BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS - ASKERN VILLA
12/12/09

MATCH REPORT
BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS 1 - 5 ASKERN VILLA

Attendance 85

Gareth Barlow (8)

Barton Town Old Boys' awful week ended on a miserable note, conceding five goals at home to an Askern Villa side superior in every aspect of the game on the day.

Barton, already suffering the double whammy of losing the only recently acquired Rob Northen to Premier Division high-flyers, Scarborough Athletic and from the hammer-blow of learning that the influential Hayden Barnett was ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, found their problems further compounded by the continued absence of injured skipper, Craig Suddaby.

Town put those problems behind them to open the scoring in just the eighth minute. Tenacious work on the left flank by Lee Mohammed, restored to the attack in place of Northen, saw the ball delivered to acting skipper, Gareth BARLOW, who, with his back to goal, found the time to turn and arrow a superb effort into the top corner of Villa keeper, Liam Codley's goal.

In truth, the opener was against the run of play, Askern having made an assured and positive start, but the goal did serve to boost a Town side to go confidently about securing that vital second goal. Ryan Morton was causing problems for the Askern left flank, but without finding, unusually for him, the crucial delivery with his final ball.

The closest Town came to increasing their lead in what was the nearest they came to a purple patch was in the 23rd minute, Adam Crane just failing to get to the ball before the onrushing Codley, following Barlow's break down the right and square ball into the area.

Two minutes later and it was all-square. Paul Bell, back at the club for a second spell, had already done very well to block one goal-bound effort, when he was, somewhat harshly, adjudged to have handled in the area. Up stepped visiting skipper, Mark Vickerage, to hammer home the resultant penalty, giving Dave Bramley in the home goal no chance.

Barton then lost Carl Wood to injury, Karl Hull coming on as substitute. Hull had barely touched the ball before Town found themselves trailing. As an over-committed Town attack broke down in the 30th minute, Askern broke, with pace, down the right before Tom McLaughlin cut inside to finish, with some aplomb, inside Bramley's near post.

It could have got worse for Barton, only a brave Bramley double-save following Micky Evans' superbly-executed volley keeping Askern out.

Town would have been happy to go in at half-time just a single goal in arrears, but pressed the self-destruct button two minutes in to added on time. There appeared to be no immediate danger as a free kick was routinely lumped into the Barton area, but James Naylor, although showing great technique to volley home as the ball fell over his shoulder, was given far too much time to do so by a hesitant Town defence.

If that wasn't the killer goal, then the one two minutes into the second half certainly was. Old Boys' Manager, Ian Durnian would have stressed at half-time the need to score early to give his charges any hope of salvaging something from the game.

But it wasn't to be as another penalty, again somewhat contentiously, was awarded against Town's Hull for an alleged push. Once again, up stepped Vickerage to finish the job from the spot.

Hull tried to redeem himself, twice going close from Morton corners, before Askern went nap in the 67th minute. Again, Town found themselves over-committed, somewhat understandably, but it was all far too easy for Gary Mundy to finish across Bramley and inside the far post.

Playing for pride, Town tried to rescue something from a game long gone, Crane and Barlow bringing out the best in Codley, but it was to no avail.

Barton can have no complaints, and although both penalty awards might not have been given against them on another day, they were second-best to an Askern Villa side quicker, fitter and technically superior for much of the game. Town can put this one down to a bad day at the office, but they can have no such excuse next Saturday when Worsbrough Bridge are the visitors to The Euronics Ground ( kick off 3pm ).

TEAM: Bramley; Bell, Wood ( Hull ), McKay, Masterton; Morton, Mitchell, Crane, Day; Barlow, Mohammed ( L.Moulds ). Sub ( not used ) Payne.