Hackney Wick FC endured a difficult afternoon away at Barking FC as a young Wickers side were reduced to ten men early on and ultimately fell to a heavy defeat.
The task was always going to be a challenging one for the youthful visitors, but matters became significantly harder in the 13th minute when debutant Ruben Carvalho was shown a red card for a professional foul, leaving Hackney Wick with a mountain to climb for the remainder of the match.
Barking took advantage of their numerical superiority soon after, opening the scoring before doubling their lead from the penalty spot. Stanley Adjei was adjudged to have fouled his man inside the area, and the hosts made no mistake from twelve yards to take a 2–0 lead into half-time.
The second half proved just as challenging for the Wickers. Shortly after the restart, Barking added a third when Ade Awoniyi managed to parry a free-kick, but a Barking forward reacted quickest to turn home the rebound.
With the extra man continuing to tell, the home side added three further goals as Hackney Wick struggled to contain the pressure. Late in the game, matters worsened when Hector was sent off for handling the ball inside the penalty area, resulting in Barking converting their second penalty of the match to complete a 7–0 scoreline.
It was a harsh afternoon for the young Hackney Wick side, who are continuing to gain valuable experience at this level.
The challenge does not get any easier for the Wickers, who now host league leaders Little Oakley this weekend as they look to regroup and respond.