Blues boss Glen Golby is pleased with the start of new signing Joel Barnett after he netted his first goal since joining the club, in a 4-2 victory over Waltham Forest, as Jordan Parsons reports.
The attacker scored the second goal of the day with a well-placed header. A brace from James Peagram plus another goal from Lamar Reynolds concluded a well-rounded performance from the East London side.
The positive result further cemented Barking’s second place in the Essex Senior League standings and Golby is confident that the addition of Barnett is sure to strengthen his side’s pursuit of league leaders FC Romania, who currently sit five points clear at the top.
‘Fantastic’
“Joel is an ex-teammate of mine, which is one of the main reasons why we brought him in. We know a lot about his game and he can find the net regularly,” Golby said.
“He’s good at holding up the play and he always gets in the faces of defenders so I’m sure he will get a few goals, and be a fantastic replacement for Ashley Hawkins.”
Barnett moved to the Blues from Ryman outfit Thurrock and was part of the side that was relegated from the premier division at the end of the 2012/13 season.
Despite finishing fourth from bottom, an end of season three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player resulted in them slipping into the relegation zone, and ultimately dropping down to the Ryman North league.
Valuable
However, despite the unfortunate events at Thurrock, Barnett was one of their top goal scorers during the last season and should be a valuable player for Barking.
The recent four-goal rout over Waltham Forest was a welcome result for the Blues as they had previously experienced a slight dip in from.
“I was pleased with our finishing [against Forest] because that’s something that let us down against Southend,” Golby added.
“We created enough chances in that game, but with Southend having an outfield player in goal for much of the game, I was expecting us to cause them more problems.”
Luxury
Barking will be looking to close out their season with a winning run having recovered well from their disappointing defeat to Southend last week.
As they prepare to chase down league leaders FC Romania, the Blues appear to have the easier run of games when compared to that of their title rivals although they will enjoy the luxury of having two games in hand.
However, Barking will look to take maximum points from their remaining eight fixtures to keep the pressure on FC Romania as the season begins to reach its climax.