STAVELEY MINERS WELFARE 4-0 THE SWANS
22/08/09

MATCH REPORT

Attendance 65

Having shot themselves in the foot twice, at the beginning and the end of the first half, Barton Town Old Boys can ultimately have no complaints about the nature and scale of defeat to a classy and confident Staveley side which appears to have picked up where it left off last season.

Second-best in almost every department, Town severely missed the goal threat of the unavailable Gareth Barlow, a point driven home as early as the first minute when a great Shawn Mitchell through-ball freed up Mark Clare inside the Staveley area, Clare's lob easily gathered by keeper, Martin Kearney.

Barton went behind in the fourth minute, a goal all of their own making. New-boy, Ricky Foster's attempted pass-back fell woefully short of Town keeper, Tom Nicholson and Staveley's Scott Bates had ample time and space to round the stranded Nicholson and roll the ball into an empty net. To their credit, Barton responded well to the set-back, Clare getting on the end of a Pat Masterton ball over the top to get behind the home defence but was unable to test the keeper before the same player worked his way into the right-hand side of the box to fire straight at Kearney.

Ryan Morton then fired two great balls across the face of the Staveley goal, following good approach play by Hayden Barnett and Mitchell, but without anybody getting on the end of them, but at this stage a Town equaliser looked on the cards. Particularly in the 37th minute when Foster, increasing in confidence following his early error, picked out the run of Lee Mohammed, who beat the offside trap to home in on Kearney's goal only for the ball to run away from him as he took one touch too many.

That missed chance was compounded just a minute later and, again, it was all down to a Town error. Staveley's Lee Gregory's scuffed 25 yard shot was bobbling harmlessly towards goal but somehow the ball went through Nicholson and rolled slowly into the net to really knock the stuffing out of the Swans.

Town knew that they had to score early in the second half to have any chance of a comeback, but the first signs weren't good for the visitors as Dan Simpson cut in from the right flank before firing, left-footed, inches wide of Nicholson's post. That set the shape of things for the majority of the half, although Town's cause was certainly not helped when Nicholson was caught, very late, by a flying Staveley boot, well after the keeper had kicked the ball clear.

To rub salt into the wound, the hosts then made it three in the 65th minute. Gregory, who was pivotal to much of Staveley's best approach work, turned his man on the left of the Barton area before squaring to the supporting substitute Ryan Damms who clinically finished beyond Nicholson.

Town then lost skipper, Craig Suddaby to injury, to be replaced by Jake Thompson but Staveley soon made it four. In the 75th minute, Nicholson, clearly struggling, only managed to clear as far as Gregory, standing in the centre circle, who took one touch before returning the ball, with interest over the immobile keeper. That was a sign and just minutes later, Nicholson hobbled off to be replaced by substitute, Dave Moulds, normally an outfield player, in the Town goal.

Driven on by Barnett, one of the few Town players to emerge with any credit, Barton made a last ditch effort to salvage something from a game they will want to quickly forget, Lee Moulds setting up Clare for a strike on goal which Kearney only managed to parry before the ball was cleared.

There was still time for Dave Moulds to make a name for himself as a stand-in keeper, flinging himself to his right to turn away a Staveley effort which had " gone nap " written all over it. It was one bright spot in a game, and performance by Town, which emphasised how much work needs to be done if the Swans hope to be promotion contenders come the end of the season.

But first, however, Town need to try and get some of their walking wounded available for Tuesday night's League Cup game with Bottesford Town at Marsh Lane ( kick off 7.45pm ) before Leicester side, Kirby Muxloe make the trip to The Euronics Ground next Saturday for the preliminary round of the FA Cup ( kick off 3pm ).

TEAM: Nicholson ( D.Moulds ); S.Thompson, Foster, Suddaby ( J.Thompson ), Masterton; Clark, Barnett, Mitchell, Morton; Clare, Mohammed ( L.Moulds ).