Match report by Adam Dennehey

Essex Senior League Cup Final - Barkingside 2-0 Burnham Ramblers 0

A long and hard season ended in triumph as Barkingside won the Essex Senior League Cup Final after a determined effort saw off Burnham Ramblers
at Southend Manor's Southchruch Park ground.


Side started the game well with some good possession in midfield but a spell of pressure saw Burnham on the offensive. Scott Pethers and Ashley Hawkins were looking good for Burnham. But Side's defence were holding their own and Joe Woolley was also impressing commanding his box well.

Going forward Side didn't offer too much in the first half, as the visitors had the best of the chances. Martin Llewellyn almost presented the visitors with the lead but his cross was caught well by Woolley ahead of midfielder John Bradley who was sliding in.

On the stroke of half time came the decisive moment in the game. A ball from midfield found Leon Diaczuk in the box and the talented midfielder was brought down by Rambler's as he20was about to shoot. The referee had no other decision but to give Tony Fenn's team the penalty which Chris Lewis dully dispatched to give Side a vital half time lead.

That goal arguably shifted the game Barkingside's way and with the confidence of a lead the players come out at the start of the second half with an extra step in their stride.
Side's midfield came out well and with Jordan Tolan bossing the ball in midfield it allowed the likes of Diaczuk and Harkins the chance to use their pace to trouble Burnham's defence. After good work from Harry Stevens, Tolan shot at goal from outside the area, only a great save from Small in goal prevented the visitors from going two down.

Burnham's boss Garry Kimble brought on Joe Bajowa on for some pace. The forward on loan from East Thurrock did well on his wing before feeding Hawkins into the box whose shot beat Woolley only to hit the top of the bar and away for safety.

After that scare, Side's popular striker Bennett had a great chance to score but had his shot blocked after coolly rounding the goalie. How Ross Adams got back to block the chance only Bennett will know.

Burnham were causing problems down Side's left side with Pethers again looking dangerous. He played a brilliant ball into the box which Stuart Fergus took it in his stride forcing a good save from Woolley in goal. Burnham were getting frustrated and their right back Adam Dale was sent off for a second bookable offence after he hacked down Chris Lewis on the byline. In truth Dale was somewhat lucky to be on the pitch after he hacked viciously down Leon Diaczuk in the first half by the corner flag. Referee Stuart Franklin perhaps with the game being a final perhaps kept that in mind with that decision, but Dale's tackle on Lewis could offer no sentiment and the defender was off.

Ten minutes after Dale's sending off, Side wrapped up the win when Julian Ashby struck home a fine shot from inside the box after good work from Lewis up front. Ashby timed his run perfectly into the box and finished well for a right back. The later stages of the game saw Side almost add a third but Diaczuk (who won the man of the match award) saw a shot go over after a mazy run into the box. Eight years without a trophy were ended at full time when Dom Harkins was presented with the trophy. A fitting end
for Tony Fenn's first full season in charge of the club as manager.


Side: Woolley, Ashby, Stevens, Callaway, Dennis, Golby, Harkins, Tolan, Lewis, Bennett, Diaczuk

Barkingside Football Club, based in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge, was formed by a small group of enthusiasts in 1889, playing in the Ilford League, on a ground opposite the State Cinema in Barkingside High Road. They gained their first honour after the First World War sharing the Championship of the Ilford League. The club then disbanded in 1922/23 due to lack of support but resumed in 1925 as Barkingside Boys Guild in the Ilford Minor League. The name was then changed to Barkingside Old Boys and then the "old boys" prefix was dropped in the 1930s.


[edit] Overview
The club gained the use of a pitch at Barkingside Recreation Ground, where they played for 25 years before moving to their present ground in Station Road. The Club then became very successful in local football, winning the Ilford and District League on several occasions prior to World War II.

The club resumed immediately after the Second World War and after a few seasons in the Ilford League they entered the South Essex League, finishing runners-up in their first season. The next season the club joined the Walthamstow League and also obtained membership of the Amateur Football Alliance.

The club then entered the London League in 1950 and finished runners-up in their first season. They won the League Cup in 1956 and were beaten finalists in 1953 and 1963. They also won the Ilford Festival Cup and the Romford Charity Cup in 1952.

Barkingside first entered the London Senior Cup in 1957/58. The club then joined the newly formed Greater London League in 1964/65 and won promotion to the premier division in 1965/66, but were relegated after only one season.

A fire in the early 1970s forced the club to play its home fixtures at Woodford Avenue until the clubhouse was rebuilt. Barkingside entered the newly formed London Spartan League in 1976/77 and finished fourth, which earned them promotion to the Premier Division. This promotion was short-lived and they were relegated the following season.

The Harry Sunderland Shield was won in 1984 and they were runners-up in the same competition in 1985. They also attained a creditable 5th-place finish in the League in 1985/86 which earned them a return to the Premier Division, where they remained until joining the Spartan South Midlands League, which was born by the merger of the London Spartan League and the South Midlands League in 1996/97. The league championship and the London Senior Cup were won in a memorable first season.

Prior to the start of season 1998/99 the club came under the control of new owners and work then commenced on the ground, which was christened Oakside Stadium, to bring it up to Isthmian League standard. In 1998/99 they won the Premier Division again but were denied promotion to the Isthmian League. This setback resulted in the club wishing to move on to the Essex Senior League, but this request was denied due to an FA ruling that did not allow sideways moves within the soccer pyramid.

To ensure that its desire to move was possible the club withdrew from senior football for one season and entered the Essex Senior League in 2000/01; a successful first season saw them finish third in the league and winners of the Gordon Brastead Memorial Cup.

In the following season there were massive changes at the Club: the senior management team and committee moved on en-bloc to a Ryman Premier Club and the lease at Oakside was sold on to Ford United (now Redbridge) who needed to find a permanent home to allow their progression up the football pyramid. Barkingside FC derived considerable benefits from this. Considerable investment by Jimmy Chapman, the Ford/Redbridge Chairman, has seen Oakside developed to a grade 1 ground and Barkingside have a permanent ground-share agreement; indeed to demonstrate the intention that Barkingside would continue Jimmy Chapman became their president in a gesture of support.

Seasons 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04 saw the club finish in fairly moderate mid-table positions as the new committee worked hard to consolidate the long-term future. The club continued to move forward competing hard for the Essex Senior League title and reaching 2 finals in the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy only to lose them to Hornchurch and Brentwood Town. In the 2007/08 season the club finished 3rd in the Essex Senior League finishing behind Enfield 1893 and champions Concord Rangers in the table. However they had led the division for some time but fell away towards the end losing 3 out of their last 4 games. The club is now entering a new era after the Taylor family left the club after 8 years at the helm of the club.

After a turbelent start to the season where due to boardroom discontent Jimmy Flanagan took charge of the ship towards the end of December and with Tony Fenn's management team and a good group of players led the club to 5th place in the Essex Senior League and a well derserved 2-0 win over Burnham Ramblers, in the Essex Senior League Cup Final. It was a fitting end for the club after a hard season in which everyone involved at the club played their part!