ROSSINGTON MAIN v BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS
17/11/09

ROSSINGTON MAIN 3 - 0 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS
Attendance 80

Barton Town Old Boys' abysmal away form continued to let them down, big style, as the Swans went down by three clear goals at Rossington Main.

With both skipper, Craig Suddaby and the influential Hayden Barnett suspended, Town Manager, Carl Stead was forced to once more ring the changes. In came Scott McKay to partner Karl Hull in central defence, with Martin Barnes coming in for his debut at left back in place of Pat Masterton. The returning Carl Wood came into the holding midfield role alongside Shawn Mitchell with the injury-plagued Nathan White and Lee Mohammed on the bench with Declan Marshall.

On a good playing surface, Town started promisingly, Rob Northen and Gareth Barlow almost combining to good effect in the early minutes. Northen was causing problems for the Rossington back four with his pace, but Town were unable to turn their early superiority into goals, the nearest the visitors coming, a Barnes diving header going agonizingly wide of Main's keeper, Lee Appleby's far post, when, on another day, the ball could have been nestling in the back of the net.

As it was, the ball was soon nestling in the net. Unfortunately for Town, it was Tom Nicholson's. A 22nd minute snap-shot by Jason Stokes was both well-struck and accurate from just outside the area as it found the bottom corner. Town then immediately lost Hull to a hamstring problem, Marshall coming into central midfield, Wood reverting to the back four before Barton's problems were exacerbated in the 28th minute. Lee Markham's errant ball across his area was seized on by Jake Vernon, who had the simple task of firing home, unopposed.

The second goal knocked the stuffing out of Town. And although Barton began the second half in livelier fashion, Rossington's Stuart Rodgers should have put the game beyond doubt in the 50th minute, but somehow managed to fire wide after his first point-blank effort had come back to him off Nicholson.

Stead gambled, taking off Markham and reverting to three at the back. Lee Mohammed came on to make it a three-pronged attack in a bold 3 –4 – 3 formation.

Town then had what appeared to be a good penalty claim turned down when Northen was kicked in the head by a very high Rossington boot before Marshall's well-struck pile-driver flew over Appleby's cross-bar as Barton sought to get back into it.

But any thoughts Town might have had of getting something out of the game disappeared in the 64th minute and again, it was all of their own making. Direct from a throw-in, Town's threadbare defence parted like The Red Sea to allow Jason Stokes to run on, unchallenged, to pick his spot beyond the exposed Nicholson.

Town now only had pride left to play for and, to their credit, they did that, both Shaun Day and Mohammed going close, if not close enough.

In the dying minutes and as if to emphasise Town's night, Marshall was then harshly sent off, picking up a second yellow card for allegedly " kicking out ", an offence that nobody, apart from the referee, appeared to see.

There was still time for Mohammed to fire against Appleby as he went one–on–one with the keeper, before the referee called time on another below-par away performance by Town.

Barton will be thankful that they are back on familiar ground on Saturday, when local rivals, Grimsby Borough are the visitors to The Euronics Ground. However, unless Town sort out their away form, pronto, then any slight hopes they may still harbour of making a late challenge for promotion will disappear, rapidly, over the horizon.

TEAM: Nicholson; Markham ( Mohammed ), Hull ( Marshall ), McKay, Barnes; Morton ( White ), Wood, Mitchell, Day; Barlow, Northen.