Something to Chew On

Barely Athletic 1 - 2 Chew Magna

Gareth

Nick    Batts     Colin

Scott    Chris    Paul L      Mike    Sam

Paul T      John R

Sub: Adam

It was a crisp December morning as Barely trotted out for their monthly fresh-air punishment schedule. As assorted players dropped out in the build-up to the day, it fell to Chris - who had sworn off football - to step into the breach, and he filled out a 5-man midfield as Batts opted for a 3-5-2 line-up.

Barely started the game in unusually perky fashion, mixing up their usual defensive opening with a bit of attacking. Chris had quite an impact as he sashayed to the goal-line twice, crossing for Paul Tovey each time - who sadly couldn't convert. But Barely kept the pressure on, and after half an hour of soaking up Chew pressure and countering, they got the goal their persistence deserved when Paul Loftus bundled the ball over the line.

However, they somehow contrived to not only surrender the lead, but find themselves 2-1 down at half-time, after a near-post finish was followed with what would turn out to be the winner. Batts' 90-minute plan involved changing the formation to a 4-4-2 and experimented by pairing Paul T and Sam up front.

It didn't pay off, although both had further chances. Paul couldn't quite turn Sam's cross into the net, and Sam found himself at acute angles during the game; forcing a save from the keeper (left) and belting it into the side-netting (right). But that was only the tip of the half-chance iceberg, as Barely managed to hit the post in both halves (Paul almost scoring the goal of the game with a cheeky lob) and kept the Chew keeper the far busier of the glovemen.

Paul Loftus - now in goal - wasn't completely unemployed though, at one stage pulling out a cracking full-length save to keep the Chew lead at a single goal.

But time was ticking away for an equaliser, and despite Barely having the lion's share of chances - ending the game playing a front four of Adam, Sam, Paul T and Gareth - they couldn't quite find the goal their performance probably deserved.

The Man of the Match vote harvested a number of names in a solid team performance, but Scott took the honours in a clear 1-1-1-1-1-1-4 result in his favour. Lots of positives to take from this one - but no points.

A game of ifs and buts....

Barely Athletic 1 - 4 Reunion 

Gareth 

Adam Danny Batts John T

Alistair Paul Loftus Mike G Dazza

Jim Semmence Paul Tovey

Sub John R.

If Nick had turned up
If we had our kit at kick off.
If we had a penalty.
If I hadn't put the ball in the wrong net.
If Jim had scored that second ....
But that is not the Barely way......so we lost.

We gave a great account of ourselves for 60 minutes against a cool Reunion team but tired legs and a lack of subs caught up with us again.
We started off well with quick passing and neat one twos but Reunion took the lead from a free kick that was planted on the head of their number 12.
Barely reacted quickly with some neat touches involving Tovey Adam and Jim finishing off a great move.
1.1 half time
Straight away in the second half Barely were on the back foot . Reunion recognising the threat moved their number ten up into attack and gave their playmaker the very young number 7 more space to dictate the play.
Batts put Dazza on their number 7 as unfortunately John T had to come off. He was knackered!
Another free kick saw their number 12 about to bury the ball in the back of the net but Batts gave him a nudge...Penalty!
Reunion missed!
Then they scored when a harshly given corner was bundled over the line when Barely had options to clear.
At the other end of the pitch James was upended but....no penalty and straight from the break Gareth spilled a ball and number 12 hungrily buried it. Gareth took a whack so came out of goal Mike taking over. No subs left so Barely had to go for it. We huffed and puffed Adam and Paul Paul Loftusputting themselves in every. 50 50 with gusto.
The icing on the messy cake was Reunions number 11 whipping over a delicious cross Batts tried to take it away from their number 10 only for the lightest of touches allowing the ball to roll in off the post. Great finish ........not.
John T gallantry came on as goalie for last ten minutes as Barely searched for an answer......
The ref gave it and blew up.
Another game of what ifs... But everyone put in a decent shift.
Mom a deserving Paul Loftus with other votes spread throughout the team

report by Batts

Nearly Sublime

St Brendans 3 - 2 Barely Athletic

Gareth

Adam        Batts       Mike      Laurie

Sam    Andy L    Paul T     Darren     Chris

John T

Subs: John R, Nick

With combative encounters against St Brendans fresh - or reasonably fresh - in the mind, Batts decided to pack the centre of midfield, aligning the quick feet of Paul Tovey with the mobile and combative Andy and Darren. And it just might have worked, if it hadn't been for those pesky middle-aged men...

