A.F.C. Sudbury welcomed Barking to the King’s Marsh Stadium on a warm and sunny October afternoon. A minute’s silence was held prior to kick-off in memory of the late Sandra Burrows, long-time supporter of A.F.C Sudbury home and away.

In the opening minute Billy Holland found Jordan Blackwell with a neat pass and the ball reached Reece Harris whose left wing cross was met with a decisive punch by Barking ‘keeper Tim Brown. On five minutes Phil Kelly cut inside from the right wing to send a deflected shot off Joe Bruce for a corner kick. From this set-piece Kelly rose to head over the Barking crossbar. For Barking, Rashid Kamara worked space to fire a low shot at the home goal which Paul Walker saved with comfort. On twelve minutes Walker again saved well when Jordan Peart’s twenty-five yard shot skidded through the penalty area. Darelle Russell almost broke through on eighteen minutes, but Walker was sharply off his line to gather the ball.

On twenty-two minutes Barking had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Jordan Peart came at pace along the left wing delivering a defence-splitting ball across the penalty area which Darelle Russell did everything in his power to meet as he threw himself unsuccessfully towards the ball. Sudbury responded with Baris Altintop finding Phil Kelly on the edge of the Barking penalty area with an excellent pass, but he just couldn’t get a shot away under pressure form the visitor’s defence. On the half-hour Emmanuel Ighorae twisted and turned allowing him to send a shot well over the home crossbar.

On thirty-five minutes Joshua Davidson turned in the box, but Tom Dettmar was on hand with a fine block. Kamara latched onto the loose ball, but sliced his shot well wide. Tim Brown was called into action, blocking from Jordan Blackwell after the Sudbury number eleven went one way and then another to work space in the Barking area. At the other end the slippery Ighorae sent a fine cross into the home penalty area with which Davidson connected weakly with his head when it looked odds-on he would score. Sudbury’s best chance of the half came five minutes from the break when Billy Holland’s swerving shot was kept out by Tim Brown. A Phil Kelly cross fell for Ben Hunter who fired a shot wide for A.F.C. Sudbury as a rather scrappy half came to an end without score.

HT 0-0

Sudbury found themselves a goal behind almost immediately after re-start. Ighorae’s veering run saw his shot blocked, but Daniel Cheema was on hand to knock the loose ball into the net. Darryl Coakley’s fifty-second minute corner was headed on by Billy Holland towards the goal, but Tim Brown in the barking goal was adjudged to have been fouled by Joe Grimwood. Rashid Kamara went on another pacey, mazy run, but his shot was straight at Paul Walker who was as well-placed as ever.

On fifty-eight minutes Sudbury replaced Billy Holland with with Paul Hayes. A mistake at the back saw Joshua Davidson in on goal, but Paul Walker leapt well to save at the expense of a corner kick. Davidson looked to atone for not extending the Barking lead from the resultant corner, but his header went well over the top of the home goal. Davidson agin looked to seal the tie when his next shot flew just wide of the Sudbury far post. On sixty-six minutes Jordan Blackwell was replaced by Callum Harrison. Ighorae’s run ended with a shot just wide of goal before Harrison chipped just over the Barking crossbar as Sudbury injected some much-needed urgency into their play. Next it was Jordan Peart’s surging run, not the first he’d attempted in the game, ending with a finely-judged tackle by Tyler French.

A neat ball into Paul Hayes from Ben Hunter saw the tall striker shoot straight at Tim Brown. Sudbury’s last roll of the dice was to replace Reece Harris with Ben Hammett with seven minutes remaining. Following Tyler French losing possession, Rashid Kamara shot wide when he should perhaps have sealed the game for Barking. Just when it looked as if A.F.C. Sudbury would draw a blank in the game, Ryan Cosson knocked over the on-rushing Phil Kelly and the home side were awarded a penalty. Substitute Callum Harrison cooly sent Brown the wrong way and Sudbury had gained a point and their first home league goal of the season.