Barely Athletic 3 Swift 2
Goal: Steve
Defence: Nick, Tom, Danny, Andy
Midfield: Richie, Jacko, Jim, Sam
Attack: Lefils, Mani
Sub: Phil
Barely maintained their league momentum yesterday with an inspired second half after a first period that was fairly risible by recent standards. With Swift apparently struggling in the league Barely were favourites before the off, but for the first 45 minutes they were outplayed and outfought by a Swift team hell-bent on gaining three points. Barely began gingerly when a rare mistake by Tom let in an attacker on goal, and Steve had to get down quickly to push the ball away. That danger over, another one presented itself when Swift established themselves as serial winners of headers, particularly their big number nine. It was predominantly pressure from the home team and therefore a surprise when Barely opened the scoring.
Our heroes won a corner with a bit of pressure, and the ball was cleared as far as Jim. A quick interchange with Sam and Mani later, Jim fired the ball into the six-yard box where Lefils just did enough to see the ball bobble in off the post.
Swift obviously felt this was a little unfair, and came looking for justice. They found it when a deft chip beat Steve all ends up, and shortly afterwards went ahead after Barely failed to clear a free-kick and the ball was stabbed in from close-range.
Barely came off at the break looking sheepish to say the least - Lefils was enraged enough to kick a passing steward, had there been one present. Richie squinted his brow thoughtfully and made changes. As is traditional, Nick went in goal for Steve and the first-half stopper went to the right wing. Phil came on at right-back for Nick and Sam went up front with Mani. The general consensus was that Barely should quit hitting the ball long and play their simple passing game that serves them so well in training, and they took to the pitch determind to make amends.
And from the off Barely looked a different team. Long balls were reduced to a minimum and the midfield began to work like a well-oiled machine - the footballing midfield machine, in fact, that Brunel was working on close to his death. Not ten minutes had passed when Richie worked his way banana-like to the left touchline, and skewed the ball back for his co-conspirator Jim to squeeze the ball under the keeper at the near post. Two-two.
Then, from a corner, Jacko exchanged passes with Danny and flighted a ball into the box, where Andy lamped the ball into the roof of the net. Barely were all over the game like a cheap suit. In fact the only real pressure they suffered at the hands of Swift were a couple of corners and some adventurous goalkeeping by Nick, who likes to keep his defence on their toes.
But the more likely scorers were Barely. Lefils returned to the fray and began opening up chances for his team-mates that Swift, never giving up, managed to block and clear. Andy fired narrowly wide. And Tom managed to partly concuss himself with a headed clearance that saw Barely's number one son reeling around like a sailor let loose on the grog.
But thankfully the feeling passed and Tom saw out the game, which ended 3-2 in Barely's favour. A good result, considering they pretty much achieved it in one half, Lefils' goal not withstanding. Man of the Match by a landslide was Jim, who covered every blade of grass, set up one goal and scored another. Danny and Phil were the only other players to feature in the vote, although the Barely Reporter would like to tip its hat to the whole midfield in the second half. Barely now have a succession of Wednesday night games with which to finish the season, and there is talk of Quentin, Dave Williams and Jerry all returning to the fold. A vintage line-up for a vintage season? We'll see.
*
In other news, Barely manager Richie has put it to the Barely Reporter that he would welcome some kind of Opta stats to measure the effectiveness of his team. At time of writing, we only have one forgetful reporter and no technology to speak of, however if all Barely players would like to add (in comments section below, settings have been changed to allow anyone to comment) their estimated pass success rate we can at least have a good laugh.
Finally Sam is making a swift (no pun intended) recovery after running so hard he threw up all afternoon, and has warned he expects the same commitment from the whole team on Wednesday. "There's not enough gut-busting in this team" the fiery utility player tub-thumped. "I expect at least one cardiac episode this week, or I'll be disappointed."
Monday, 28 April 2008
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Hill Farm reap a point
Barely Athletic 0 Hill Farm 0
Goal: Steve
Defence: Nick, Tom, Rich B, Chris
Midfield: Mike, Jim, Rich J, Richie
Attack: Mani, Sam
Subs: Gareth, Lee
Babysitting: Billy.
It does no disservice to Hill Farm to say their goalkeeper was the reason they came away with the point. Barely bossed the game for long periods but simply couldn't find a way past the acrobatic man between the sticks, who served notice of his ability when he got down low to Sam's header, after Mike had charged into the box early doors and got the ball onto the forehead of Lefils' understudy. The ball stuck to the goalie like an unwanted bogey sticks to a reluctant finger, and that, uh, finger, to force the metaphor, haunted Barely throughout the next 90 minutes.