Barely broke with tradition and began the game in an alert state. St Brendans were providing a lot of pressure, of course, but the defence held strong. Adam in particular had to be on his toes against St Brendan's big left-winger, who had a fair turn of pace. And Gareth had no cause to be bored as he was called upon to smother the odd ball.

At the other end Chris - taking a turn on the wing - almost opened proceedings with a slaloming run infield, only to see his cheeky chip sail fractionally over the crossbar. Andy was foiled by the keeper as well before Chris's second chance came - breaking through after a long-range one-two with Sam, his finish lacked a bit of composure and trundled into the keeper's arms.

St Brendans do not suffer from stage-fright, however, and when that pesky left-winger finally broke the shackles Adam had him in, he managed to shake off two further challenges before rifling in from a narrow angle to put the away team 1-0 up at the break.

Batts kept with the formation and rolling subs but pushed Darren up into attack, giving John a breather. Everyone felt Barely were at the races, now they just had to prove it. And prove it they did, when they surged back from a position of looming defeat to one of victory. First Darren put Barely in front after negotiating what seemed like seven or eight attempts to tackle him by the same player. They kicked the ball into each others' shins for a while before the Barely man turned and finished inside the far post. Then Andy put Barely ahead with a deflected shot that left the keeper stranded.

Barely could have been even better placed, but having beaten the St Brendan's offside trap Sam fluffed his lines with the keeper at his mercy, wafting the ball into his body. Then the ref waved away appeals at the edge of the box when the diminutive firebrand/moaner was barged over from behind. John Trimble looked like he'd won a penalty when having rounded the goalie, he was barged to the ground. The ref sympathetically took the defender's view.

The sense of missed opportunity loomed large when St Brendans equalised as the Barely lines, as is their wont, began to creak in the last third of the game. The equaliser was as inevitable as the answer to that Edward Woodward joke. And then, woe of woes, a dribble across the penalty box ended with an agonisingly close-to-Gareth's-hand slide rule finish to put St Brendan's back in front.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and here cometh Gareth out onto the pitch as Mike took the goalkeeper's gloves. And he so nearly scoreth the goal only for the Barely through-ball to run just out of his reach and into the grateful hands of the 'keeper. There was just time for Sam to scream at the lack of attackers before crossing the ball into the keeper's arms and Chris to chop down that pesky left-winger, before the game closed out, and a sterling performance from every individual couldn't quite manifest itself into what in your correspondent's eyes would have been a deserved point.

"I don't use the word sublime often... and I'm not going to today" Batts said. But he was nonetheless proud of a considerable collective effort. The busy Adam deservedly took man of the match vote as Barely reflected on a job well-performed - if not well done.

Nails ease their way to Victory

Barely Athletic 1 Nailsea Old Boys 4

Gareth

Colin           Danny            Batts          Laurie

Sam            Mike             Chris           John R

Paul Tovey

Nick

Sub: John T

The sun shone blisteringly down on an unseasonably warm September Day as Barely kicked off the new season in style - Barely style, that is: with just the one sub and the patented lethargic start, as they pretty much gifted Nailsea a two goal lead inside the first ten minutes.

With that out of the way, Barely began to smell the coffee and remember that they can, when they put their minds to it, play a bit of football. Batts went for a fairly compact midfield, with Mike patrolling in front of the back line, Paul Tovey holding up the ball behind Nick, and Chris doing a fair amount of work in-between them. Sam and John Rossetti looked to find space down the wing, but mainly found themselves out of breath.

Nonetheless Barely did put one or two moves together, and managed to keep Nailsea at bay until half-time. John Trimble, who had gamely refereed the first half, gave the whistle to Nick and took his place up front. Barely began the second half with a much more robust display; snapping into tackles and moving the ball forward a lot quicker. John Rossetti had already pulled a save out of the goalkeeper when John T was sent through on goal - with a composed finish he got Barely right back in the game at 2-1, with the majority of the half still to play.

