Gareth
Nick Ian Batts John T
Sam Mike John R Al
Chris
Darren
Sub: Paul Tovey
Barely's run had to finish sometime, but after an impressive start to the season it was a shame that it ended like this. Perhaps Batts' inclination to postpone should have been heeded: not only were Barely without several stalwarts, including their midfield engine, they also fielded the oldest Barely outfield ever. Not only that, they also had both Chris and Paul carrying injuries - unable to sprint and shoot respectively. Playing at all was their first mistake.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barely began on the back foot, looking tentative. In fact they spent much of the opening twenty minutes looking second-best, with Batts and his defensive cohorts called on time and again. Gareth was busy too - St Brendans took advantage of the small pitch and their specialist throw-in guy to hurl ball after ball into the Barely box, and they eventually succumbed, as yet another aerial bombardment made its way into the net. Another followed from a corner, as the ball went both under Sam's foot and through Gareth's hands as if laser-guided by a particularly attentive drone missile operator.
Barely's threat at the other end was sporadic. Darren was putting in a real shift but without the mobility of the likes of Richie and Adam in support, he ploughed a lonely furrow. Nevertheless, even a lonely furrow will bloom every now and again, and when Barely went route one with a big clearance from Gareth, Darren slalomed his way through some challenges before finishing neatly at the near post to put Barely back in the game.
Maybe on another day that could have been a turning point, but St Brendans struck back quickly with a shot going in off a post, and despite Gareth's exhortations and a break in which to regroup, the game kind of went downhill from there. Paul Tovey came on and showed his usual composure and control, but whenever St Brendans got a throw-in the danger was there. And as always with St Brendans they are happy to play the physical game, the low point of which was an arm in John Rossetti's face that cut his nose open.
But minor gripes over style aside, St Brendans were well worthy of the win; Barely's consolation goal coming off a defender's head when a cross was diverted into the net. Barely were not without chances, but they were not gilt-edged. Chris, Paul and Sam all had shots from distance, and Sam nearly grabbed a third at the death, but the defender's head just deflected Mike's cross onto his shin instead of his instep, and the ball ballooned up and over the bar. Most agonisingly Al's 20 yard volley sailed fractionally over the crossbar.
So after the highs of the cup game, Barely come back to earth with a bump. The running for Man of the Match was not an overflowing group: though Barely showed determination throughout and Gareth was a busy guy between the sticks, Darren walked away with it for application and a rather special goal.
Barely now regroup and recalibrate for 2016 hoping to recapture the form they showed in the first three games of the season.
