Sam
Danny Ian Batts Laurie
Paul T Paul L Richie
Jamie Adam Lefils
Subs: Nick, Mike
The sun may have set on Barely's first season in the over 45's, but that doesn't mean the party is over. A season of fits and starts fixture-wise deserved at least one more game before breaking up for summer, so a friendly away to Mathern was arranged at short notice
With the return of long time absentees Jamie and Lefils Batts threw caution to the wind and went with an attack-minded 4-3-3 with the returnees operating either side of Adam in a front three. Paul Tovey slotted into midfield and behind the usual suspects in defence, Batts charitably gave a hobbling Sam a half in goal.
Any worries about having a keeper who can't actually walk were kept at considerable arm's length though, as Barely went for the jugular from the outset. Paul Loftus patrolled in front of the back four and embarked on what must be a new record in ball-winning tackles, outdoing even his own usual efforts. From there Barely launched attack after attack, with Jamie and Lefils regularly going to the touchlines to receive and Adam making runs into the box. Richie was his usual industrious self and it looked odds-on Barely would get the first goal.
Richie baffles Mathern with his infamous pole routine
However not for the first time in their long and semi-illustrious careers, they found a spoiling tactic employed by the opposition, who had played an actual goalkeeper actually in the goal, making actual saves and actually commanding his box imperiously. Is that really in the Casuals spirit?
He was the rock upon which the good ship Barely foundered, as crosses pinged into the box were snaffled up with a casualness that Barely have dreamed of. When half-time arrived and the score 0-0, at least they could console themselves that they had pretty much bossed the half, with Sam only called upon to make one save of note, deflecting a shot wide with his actual knee.
Adam and Paul bisect the ref
Mike had already seen some action as rolling subs, and now Laurie - returning - and Nick - embarking - entered the fray as Lefils and Sam took a rest and Jamie took the goalkeeper's jumper. Unfortunately almost his first action was picking the ball out of the net, as Mathern hit their third (of four) and best shot on target, low and just inside the post. 1-0 and to be fair Mathern had started the second half looking the livelier.
Batts into row Z!
Barely went looking for the equaliser but couldn't quite find it. Adam shot fractionally wide and at least two players - hard to spot in the melee - brought decent saves from the Mathern goalie as Barely pressed. Committing numbers forward meant they were potentially open to the counter-attack but Batts and Ian at the back were constantly winning the ball and Mike - now between the sticks as Jamie went back up front - was only tested once, when he plucked a decent free-kick out of the air.
Barely find the goal fractionally too small
With ten minutes remaining Barely's salvation came - after pressure down the left, Richie turned inside two defenders and found his shot repelled by the keeper. But Adam was lurking and swivelled onto the loose ball to fire it into the net, finally cracking the gloveman's resistance.
Barely pushed for a winner but sadly there wasn't time. The ref blew time on another hard-fought cracker and Barely had a few in the running for man of the match - shared in the end by Adam and Paul Loftus. Richie won a bottle of wine, so he won't mind. Barely wended their way home wondering what might have been as the curtain finally fell.
Oh, and Batts for manager!