However, that was as good as it got for the home team ultimately, as despite the odd flurry - one lovely five-pass move bamboozled the Old Boys entirely before petering sadly out - they concentrated solely on staying upright, as tired lungs and even tireder legs protested against the ongoing punishment. Even the exhortations of Gareth in the Barely goal couldn't quite raise the tempo - what Barely really needed, of course, was three or four subs to keep things ticking over. Without them it was always going to be a struggle - and as the half wore on, Nailsea capitalized on increasingly desperate defending with two more goals to seal the points.

A disappointing start to the season, then, but there were some morsels of promise here if only Barely can get the numbers out to sustain themselves over 90 minutes. Man of the Match saw a smattering of nominees but with Batts and John T tied on three votes each, the gaffer took the executive decision of handing the gong (a metaphorical gong, but a gong nonetheless) to John for not only his goal and pester value up front, but volunteering to ref. Good work!

Next up: St Brendans, on the 25th. 

Home from home

Bristol Barelys 2 - 2 Barely Bristols

A smattering of recollections from the latest Barely run-out with the Bristols supplied by John Rossetti. The teams were mixed, so everyone was a winner - or, everyone drew, in this case. 

*

When we arrived there was just a smattering of Barely’s, we wondered if there would be many Bristol’s.

Then they just kept coming. Not just  a few Bristol’s (they are a 7-aside team) but a full M&S brassiere department full. In the end there were 17 of them. We had 7, so with the help of both team captains (Mike did the biz for us as usual) we ended up with a 12-aside game!

Apparently they had a new recruit who was so unable to cope with this shocking sight she left at some point in tears. Hope she will be brought back in – it must have been very different from expectations.

So even with us extending the pitch (the big pitch being occupied by another women’s game in their same league) it was very busy which gave a low scoring game, ending up 2-2. We played until the lights were switched off at almost 9.30, so despite a late start it was well over an hour. The game ebbed from one to the other, but John Trimble switched sides near the end to help even things up, as Paul was threatening (with the help of some of their key and skilful players) to run away with it.

So to lots of shaking of hands and a great experience had by all. Many of us then retired to the Lazy Dog.

Various good conversations followed. We (Barely) chose their ‘woman of the match’. A great and strong defender and midfielder, also deliberately not a previous man of the match, name escapes me but others will recall. (Sorry I had quite lost it by then and was on to strong cider!).

They selected the totally unique John Trimble, although by then in absentia, as our Man (Woman, Person, Lady?) of the match. While great conversations evolved and one of their previous team turned up now with young child (others with their wives), we did discover some interesting facts.

Firstly one of their team works as an engineer and geologist on North Sea oil rigs. As she said, being also black, she ‘ticks all the diversity boxes!’ We were enthralled by the stories of great hardship endured in this unnatural environment.

The other bit of info was the bird they have as their team motto. Being a bird bore, I knew it as a sea bird, related to the gannet, that occurs in the Pacific off South America. I know, by now you will have guessed it, as you are so knowledgeable. Yes, it is the Blue-footed Booby!

Barely a report

Mystery Team 3 - 1 Barely Athletic

Gareth

Mark         Kev         Batts 

Sam         Jim S        Paul L       Roly         Paul T

Sandy

Subs: Lefils, Mike, someone else

The Barely Athletic Reporter is disorganised at the best of times, but on this occasion we have to confess we don't know the name of the opposition, and have quite possibly got quite a few Barely players names' wrong. There was definitely a third sub as well. Subs were rolling so regularly we can't be sure the above line up actually started the game either - but all of them featured at some point.

It was an unfamiliar line-up on an unfamiliar ground - with Barely down to half a team, Batts roped in half of his neighbourhood and Paul Loftus Casuals veteran Roly. Barely began with a 3-5-2, changed to a 4-4-2, then mixed things up a bit with a kind of celibate-amoeba formation toward the end.

They played pretty well in terms of possession, but - perhaps due to the unfamiliarity - didn't really test the keeper in the first half, and came off with a 3-0 deficit as the opposition played some good stuff through the middle of the park.

The second half was mainly notable for Roly's contribution - as Paul Tovey flicked one of Mike's big throw-ins on, he - aptly - rolled his marker, and finished adroitly inside the far post to give Barely a glimmer of hope. The away team surged like hopeful teenagers at a school disco, but then slumped back against the wall five minutes later as they ran out of energy/testosterone/hope.

