BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS - LEEDS CARNEGIE
13/10/09

MATCH REPORT
BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS 3-2 LEEDS CARNEGIE

Attendance 94

Gareth Barlow ( 30, 77 )
Carl Snowden ( 65 )

Barton Town Old Boys mini-revival continued as they did it the hard way, coming back from two goals down to beat Leeds Carnegie in the second round of the League Cup.

Town made two changes to the starting line-up from the side which beat Bottesford Town last Saturday. Declan Marshall came in for the holidaying Ryan Morton and Shawn Mitchell replaced the injured Dave Moulds. The returning Nathan White joined Scott McKay and Lee Moulds on the bench.

On another good night for football, both teams started well, passing the ball about confidently on a decent playing surface, but it was the visitors who grabbed an early advantage, Carnegie's Tom Leaver firing home through a ruck of players in the 7th minute. Barton responded well, the busy Carl Snowden cutting in from the left to fire at Carnegie keeper, James Dalton, who gathered comfortably. Shaun Day then made his way into the area, appeared to be baulked but managed to stay on his feet and in so doing probably made the referee's mind up not to award a penalty, much to the annoyance of the Swan Army behind the goal as Town continued to press.

A great run by the influential Hayden Barnett was capped with a cute reverse ball to free up Gareth Barlow in the Leeds' area. Twice, Barlow was thwarted by some desperate Carnegie defending before the loose ball eventually ran to Snowden whose follow-up was also blocked and finally, cleared.

Town then lost Ricky Foster to a turned ankle injury but not before Day appeared to be upended in the box again, but to no avail.

Foster was off the pitch being treated when 10 man Barton went two down in the 29th minute. Barton keeper Tom Nicholson appeared to lead with his feet to block Scott Lawson, the ball rolling kindly to Lawson for a simple tap-in.

The deficit was halved just a minute later, Snowden's knock-down saw the ball bounce up invitingly for BARLOW whose instinctive first time volley flew over Dalton from 20 yards out to bring the Old Boys right back into the game.

The injured Foster was replaced by Scott McKay at centre back as the game continued to ebb and flow in an entertaining manner but without further goals before the half-time whistle, although Nicholson had to be at his very best to turn Chris Thurston's effort over the bar to make amends for his earlier error.

The second half saw Barton take control for long spells, Barlow firing over before controlling a Mitchell chip on his chest, turning and firing only for Dalton to hold on well, diving to his right.

The equaliser came in the 65th minute. Lee Markham's quick throw picked out SNOWDEN who showed good strength to turn his man and fire home past Dalton for a well-deserved leveller.

With the wind in their sails, Town now pressed for a winner, Carl Wood's long throw picking out Barlow who managed, despite being off-balance, to volley just wide.

But he was not to be denied in the 77th minute. And it was a goal worthy to win any game. Picking the ball up in the right-hand channel with his back to goal and some 30 yards out, BARLOW turned inside and went by two men, shaped to shoot, went past a third Carnegie defender into the area before coolly firing, with the outside of his right foot past the wrong-footed Dalton.

There was still time for a little more drama, Scott McKay getting a red card for tugging a Carnegie player back as he homed in on goal following a Nicholson miscue, but with the subsequent free-kick on the edge of the Town area being totally wasted then it could be argued that McKay's misfortune was a price worth paying as Town played keep-ball to see out time.

The result and more particularly, the nature of the comeback, leaves the Swans in good spirits prior to their difficult trip to Hemsworth on Saturday.

TEAM: Nicholson; Markham, Foster ( McKay ), Wood ( White ), Masterton; Marshall, Barnett, Mitchell, Day; Barlow, Snowden ( L.Moulds ).