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.