A muggy day saw everyone drenched in sweat despite the comparatively sedate pace, and Barely walked off the pitch grateful for the end of a hard season.

As seems appropriate for this report, we don't know who man of the match was.

A Game of Two Half 'Penarth

Barely Athletic 5 - 5 Penarth

Gareth

Nick       Lewis       Batts         Colin

Sam       Mike        Chris        Darren

Paul T

Jim S

Sub: John T

The sun was scorching the earth as Barely and Penarth trotted out for an end of season friendly on the final day of the Premier League. As 20 teams of millionaires trotted out to fulfil mostly-meaningless fixtures, the game to be at was at Brunel Academy, where the English of Barely and the Welshmen of Penarth put on one hell of a show.

Batts forewent his preferred 3-5-2 formation, wary of Barely being caught out at the back perhaps. Instead it was a good old-fashioned 4-4-2, with the lesser-spotted Batts (Lewis) partnering his dad at centre-back, and Colin and Nick at full-back.

They were all busy from the outset, as Barely were under pressure from the get-go.  Penarth, who were heading off on a European tour in a few days, clearly hadn't come for a stroll in the park. However they found themselves on the end of a rather unflattering scoreline with half an hour played. First of all Jim S rolled back the years when he harassed the Penarth back line into a mistake and did the rest himself: 1-0 Barely. Then Lewis - who if he rolled back too many years might find himself with a mouthful of breast milk - showed that his extended absenteeism from Barelyworld had not diminished his ability, as he took possession in his own half and accelerated all the way down the pitch before rounding the keeper and putting Barely two up.

Then when Sam danced around a challenge just inside the box and finished with aplomb to make it 3-0, it looked like Barely had the game by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately though, Penarth slipped out of their collars and - as Barely collectively made like a bulb manufacturer on a bank holiday and switched off - the team from Wales surged back to level terms just in time for Barely to troop off for the break with their feet full of holes.

One stirring speech - more of a telling-off, actually - later, and the team took to the pitch determined to make amends. That they did, when after a period of shadow-boxing, Paul Tovey rolled his marker in the box - the attendant challenge came in, bringing him down, and Tovey himself converted the penalty to put Barely back in charge. But, like a triumphant child waving his ice cream around on a hot day, Barely's tears were nearly guaranteed. A defender was in close attendance to the Penarth left-winger when the cross came in, but he still managed to steer a header in at the fast post with Gareth grasping at air.

Nick went in goal and Gareth came out for the last 20 minutes for a rarely-seen run-out in midfield. he immediately made his presence felt in the Barely box, causing the one of the few real flare-ups of the game - another came from the unlikely source of Sam scything down the Pennarth left-back, as both teams looked to pile on the pressure.

Then Jim, Darren rolled the years back like a protesting tin of sardines to put Barely in front once more. Unfortuntely nobody at the pub could recall the goal -probably the sun - but we were pretty sure Jim scored it, which wasn't exactly fair on Darren - fortunately the eagle-memoried Paul Tovey (see comments below) was around to right footballing wrongs. Either way, Pennarth came back again; their classy midfielder firing an unstoppable shot from just outside the box to guarantee that neither side would end with a win.

There was no man of the match vote, but Batts and Darren both said Sam deserved it, and nobody argued hard enough to stop him imagining the champagne bubbling all over his face.

Voyage of Discovery

Voyager 3 - 2 Barely Athletic

Gareth

Colin      Batts       John T

Sam        Chris       Paul L      Jim S        Adam

Nick       Lefils

Subs: Darren, Laurie, Mike, Danny

The last game of the season ended in disappointment for Barely, where despite their late pressure, they were unable to find an equaliser that would have perhaps reflected the balance of play overall.

Batts went with his favoured 3-5-2 formation and from the outset it seemed to suit the personnel. Early pressure however came from the home side, and the Barely back line had to be alert: Colin in particular seemed to be rather busy with a series of interceptions and clearances.

