TADCASTER ALBION V BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS
31/10/09

TADCASTER ALBION 2 - 2 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS

Attendance 84

Ryan Morton ( 15, 25 )

A Ryan Morton brace earned Barton Town Old Boys a well deserved and valuable point at current league leaders, Tadcaster Albion.

Manager, Carl Stead made two changes to the starting line-up of the team that had beaten AFC Emley in midweek. The returning Carl Wood came in at right back, Lee Markham dropping to the bench and Nathan White came in for the unavailable Pat Masterton at left back.

Despite the fillip of the excellent win over Emley, Town began very lethargically and it was no surprise when they went a goal down as early as the third minute. After a Tadcaster free-kick had been blocked, nobody closed down Chris Shorey as the ball ran free, giving him time to drill home.

Andy Sunley then fired over as Tadcaster went for a second goal before the game was turned on it's head in the space of 10 minutes, courtesy of Ryan Morton. First, in the 15th minute, good work by Hayden Barnett and Carl Wood saw the latter's deep cross to the far post chested down by Shaun Day to fire across the six yard box. The ball eluded Gareth Barlow, but not MORTON, following up at the far post, who fired home. 10 minutes later, a strong run by Barlow down the left flank enabled him to get behind the home defence to pull the ball back to the supporting MORTON on the penalty spot, who shaped to hit it with his right foot before switching adroitly to his left to rifle home beyond Tom Ryder in the Tadcaster goal.

It was a lead Town barely deserved on the evidence of the first 25 minutes, but it did have the effect of calming things down, play switching from end to end but with no end product for either side until the 40th minute when Tadcaster equalised, Graeme Whitehead ghosting in at the far post as Town dawdled.

After the appropriate half-time " talking to ", Barton started the second half with much more purpose and should have gone ahead again just four minutes in. Wood won the ball to find Morton whose first-time flick released Barlow to home in on Tadcaster's goal, but the normally reliable striker fired a foot or so wide of Ryder's far post. Two minutes later and Day's well-struck free-kick flew just wide of goal before Town's penalty appeal was rightly turned away by the referee, a Tadcaster foot just getting to the ball before sending Barnett tumbling as he made inroads into the area following a Barlow lay-off.

Tadcaster had lost their edge of the first half as Barton continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock although Tom Nicholson had to be at his best to block one home effort with his legs.

Back came Town, the second of two Day corners in quick succession evading everybody as it flashed across Ryder's six yard box before Day was himself denied by a good block by Ryder at his near-post and finally, with time running out for both sides, Barlow volleyed wide from a difficult angle after another Day corner had been flicked on.

As the referee blew his whistle for the last time, Town could be happy with the point gained against difficult opponents, although the players may consider that there were three points there for the taking, had they shown the same application and desire in the first half as they undoubtedly had in the second.

That's seven points out of the last nine for The Swans. They now need to build on that, starting this Saturday, when a revitalised Glasshoughton Welfare make the trip to The Euronics Ground.

TEAM: Nicholson; Wood, Hull, Suddaby, White ( Markham ); Marshall, Barnett, Mitchell, Day; Barlow, Morton ( L.Moulds ). Sub ( not used ) D.Moulds.