HEMSWORTH MINERS WELFARE v B.T.O.B.F.C.
17/10/09

HEMSWORTH MINERS WELFARE 5 - 2 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS

Gareth Barlow ( 45, 54 )
Attendance 115

Barton Town Old Boys' mini-revival came crashing to a halt as Hemsworth bounced back from last Saturday's trouncing at Staveley. However, the final score-line, although emphatic, doesn't tell the whole story as Barton were in the game for long periods, a Gareth Barlow brace levelling matters early in the second half before Town shot themselves in the foot in typical fashion.

With centre back, Ricky Foster joining the Barton plaster-cast club, membership four and rising, and still without skipper Craig Suddaby, Town drafted Karl Hull in to play alongside Carl Wood at the heart of the defence.

Hemsworth's fast and direct style had already caused the Town back-line problems, particularly when Wood had raced back to clear after keeper Tom Nicholson's headed clearance had run loose invitingly, when the hosts went in front in the 10th minute. Damion Liddle's break down the right and ball into the box should have been dealt with but James Page reacted first to take a touch before firing home. Town responded, Declan Marshall doing well to win the ball, Carl Snowden turned well but fired wide of Hemsworth keeper, Dale Walston's far post before Liddle should have done better when clean through on goal, firing straight at Nicholson as the offside flag stayed down.

A searching Pat Masterton ball picked out Barlow to force a corner from which Hayden Barnett volleyed spectacularly but narrowly over from the edge of the area before Hemsworth doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Town were again slow to react, this time to a near-post corner. Page wasn't and his glancing header found the net with the Barton defence static. Stung into action, Town began to come more into the game but continued to look very vulnerable to Hemsworth's quick breakaways.

Barnett again went close for Barton, shimmying his way into the area before dragging his effort wide of goal. Shaun Day and Snowden then did well to win a corner for Town from which both Hull and Shawn Mitchell couldn't get the ball out from under their feet as they tried to engineer an opening, the ball eventually being cleared by the Hemsworth rearguard.

Marshall's well-struck volley from the edge of the area was too hot for Walston, seeing the ball late, to hold but the ball ran kindly for the hosts, enabling them to clear. Just when it seemed Town would go into the break two goals adrift up popped that man, BARLOW in the 45th minute to beat the offside trap, round the keeper and stroke the ball home to give the visitors a much-needed fillip. And Barton began the second half very much in the ascendency, Day wriggling between two Hemsworth defenders to fire narrowly over after being found by Snowden and Marshall firing straight at Walston before levelling, deservedly, in the 54th minute. Wood's great ball picked out Marshall on the right flank who, in turn laid the ball off to the supporting Lee Markham. Markham's well-flighted cross to the near-post was back-headed by Snowden and although the ball appeared to be going in at the far post, BARLOW was on hand to make sure.

At this point it seemed that if there was going to be a winner in this topsy-turvy game, then it would be Barton, but that was before Town decided to press the self-destruct button just minutes after equalising. After Mitchell had lost the ball in midfield, Town found themselves short of numbers at the back and Calum Selby had enough time in the world to pick his spot, firing past the exposed Nicholson.

Barton continued to press, in the belief that they could still get something from the game. Another Town corner saw the ball eventually reach Hull some 25 yards out but the centre back's well-struck half-volley flew wide before, in the 70th minute, another long ball " did " for Barton, Liddle seizing the chance to run on and although Nicholson did very well to get his hand to it, the shot still had enough power to find the net and put Hemsworth in control of a game that at one point looked to be running away from them.

To their credit, Barton continued to take the game to their hosts, Barnett heading over after a good cross by Day, Hull firing a free-kick over, Mitchell side-footing wide before, to sum things up, Barnett was thwarted three times in a matter of seconds as he made inroads into the Hemsworth box.

Given all that, it was perhaps somewhat inevitable that Hemsworth would have the final say. And so it proved in the 85th minute. With Town over-committed, it only took another long punt forward, sole defender Masterton was muscled off the ball and although Nicholson did superbly well to keep out the first effort, substitute Sean Oldfield was on hand to finish and rub salt into Barton's wounds.

Town now need to bounce back. They have the long trip to Holbeach United on Wednesday night in the Lincs. Senior Trophy to look forward to but, more importantly, Teversal are the visitors to Marsh Lane next Saturday ( kick off 3pm ). And on Thursday the Under 19's host Askern Villa in the Northern Alliance, kick off 7.45pm.

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