At the other end Barely weren't yet at the races, and Batts made early changes with Mike and Darren coming on to freshen things up. But the most the away team could manage before half-tie was a couple testing crosses that didn't quite result in anything positive, and a crunching challenge by Chris on the midfielder who was starting to dictate terms for Voyager. At the other end the walls had been breached, however, and the idea of signing off the season with a win looked depressingly distant as Voyager twice beat non-existent offside traps to saunter into the Barely box and plant the ball past a despairing Gareth.

It was a shame, because although Voyager had their moments and certainly could play some nice football, both goals were to an extent gifted them. So no formation change from Batts, and Barely trotted out for the second half determined to make a better showing.

That they did, with the mounting pressure from the away team finally telling when Sam swivelled to belt Darren's low cross into the net via the goalkeeper's outstretched hand. 2-1, and Barely back in it. But before you could say keep it tight, Voyager's two-goal lead was re-established, a whipped cross from the right headed in from about a yard out. And it might have been worse but for a great save from Gareth, getting down quickly to palm a low shot away.

Barely fought back, and a delightful team effort brought them a second: Chris released Sam down the right and he pulled the ball back for Jim to tuck away, bringing Barely straight back into contention.

But score-wise, that was that. Barely pushed and pushed and several players got a shot or two away only to see them charged down by a resolute Voyager back line. The only other feature of note was a running debate between the Barely forward line and the Voyager linesman: he did seem to be favouring his own defence, but it all got a bit silly and un-Barely-like, resulting in some feisty challenges in a game that was otherwise played in good spirit.

Man of the Match was shared between Chris, Paul and Jim, with a smattering of other names coming up too. And with that the season came crashing to a close, like the curtain closing on a comedian whose final one-liner has fallen flat. We've been Barely Athletic - goodnight.

Sun shines on the righteous!

Chew 1 Barely Legends 5

At kick off Barely arrived with 10 men with Lefils Essome having had a serious night out calling at 10.10 am to say he was sober enough to play.

The game started with Batts playing a 3-5-1 formation, leaving Dazza as lone striker.

                                                             Gareth

                                                  Colin    Mike     Laurie

                                    Alistair    Alex    Chris    Batts    John T

                                                             Dazza

Chew belied their lowly status peppering crosses into the box but with poor finishing . After 30 mins Lefils arrived and we reverted to 3-5-2.  Batts put a through ball to Lefils who then ran across the pitch left to right, turning down all invitations to pass and slotted away with aplomb.

Half time arrived and with the slope in our favour we stayed at 3-5-2 and took the game to Chew. Gareth and the back 3 kept the Chew team at bay but then disaster as Gareth Lewis allowed a deep cross from nearly the byline to dip into the net. 1.1.

Batts then told the boys to knuckle down and play the ball on the floor around the dithering Chew defence. Then Chris played the ball through to Batts who nodded through to John Trimble who was one on one with the keeper.

No problem: John slotted in 2.1, and in the process became the eldest Barely Player to score a goal over taking John Rossetti. 

Chris then plowed in another from close range: 3.1 and Chew knew the game was up. Lefils had time to hit the bar before Dazza rounded the last defender and slotted in 4.1. Gareth still had to make a few quick clearances and Chris and Alistair decided to play keep ball down the right which resulted in Lefils earning a penalty... Batts ran the whole length of the pitch and grabbed the ball. 

The quickest he had been all game on one leg. The keeper was given the eyes. Batts kissed the ball and stroked it into the net Richard Cormack take note. 5.1

It has to be said that Chew were a good footballing side that just ran out of steam.

Man of the match was Gareth for without his resilient net tending and booming goal kicks the scoreline would have taken a very different appearance.....

But at the Bear in they plied us with chips and roasted potatoes - can we play them every week?

The Hundred Club

Barely Athletic 0 Cardiff Accies 1

Gareth

Colin       Danny       Batts      Laurie

Al        Paul L        Richie          Sam

Adam        Darren

Subs: John R, Mike

What a shame that for the hundredth post on this blog Barely couldn't hang on for a winner!

However, a hard-fought 89 minutes followed by an at-the-death capitulation does seem more apt. Possibly they threw the three points away, in a gallant and sacrificial nod to thematically-appropriate results.

