baresi Reserves faced Dagenham United (at Lakeside Sports Ground) for a 12:30 start on Saturday afternoon, in an Essex Alliance Football League Premier Division East fixture. FC Baresi Reserves started this league fixture in tenth place in the league table, after 11 league games played. Chris Mascall’s Dagenham United side started this match in first place in the league standings, and they were unbeaten in the league after nine matches played. This well contested step 8 match was won 3-1 by Dagenham United. Started at a decent pace, it was Baresi who would manage the first goal attempt of the game (during the opening minutes of the game), as after Rui Giovanni Monteiro-Da-Costa had got to the ball in the final third, he would take the ball forward to the edge of the Dagenham United penalty area. With his resulting low effort on goal being gathered by the Dagenham goalkeeper, Robert Balbuza. Soon after that early chance for Baresi, the home team’s goalkeeper (Jahnih Bulbrook) would manage to tip behind Renato Molaudzi’s effort from the centre of the Baresi penalty area, following a Dagenham United corner-kick delivery.

This well organised Dagenham United side were beginning to create more goalscoring chances as the first half progressed. However, Baresi were competing well against the league leaders. Not too long after Jahnih Bulbrook had gathered Renato Molaudzi’s low effort on his goal from the edge of the Baresi penalty area, the next chance in this game would result in Dagenham United taking the lead in the match. A rushed back pass (under pressure) from a Baresi player in central midfield, back towards the defence, was latched onto by the alert Tajean Lewis, who continued forward with the ball down the left-hand side of the home team’s box, before rounding the outrushing goalkeeper and finishing low into the goal, 0-1. Shortly after the match had restarted again, Dagenham United player Pierre Valentine would find the opening goalscorer, Tajean Lewis, on the left-hand side of the Baresi box. Lewis would show some good ball control, before hitting an effort on goal which was pushed behind by Bulbrook, at his near post. And from the following corner-kick, Renato Molaudzi would head an effort wide of the Baresi goal.

Baresi would really try to get back into the game before half-time, as they played their passing game confidently. After Abir Kabir had hit an effort wide of the Dagenham goal from the edge of their box (after initially having received the ball on the left flank), Rui Giovanni Monteiro-Da-Costa would glance a header just wide, across the face of the Dagenham United goal, after meeting Tori Jones Mahorn Rendall’s corner-kick delivery into the box. And then just before half-time and after Halameen Agbaje had won the ball just inside of the home team’s penalty area, he would hit a powerful low effort on goal, which deflected off of Baresi’s captain, Zuhayr Amjad, before being saved by the feet of Jahnih Bulbrook. The second half of this match started at an improved pace, with Baresi continuing to press Dagenham United well. 

Two early chances during the opening stages of the second half, would arrive for the visiting side. Firstly, Tajean Lewis would hit an effort over on the bounce, from the edge of the Baresi penalty area, before Dagenham United substitute George Martin’s good cross into the Baresi box, was flicked on to Derek Boakye, the impressive Dagenham United captain. However, his first time effort on goal was gathered by Bulbrook. Umayr Amjad’s FC Baresi Reserves side continued to move the ball around the pitch at pace, and they would continue to work the ball into promising forward areas of the pitch. One such example of such a forward passing move, saw Baresi substitute Dante Harrison Cabrita Da Palma’s short pass find James Rufus, on the edge of the Dagenham United box, but after shifting the ball out of his feet, his powerful resulting effort went wide of the goalkeeper’s near post.

Dagenham United’s second goal of the game arrived at a crucial point in the second half, with FC Baresi really pushing for an equaliser by this stage of the second half. As central-defender Yusuf Cetin headed home (some of the Baresi players appealed for a push from the Dagenham United defender on a Baresi player, in the box) after connecting with Derek Boakye’s corner-kick delivery to the back post, 0-2. However, Baresi would expertly get a goal back, soon after play had resumed. Rui Giovanni Monteiro-Da-Costa showed some superb skill with the ball, to take it from the right flank, and then inside, past a couple of players, before entering the Dagenham United penalty area, and then squaring the ball for Tori Jones Mahorn Rendall, just inside of the box. The Baresi player’s first time side-footed effort went into the roof of the goal, despite the best efforts of the goalkeeper, 1-2.

Shortly before there was a stoppage in the game, after the Dagenham United goalkeeper had picked up an injury, a free-kick would be awarded to the away side, just over 20 yards out from goal. Derek Boakye’s low delivery into the penalty area, came to Yusuf Cetin, whose effort went over the goal, however. And then straight after play had resumed following that pause in play, Dagenham United would make it 3-1, once again scoring at a crucial moment in the game. The influential Derek Boakye’s lofted pass from the edge of the Baresi box, found the run of Tajean Lewis, down the left-hand side of the penalty area. Bulbrook would initially rush out to get a hand to the ball, but Lewis would regain possession of the ball, and then after shifting it out of his feet, his resulting powerful low effort went into the goal, 1-3.

Derek Boakye was really doing well on the ball during the second half, and soon after playing his part in Dagenham United’s third goal of the game, he would play a good lofted pass from the right flank, to Tajean Lewis, on the left-hand side of the Baresi box. However, Lewis’ low resulting effort went just across the face of the goal, as he came so close to getting his hat-trick. And as we reached second half additional time, with Baresi having committed a number of players up the pitch, Dagenham United would get more joy in behind the defence. Shortly after (following a Dagenham United free-kick) Yusuf Cetin had hit an effort over from the left-hand side of the home team’s box, Dagenham United came very close to making it 4-1, after creating a fine late chance, in the final moments of the game. Substitute Cain Dash played a nice pass in behind the Baresi defence, from midfield, which Tajean Lewis managed to meet. Lewis would take the ball into the penalty area, before rounding the outrushing goalkeeper, and then seeing his low effort on goal be superbly anticipated and cleared off the goal-line by Dante Harrison Cabrita Da Palma. 

This was a really good and well contested game of football, between FC Baresi Reserves, and the unbeaten league leaders, Dagenham United. Baresi really made Dagenham United, who were missing some players, work very hard for their win. Before Dagenham United scored their third goal of the match, Baresi were really pushing for an equaliser. However, the away side would finish the game very strongly and efficiently. For this young FC Baresi Reserves side there many very good performances, such as those from the very skilful Rui Giovanni Monteiro-Da-Costa, Abir Kabir, Zuhayr Amjad, and Tori Jones Mahorn Rendall. And for Dagenham United, their excellent and very influential captain Derek Boakye, goalscoring central-defender Yusuf Cetin, and Halameen Agbaje, all put in some really admirable performances, I thought. However, in my opinion, with his two goals and some really good work and movement in the final third, Tajean Lewis was my player of the match on Saturday afternoon.