TEVERSAL 5 - 4 BARTON TOWN O.B. (AET)
22/09/09

MATCH REPORT
WILKINSON SWORD TROPHY, SECOND ROUND

TEVERSAL 5 - 4 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS ( AFTER EXTRA TIME )

Shaun Day (48)
Elliot Sampson (56,81)
Gareth Barlow (101)


Attendance 41.

What was billed as a low-key Wilkinson Sword Trophy tie turned to a night of high drama as, in a seesaw game which saw the lead change hands three times, a goal five minutes from the end of extra time by Teversal's Lee Bingham finally put paid to a valiant effort by a much-changed Barton Town Old Boys side.

With unavailability of players taking a huge toll, Town were down to the bare bones as Manager Carl Stead was forced to name himself in the starting line-up, alongside newcomers Ryan Mellors and Shaun Day. Just two substitutes were on the bench, the partially-fit Sam Brooks and his Under 19's team-mate, Elliot Sampson, who came on to make a memorable debut. Early on, there was no hint of the goal-feast to come, although Town's Tom Nicholson was the busier of the two keepers, twice reacting superbly to turn goal-bound efforts aside. Town's first chance of the half came in the 22nd minute, Stead picking out Gareth Barlow in the inside left channel, who outpaced his marker only to see his angled effort come back off Teversal keeper, Daniel Herring's legs. That was the start of a good period of sustained pressure from Town, but without making the breakthrough before losing Stead, somewhat inevitably, to be replaced by Sampson. And in the 30th minute, before Town had much of a chance to regroup, Teversal went one-up. Under 19's skipper, Jake Thompson was rightly judged to have brought down Andy Woodcock in the area and Dean Short made no mistake from the resultant penalty.

Town had the chance to level matters not long later. Mellors' deep free-kick was nodded back across goal but Barlow, with possibly one eye on the approaching keeper, nudged the ball wide of the far post. Undeterred, Town then forced a number of corners in quick succession, but Day's well-struck deliveries brought no reward before the referee blew for half-time. Barton got the second half off in tremendous fashion, equalising in the 48th minute. Barlow's break down the right eventually saw Herring do well to parry his effort, but the ball fell loose to DAY who had the relatively easy task of firing home. Sampson then had a great chance as the offside flag stayed down but his volley, though well-struck, was too close to the keeper, enabling Herring to parry and then dive bravely at Sampson's feet to smother the follow-up. But the debutant was not to be denied in the 56th minute. A wayward pass-back was chased down, Herring's clearance only succeeding in hitting SAMPSON's shin, the ball rolling slowly over the line to give Town an unexpected advantage over a clearly shell-shocked Teversal side. Encouraged, Barton pressed for a third, Scott McKay going close before the referee, rightly, waved away Town appeals for a penalty as Day went down in the area.

Barton then lost Mellors, who had made a solid debut, to injury, Brooks coming on in his place on the right flank. And, just minutes later, Teversal levelled, Colin Cockerill's superbly-struck free-kick from 25 yards arrowing into the top corner past a helpless Nicholson. Parity lasted barely a couple of minutes. After Shawn Mitchell had won the ball in midfield, and despite Teversal protestations of a foul, Day was allowed to run on, his cross cum shot reaching SAMPSON at the far post who had the simple task of side-footing home from just a few feet out to give Town an unlikely lead with just nine minutes remaining.

With Town appearing to see out time relatively comfortably and with seconds left on the clock, Teversal's Liam Wilde got on the end of an inviting cross from the left to glance a good header past Nicholson to bring up extra time. And when the hosts' Lee Bingham's shot from the edge of the area took a deflection to go past the wrong-footed Nicholson in the 95th minute, it appeared " game over " for the Swans but BARLOW had other ideas, taking Brooks' neat through-ball in his stride to finish well in the 101st minute. And still the drama wasn't over. With just five minutes left on the clock before the prospect of penalties, Bingham sealed it, firing into Nicholson's bottom corner. There was still time for one last effort from Town; Barlow, despite looking yards offside, breaking to go one-on-one with the keeper, only to be foiled by Herring as he attempted to round him. That proved to be the very last kick of a match which, although viewed as something of a non-event, had entertained thoroughly from start to finish. In the process, Town's performance, in difficult circumstances, had gone a considerable way to washing away the woes of two awful performances at Ollerton and Bardon Hill, in the FA Vase and FA Cup, respectively.

But the real tests are still to come, starting this Saturday when Leeds Carnegie make the trip to The Euronics Ground for the Old Boys first league game at home this season.

TEAM: Nicholson; J.Thompson, Foster, Suddaby, Masterton; Mellors ( Brooks ), McKay, Mitchell, Day; Barlow, Stead ( Sampson ).