Batts started with a 4-4-2 with Adam and Darren leading the line. Cardiff went for the same formation. From the get-go the game had a high tempo with both teams looking to break quickly. However both back lines were in unforgiving mood, and neither keeper had much to do for long periods. When Gareth was called upon the Accies efforts were fortunately straight to him. What he did offer though was a willingness to come for crosses and, breaking with Barely tradition, reach them. Only Mike would even attempt anything like that.

With the teams fighting out a tediously dull tactically tense stalemate Batts began rolling the substitutions, taking off Danny - who'd taken a knock - and putting Mike in at centre-back. The big guy was involved quickly and rose to the challenge - often literally. Despite never looking like a man in a hurry Mike was regularly first to the ball as the occasional attack from Cardiff broke down.

At the other end it was the same story, and Batts shook things up a bit at half-time, going to 3-5-2 to give Barely an edge in midfield. But despite seeing more of the ball, Barely simply couldn't seem to break through and give the Cardiff goalkeeper any meaningful work. Adam, Batts and Sam all had half-chances they put either over or wide, and other efforts were charged down. And when Cardiff finally got past the Barely defense at the other end, they found Gareth well-positioned and with safe hands. The game had all the workings of a drab shrewdly-balanced nil-nil, until that is the inevitable happened and Barely succumbed to a cross.

With the clocking ticking down to 90 minutes Barely cleared a corner only to have it come straight back at them. It was nodded on in the box, and at the far post an attacker nodded it deftly down and over the line - despite the attentions of Colin and the presence of Sam and Gareth on the line.

With the wind out of their sails Barely pushed for an equaliser in the last few seconds, but it simply wasn't on the cards today. They didn't deserve to win, but even the most biased Accie would probably admit they were unlucky to lose.

The team trooped off with heads hung low - a real gutting result compared to last week's fateful penalty shoot-out, which despite knocking them out of the cup had felt like a great performance. Paul, Batts and Richie picked up some votes but Gareth was a resounding man of the match.

Cup Half Full

Mathern 2 - 2 Barely Athletic 

Mathern tragically win on penalties

Mike

Colin           Batts           Danny             Laurie

Sam           Paul L           Paul Tovey        Richie          Paul Taverna

Adam

Rolling subs: Nick, John R, Al, Jim S, Chris

It was a beautiful day for football as Barely headed west over the Severn for a date with destiny. Sadly destiny hadn't put her glad-rags on on this occasion, but more of that later. The pressing question for Barely was whether they could put on a better showing than the last half an hour of the last time they played Mathern, when they seemed hell-bent on self-destruction.

The early showing proved such worries unfounded as Batts' 4-5-1 system put Barely into an unconventional position of, if not exactly lording it, then at least shading things in midfield. If they could only match their possession stats and approach play with a finish before their weaknesses for conceding from crosses struck agai--- whoops! There goes a bullet header from a corner in to the back off the net. With only a quarter an hour or so played, Barely's steely resolve had been bent like Uri Geller's most regularly employed teaspoon. 

They tried to get back into it and almost did so spectacularly when Richie's 25-yarder thumped into the base of the post before cannoning back into play. But a bad start got worse when Sam dawdled to the touchline, attempting to shepherd the ball out of play for a throw. He was swiftly dispossessed and in a matter of seconds the ball was in the Barely net a second time, a low finish giving Mike no chance. 

Half-time arrived with Barely feeling fully still at the races, albeit with an uphill climb to the final furlong. They lost the combative Paul Loftus to a long-distance air flight needing a pilot, but received the silky skills of Jim Siemens as worthy consolation. With Batts rolling the subs on and off at a regular basis, Barely stayed reasonably fresh for the second half - something of a rarity these days.

fresh

The second half contained so many offside calls against Barely the linesman is probably bathing his right arm in ice right now. How accurate they were or weren't was debated at length. Probably too long. Either way, Barely continued in the vein they left off - Mike for the most part unflustered as Batts and Danny marshalled the defence. Chris unfortunately tweaked his hamstring again and had to retreat to the position of official photographer, so Adam took a spell in central midfield whilst Colin, Al and Sam rotated positions on the right and Nick and Laurie took turns at left-back.

fast

All the chopping and changing might have bamboozled a lesser team, but no, Barely like change as much as the penny arcade man does, and they rolled with the punches . They were right back in it, too, when a defender bizarrely punched the ball away at a corner - the eagle-eyed ref spotted it, and Paul Tovey tucked the ball away from the penalty spot to make the score more competitive: 2-1 Mathern.