Without key players like the aforementioned Lefils, Danny, Andy, and Phil, Barely put in a good performance overall, as they edged things in terms of possession and looked unflustered at the back despite a patched-up defence. However with the fledgling partnership of Mani and Sam upfront, they couldn't quite find a way through to give them the goal their play arguably deserved. Twenty minutes in Lee came on for Nick as a precautionary measure and added his voluble presence in terms of organisation, as well as a comfortable stint at left-back. Barely pushed on, but in a first half largely notable for the absence of goalmouth action, Steve was not called on to make a single save and his opposite number, whilst busy, looked at ease with what the home team had to offer.
Richie made just one change at the break, with Nick going in goal for Steve. The second half was a more open affair, especially late on as Barely legs tired and to be fair at this point the energetic Hill Farm mounted a sustained period of pressure. But previous to this it was all Barely, as Jim (the ticking midfield time-bomb abetting Jacko's pinpoint-pendulum), Mani, and Richie all saw shots gobbled up by the Hill Farm custodian. Sam, found by the impressively busy Richie in the box, had a shot tipped over the crossbar, but should have done better from another chance when he scuffed the ball low into the keeper's arms. Jacko, despite a fine display at midfield, left his shooting boots at home and managed to gouge a trough out of the turf in his enthusiasm for a goal. Even Tom managed to get forward, but a long distant effort went wide.
If this match report seems to resemble a list of near-misses, that's because at times that's what it was. To give Hill Farm their due however, they managed to eke out some chances of their own as the half wore on but by and large Nick was well-positioned for simple catches. Gareth came on at right-midfield and made one swashbuckling dash down the wing only to have his cross swallowed up by a box lacking in attackers.
When the last ten minutes arrived Barely were spent, and at one stage it looked like Hill Farm would nick a winner - and they might have done but for goal-line clearances by Tom and Chris. Barely were still trying to knock the ball around but Hill Farm were looking stronger, and must have been thinking they had ridden out the storm and had the momentum to take the points.
But Barely are made of stronger stuff than that, and a universally satisfying team performance ended with the game goalless when Bob blew the final whistle. The Barely Reporter gives every player at least 8 out of ten, but the player vote was a three-way tie between Tom, Rich B and tackling-maestro Chris, who was given the award in recognition of the fact that Tom and Rich had had it already and the team wanted them to keep a bit of humility, so previous holder Tom may have to take it out of the frame above his bedroom mirror again.
A tough and congested run-in sees Barely take to the field against Swift next Sunday. If they can add a bit of steel to their attack and continue to defend like this, anything is possible. Especially if the Swift keeper doesn't prove to be another bogeyman.
Goal: Steve
Defence: Nick, Tom, Rich B, Chris
Midfield: Mike, Jim, Rich J, Richie
Attack: Mani, Sam
Subs: Gareth, Lee
Babysitting: Billy.
It does no disservice to Hill Farm to say their goalkeeper was the reason they came away with the point. Barely bossed the game for long periods but simply couldn't find a way past the acrobatic man between the sticks, who served notice of his ability when he got down low to Sam's header, after Mike had charged into the box early doors and got the ball onto the forehead of Lefils' understudy. The ball stuck to the goalie like an unwanted bogey sticks to a reluctant finger, and that, uh, finger, to force the metaphor, haunted Barely throughout the next 90 minutes.
Without key players like the aforementioned Lefils, Danny, Andy, and Phil, Barely put in a good performance overall, as they edged things in terms of possession and looked unflustered at the back despite a patched-up defence. However with the fledgling partnership of Mani and Sam upfront, they couldn't quite find a way through to give them the goal their play arguably deserved. Twenty minutes in Lee came on for Nick as a precautionary measure and added his voluble presence in terms of organisation, as well as a comfortable stint at left-back. Barely pushed on, but in a first half largely notable for the absence of goalmouth action, Steve was not called on to make a single save and his opposite number, whilst busy, looked at ease with what the home team had to offer.
Richie made just one change at the break, with Nick going in goal for Steve. The second half was a more open affair, especially late on as Barely legs tired and to be fair at this point the energetic Hill Farm mounted a sustained period of pressure. But previous to this it was all Barely, as Jim (the ticking midfield time-bomb abetting Jacko's pinpoint-pendulum), Mani, and Richie all saw shots gobbled up by the Hill Farm custodian. Sam, found by the impressively busy Richie in the box, had a shot tipped over the crossbar, but should have done better from another chance when he scuffed the ball low into the keeper's arms. Jacko, despite a fine display at midfield, left his shooting boots at home and managed to gouge a trough out of the turf in his enthusiasm for a goal. Even Tom managed to get forward, but a long distant effort went wide.
