Blue Monday

Barely Athletic 3 - 4 Easton Monday

Under darkening skies the Barely Boys took the field with a spring in their step, lining up:

                   Tom
Scott, Ian, Danny, Batts, Colin                        Paul T (lino)
    Rich C, Jacko, Pilot Paul                              
        me (Adam), Chris

The theory was that the full-backs would bomb on, overwhelming the midfield but Barely had a slow start and would have been two down in the first five without some very generous play from the Monday striker. Colin pulled up early bringing Paul T into the game.

Spending the first twenty minutes under the cosh Barely fought back with Rich and PP taking control of the midfield, with strong help from Scott and Ian majestic at the back, and with their confidence growing Chris ran onto a through ball from your narrator and skipped along the edge of the six-yard box, defenders cowering, before delicately passing into the corner.

Ten minutes later a Rich C cross was cleared out to the D of the penalty box from where Jacko whacked it into the far corner ("I just passed it in"). Two-nil up without playing well, we wondered what would happen when we did click?

At half time the rain strengthened to downpour status but after some rousing words from Danny Barely came out strong with PP whacking the ball home after some pinball involving Paul T in the box. But that was as good as it got. 

Monday pulled one back soon after as the slippy ball evaded Tom. Five minutes later we turned attack into defence with astonishing speed and a free header at the far post gave Tom no chance. We then held on gamely for twenty mins with Tom called into action time after time, then Chris sprinted through 1-on-1 with the keeper, not told he had time he shot against the shins when he could have gone around. Soon after I volleyed agonizingly over from the penalty spot after a neat flick from Scott (who was a constant menace down the right in every sense of the word).

Almost inevitably the slippery ball caused the equaliser and then winner, and in spite of throwing everything at them for the last ten minutes (I wouldn't have wanted to get in Batts way as he marauded down the wing, but somehow they did) and it just wasn't to be.

Can we put it down to a lack of fitness, or missing the rotation that a couple more subs would have allowed?

Due to running around and shouting a lot I got Man of the Match, but it doesn't reduce the sting...