Tovey!

Only minutes later Barely were level. A somewhat soft free-kick was given but with Jim S in merciless mood, maximum punishment was dealt out as he sent a pearl of a dead ball execution into the top of the net with the keeper beaten: 2-2.

Now what? The subs and the collective effort from all the Barely players meant a capitulation in the style of the 5-5 draw a few weeks ago was never on the cards. Could they grab a winner in the ninety minutes? As it turned out, no, although half-chances were manufactured and John Rossetti attempted a tricky near-post header that sailed a yard over.

So, to the lottery that is penalty kicks. With his family watching on from the sidelines, Paul Tovey tucked away his second penalty of the day to put Barely one up. Sam scored the second. Jim S's effort was never going to miss. But in-between times the crappy, fateful brutality of penalties hit Barely hard, with Richie hitting one post and Nick the other. Colin's effort was struck with power, but sailed a foot over the bar.

Jim!

Thankfully Mathern also missed a couple, but they made no mistake at the death, with the winning penalty billowing the net like an angry turd fired into a half-inflated hot-air balloon.

With that moment Barely's cup hopes were crushed. Mathern will march on to the final as Barely return their attentions to the league, and the possibility of not finishing bottom. It was their fourth draw in a row with the team from Wales, but despite the end, the team remained upbeat. They had, after all, just surged back from 2-0 down away from home to end honours even, and been a post's whisker from knocking Mathern out before sudden death loomed. 

Man of the Match voting was widely spread as you might expect, with many names garnering a vote. But the rapid, slaloming runs of Paul Taverna gave Mathern a headache on their right flank (- if that's possible) and he nipped ahead of Batts and Richie to claim the gong. 

Overall then, Barely exited the cup with bodies weary but heads held high. A cup half-full indeed.

A Swift two halfs

Swift 4 Barely 2

A beautifully crisp Sunday morning saw the troops of Barely take on the mighty Swift who boasted 13 players against the 9 Barely regulars plus 2 mates of Richie: Scott and Bradley. 


The game started well with Barely playing 4 5 1 with John Rossetti the loan striker. 


Barely took the game to Swift and found themselves 1-0 up through a slick move from a Cormack corner the ball buried in the net by newcomer Bradley. This was followed up by Dazza bombing down the right wing and smashing the crossbar. Shortly before half time the minute but nimble Swift number 10 made the game level with a neat finish onto the bottom corner. 

Half time arrived and a buoyant but tiring Barely trooped off for a breather and to regalvanise. It has to be said that Mike and Danny put a decent shift on goal with Mike in particular making a finger tips save to keep the scores level.

The second half started with Dazza in goal and Mike returning to central defence. 

Barely started well and found themselves 2.1 up after some good interplay between Cormack and Rossetti ending up with Chris drilling a shot beyond their keeper. Chris was honest enough to admit he was going for the far corner, but contrived to curl it in off the near post. 

Swift were changing subs religiously every 15 minutes and unfortunately Barely boasted an empty bench nevertheless Rossetti and Batts had chances to make it 3-1 before Swift sucker-punched. A long ball over the top was majestically controlled by that Swift no 10 who placed the ball beyond Dazza. And then 5 minutes later the same ball over the top confused Scott and Mike, as they both went for the same ball and collided leaving the Swift no 9 with a tap-in past Dazza. Colin went between the sticks for the last 15 minutes, and had the pleasure of picking the ball out of the net when the no 10 finished the game with a deserved hat trick. 

Suffice to say Barely played well and peppered the Swift goal throughout the 90 minutes and there were certainly a lot of positives to be taken from the game.

Thanks to Swift for the pre Cup work out and well done to all who played .

report by Batts

A Little bit of History

One of the oldest buildings in Caldicot, Llanthony Secunda Manor, was built around 1120 as a grange for monks from Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester.

In 1158 the manor of Caldicot passed to Humphrey II de Bohun, who was responsible for building the stone keep and curtain walls of the present-day castle. In 1376 it passed to Thomas Woodstock, third son of King Edward III, when he married Alianore de Bohun. It began to fall into ruins around the 16th century. 

