Barely end the season with stirring fightback

Barely Athletic 2 Bathelona 2

Goal: Steve

Defence: Andy, Phil, Quentin, Tom

Midfield: Mani, Jim, Paul, Gareth

Attack: Ioan and Nick

Subs: Rich Batten and Sam

Spectators: Dave and family.

The contrast between Barely' last game and this performance was fairly marked, as the free-flowing footballing cream they produced at the academy gave way to a stodgy bread pudding. And credit must go at least in part to Bathelona for this, as they frustrated Barely at every turn during the first half.

It might have been so different had Barely been able to capitalise on a strong start, but having shaded the opening quarter of an hour Barely were hit first by a goal somewhat against the run of play, and then injury when debutant Gareth limped off with a calf strain. As Rich was yet to arrive, Sam gamely donned the bee-like stripes of Barely and limped on for a gentle perambulation around the right wing. Shortly after (presumably coincidentally) Bathelona began bossing things, scored a second (that going by the surprised celebration was intended as a cross) and thereafter didn't let up their grip on proceedings as Barely held on grimly until half-time. By this time the long-awaited return of Rich Batten had taken place, arm healed, and he slotted in at right-back as Tom pushed into midfield and Sam returned to the bench.

Barely looked for positives but they were thin on the ground - except for the obvious fact they were capable of playing much much better.

Nick and Steve swapped places but other than that there were no changes. Sam urged Dave to get kitted up on the touchline but he bashfully demurred. As it turned out though, what the game needed was a couple of slightly zealous challenges to really get it going, and after Barely forced a goal off a defender early in the second half, both teams obliged as things took a spiky turn for ten minutes or so. Phil was fortunate to get away with a blatant obstruction at a Bathelona free-kick, which prompted a bit of aggressive nuzzling with the recipient. Bathelona in turn made a couple of late challenges as tempers frayed, and perversely the football improved as a result. Bathelona were playing some lovely one-touch stuff down the middle that belied their league standing, but Barely were vastly improving on their first half display, touching the dizzy heights of 'average' as Andy succinctly put it afterward.

They got their somewhat fortuitous reward when Mani's whipped cross was turned into his own net by a defender for a second Bathelona own goal, both forced by Barely's dreadlocked assist-machine. It was hard on the team who'd probably edged things in terms of possession and play over the 90 minutes. But Barely were of course jubilant, and as Bob looked up at the increasingly morbid sky, thinking of the team's safety in bad light, and perhaps dinner, both teams sought a winner.

The only chances, though, were half-chances that tired legs couldn't quite convert, though Bathelona's late flurry earned them a corner that Quentin, not for the first time, was in the right position to clear. Full-time came with both teams in better spirit and a the spoils shared.

Quent's positional play, clearances and cool head saw him steamroller the man of the match award, though following close behind in this correspondant's eyes was Phil, whose spectacular overhead clearance was possibly moment of the match, Jim, who defied his protesting lungs to keep prompting Barely until the end, and Paul, whose indefatiguable running combined with serial header-winning behaviour caught the eye. It must also be noted that after a initially hesitant 5 minutes Rich Batten was back to his high-tempo, lunging, ball-winning best.

So another season is over for Barely and it's been a good one. Plans are afoot to celebrate in the traditional way, but before the great day of dehydration and mysterious bruises comes let us cast a glance over the scoring chart for this season:

Andy LilLford 5
Tom Pinnell 4
Jim Fry 4
Alex 4
Dan Hird 4
Mani Chanfi 2
Nick Ambler 2
Lee Douglas 1
Jerry Gyde 1
Rich Batten 1
Rich Sloper 1
Rich Cormack 1
Bob Lynn 1
Sam Morrison 1

Impressively top-scorer Andy's goals have all come from left-back, Alex scored all his in one game and we think Dan scored all his in two (playing just three games). Jim's goals were all walloped in from "at least 30 yards" and both Sam and Rich Batten have the opposition keeper to thank for being on the chart at all. But they all count!