BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS v AFC EMLEY
27/10/09

LATEST RESULT

BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS 4 - 2 AFC EMLEY

Ryan Morton ( 10 )
Hayden Barnett ( 42, 46 )
Declan Marshall ( 60 )

Attendance 112

A Hayden Barnett brace either side of half-time, sandwiched by goals from Ryan Morton and Declan Marshall secured all three points for Barton Town Old Boys in a thoroughly entertaining game against a good AFC Emley side. Town Manager Carl Stead made two changes to the side which beat Teversal on Saturday. Fit again, Ryan Morton returned to the starting line-up, but in the unfamiliar position of striker in place of the injured Lee Moulds. With Carl Wood unavailable, Lee Markham returned at right back.

In front of another encouragingly large crowd and in perfect conditions, Morton immediately made his presence felt, getting onto the end of a ball in the inside left channel and flicking it dangerously across the six yard box, but to no avail. Emley responded, Craig Marsh drilling wide after a spell of sustained pressure by the visitors. After an off-balance Barnett had just failed to properly connect with a deep Pat Masterton free-kick to the far post, Town went in front in the 10th minute in scintillating style. Picking the ball up on the left-hand side of the area, MORTON twisted and turned before curling an exquisite effort inside Emley keeper, Michael Clarke's far post.

Gareth Barlow then came into the game, just failing to set-up Shaun Day after a good run across the area before stinging Clarke's hands after good work by Morton. Emley responded, Lee Hill firing into Tom Nicholson's midriff after the visitors broke away down Town's right flank. In what was proving to be an end to end affair, back came Barton, Morton's flick releasing the supporting Barnett to pick out Shaun Day to fire across goal in the 26th minute. And two minutes later, Morton intercepted a sloppy Emley pass to win a corner , from which Day's delivery was eventually cleared off the Emley line. In the 40th minute, Barnett released Morton with time and space on the right. Morton ran at the retreating Emley defence only to see his well-struck effort fly inches over Clarke's goal. Two minutes later, however, the second Barton goal did come. Roles reversed, Morton's deep cross from the right was met by the head of the diving BARNETT, the ball nestling in the bottom corner. But, Town being Town, it wasn't 2-0 for long. Perhaps with thoughts of going in at the break two goals to the good, Barton switched off long enough to allow Emley's Steven Kenworthy to take advantage, reacting first in the six yard box to fire home and provide the visitors with a lifeline for the second half.

The second half began with the thought that the next goal would prove all-important. And it wasn't long in coming. With barely a minute on the clock, Barlow was fouled on the left and Morton's pin-point free-kick to the space in front of the near post was headed home by BARNETT , reacting before the leaden-footed Emley defence, to restore Town's two goal advantage. And it got worse for the visitors on the hour. After two Morton corners had been dealt with, just, by an increasingly beleaguered Emley defence, the second inswinger coming back off Clarke's cross-bar, it proved a case of third time lucky for the hosts. Morton's third corner, this time to the far post was headed back across goal by Karl Hull, Declan MARSHALL heading home, virtually unchallenged, from a few yards out, to put The Swans firmly in the driving seat. And it could have got worse for Emley five minutes later. A simple interchange between Barnett and Marshall down the right saw the former's precision cross into the area pick out the head of Barlow just a couple of yards out. It should have been a formality but somehow Town's top scorer managed to pick out the body of Clarke.

Barlow almost made amends 10 minutes later, a powerful run and shot coming back off Clarke, the keeper managing to retrieve the ball before any further damage was done. With time running down Town rested Morton and Shawn Mitchell, who had worked tirelessly throughout, bringing on Scott McKay and Dave Moulds, but there was still time for an Emley response, Kenworthy netting his and his team's second of the match in the 87th minute, getting on the end of another ball into the Town six yard box to fire past the exposed Nicholson.

Not content with the yellow card he acquired in the first half, Town skipper Craig Suddaby, a rock throughout, then made it two and was duly sent off as a nervous Town held on, but in typical fashion, not without a scare or two along the way. This was a big test, and a big win, for Town, particularly bearing in mind the number of players still out injured. The three points nudges the side further up the table, but the bigger test is still to come this Saturday, when The Old Boys make the trip to league leaders, Tadcaster Albion.

TEAM: Nicholson; Markham, Hull, Suddaby, Masterton; Marshall, Barnett, Mitchell ( D.Moulds ), Day; Barlow, Morton ( McKay ). Sub ( not used ) Stead.