Caldicot town expanded with the building of the steelworks in the twentieth century, and shortly after that, a football match occurred between nearby Mathern, and visitors from across the Severn, Barely Athletic. 

The game began with the away team playing an unexpectedly adventurous 3-5-2 formation:

Gareth

Ian          Danny         Mike

Sam          Chris         Jacko         Darren         Adam

John R             Lefils

sub: Batts

Whilst Mathern preferred to stick to a more traditional 4-4-2. As the stragglers from the morning's rugby session watched on, the game kicked off and immediately took on an entertaining and fast-paced tempo, giving what was a league game the feel of a cup match. Mathern pressured: Barely played on the counter-attack. The early stages set a precedent for the whole game - there was no cagey sense of playing their way into the game, both teams were going for it. And a Barely counter only fifteen minutes in put the Bristolians in front, when a clearance fell at Chris's feet outside the box. One touch set him up; the second was a sumptuous half-volley over the keeper's head and into the roof of the net. One-nil Barely.

Mathern came back at them, and of the two goalkeepers Gareth was the busier. Barely were also fortunate to see one or two efforts sail wide. But at the other end Lefils was giving the Mathern back line all kinds of trouble. As well as his patented dribbling and strength, Fizzy was also out-pacing the defence with alarming ease. Four times he was sent away on goal, and even when they caught him, they couldn't catch him. Lefils had a hat-trick before the first half was through (he fell over the other time) and despite Mathern pulling a goal back, Barely went into the break 4-1 up on the league leaders.

Despite the almost glorious scoreline however, nobody was under the illusion that the game was won. Barely knew that Lefils' efforts had flattered them somewhat, as much of the half had been spent defending. Batts observed tiredness creeping in already, and changed the line-up to 4-4-2. (They would discover Mathern had changed their approach to 3-5-2 to match Barely's first half formation).

But the second half was only moments old when Barely built on their lead - Adam was sent scampering away from the halfway line, and ignored the old adages about hares and tortoises by scampering all the way to the goal and tucking away a neat finish to put the score at 5-1. As Mike said later in the changing rooms; "At that point, I thought we might have a chance". But as Barely learned to their cost, you cannot relax against this Mathern side. They renewed hostilities as if affronted by the scoreline, and with one or two exceptions - Chris' 50 yard dash along the sideline being the highlight of them - Mathern spent the rest of the game on the front foot. Barely's rolling sub kept the demons at bay - Darren's thigh, Fizzy's head - but Mathern had no less than five willing deputees, and they used them to good effect, pummeling Barely until something had to give.

It gave. 

Gareth could be held responsible for one goal when he elected to air kick a reasonable simple save - but considering his catches and clearances in this game probably set some kind of Barely record, it would be churlish to do so. Especially as he was protecting an injured knee. Without him there, this would have certainly been a defeat. 

The simple fact of it is Barely - fatigued - allowed too many crosses to sail into the box, and Barely - not as big - allowed too many headers to be won. Mathern's finishing was good: efforts always seemed to be an inch or two beyond Gareth's reach, towards the corners of the goal. And Mathern's pressure was rewarded as they racked up four goals in the final quarter of the game, and ended proceedings hunting for a winner. They might well have got it - they hit the crossbar twice, the post once, and Sam cleared two goalbound efforts off the line. There would have been no complaints from Barely if they did.

But Barely's rearguard efforts deserved something from the game, and the fact a clearly exhausted Barely held on for a point speaks volumes of the collective spirit this season. Mathern, Batts revealed afterwards, were currently top of the league with only seven goals conceded in their previous games. 

Your correspondent could have given man of the match to any of the 12 Barely players out there; such was the effort they put in. But Fizzy's goal haul and general quality of play saw him scoop the award, with Chris a deserved runner-up for his almost-indefatigueable turn in midfield (and goal).  Other votes speckled the squad. 

Despite the sense of a victory lost, there was also the seemingly paradoxical feeling of a point won. That second half was perhaps the hardest Barely have had to work to preserve something from a game, and in the end they pulled it off. Many of the team limped off the pitch, and the local pub was treated to the unusual sight of Mike and Darren performing a warm-down with pints in their hands. 

Ah, Caldicot.

Mathern 5 - 5 Barely Athletic