If this match report seems to resemble a list of near-misses, that's because at times that's what it was. To give Hill Farm their due however, they managed to eke out some chances of their own as the half wore on but by and large Nick was well-positioned for simple catches. Gareth came on at right-midfield and made one swashbuckling dash down the wing only to have his cross swallowed up by a box lacking in attackers.
When the last ten minutes arrived Barely were spent, and at one stage it looked like Hill Farm would nick a winner - and they might have done but for goal-line clearances by Tom and Chris. Barely were still trying to knock the ball around but Hill Farm were looking stronger, and must have been thinking they had ridden out the storm and had the momentum to take the points.
But Barely are made of stronger stuff than that, and a universally satisfying team performance ended with the game goalless when Bob blew the final whistle. The Barely Reporter gives every player at least 8 out of ten, but the player vote was a three-way tie between Tom, Rich B and tackling-maestro Chris, who was given the award in recognition of the fact that Tom and Rich had had it already and the team wanted them to keep a bit of humility, so previous holder Tom may have to take it out of the frame above his bedroom mirror again.
A tough and congested run-in sees Barely take to the field against Swift next Sunday. If they can add a bit of steel to their attack and continue to defend like this, anything is possible. Especially if the Swift keeper doesn't prove to be another bogeyman.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Barely leave Westbury wondering
Westbury Wanderers 1 Barely Athletic 2
Goal: Steve
Defence: Rich B, Danny, Tom, Sam
Midfield: Mike, Richie, Jim, Nick
Attack: Mani, Lefils
Subs: Andy, Rich J
Barely extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games at the weekend with a narrow victory over Westbury Wanderers. Both teams had their moments, but both also had times when it looked as though the pitch - an undulating bobbly-jumper of a surface - was doing them no favours. Asking Barely to produce their slick pass and move game in such an environment was equivalent to asking Ronnie O'Sullivan to produce a 147 break whilst playing snooker on a shaggy rug. He'd give it a go because he's that sort of man, but then he'd probably get cheesed off and storm out of the Crucible, lamping an official en route.
Thankfully, there were no such histrionics from the Barely players. If there were one might wonder what they were doing in the Crucible in the first place, as there was a match to be won in Eastville. And win it they did, though the aforementioned pitch didn't lend proceedings any real sense of spectacle. Instead it was a hard-working game by both sides, played in commendably fine spirit. Indeed, your correspondent feels that this match would be a great example of the Casual League's ethos as, despite no lack of competitive edge, frustrations were kept to a minimum and the Westbury players were noble in defeat, not to stray into the Stuart Hall territory of overexuberance and verbosity.
So: the game. Unusally for Barely, they moved up through the gears quickly from the off and avoided the usual early game lethargy. Nonetheless, they did have some pressure to soak up and the Barely defence, particularly the centre-back pairing of Tom and Danny, were imperious. At the other end, like Westbury, Barely were struggling in a similar vein to test the keeper, though they did force a few corners. It was from one of these that the deadlock was broken, after Barely had seen a shot pushed wide from the keeper. The resultant corner was cleared by the Westbury defence, but only as far as Sam, who touched the ball wide right to Mike. Mike's cross sailed over the crowd in the box to the far post, where Mani headed gratefully in for his second goal of the season.
At this point Barely were edging proceedings and probably deserved their lead as they came off at half time. Danny took the ref's whistle for the second half and Rich Batten moved from left to centre-back. Andy Lillford made his long awaited return from a broken leg to slot in a left-back. Richie took himself off for Rich Jackson, and Steve and Nick swapped places between left wing and goalkeeper.
But the start of the second half was mostly Westbury Wanderers, who were obviously stung by their team talk at the break. But again, Nick was rarely tested as Tom and Rich B marshalled the defence with aplomb. When Wanderers did look likely to score there were goal-line clearances from Sam and Tom to bail them out. And as the half wore on, Barely came back into the game. Rich J began to exert his customary poise and Mani and Lefils started to link with the midfield. They began to mount a series of attacks - that Westbury in turn looked to counter-attack from. But with legs tiring, the long-distance engines of Pinnell and Batten looked comfortable dealing with that threat.
Defences being dominant, it looked to be heading for a 1-0 win for Barely when a couple of late goals enlivened the endgame. First blood went to Barely when the tireless Mani put in Lefils for a simple tap-in. Then, with seconds remaining, Westbury got a consolation when an attacker nodded in from a corner. But it was too late to save them, and Barely go into next week's game in solid form.
Man of the match was Tom Pinnell, though the Barely reporter would also put in honourable mentions for Rich B, Mani, and Danny's first half (and willingness to ref the second). With Lillford's return to the fold and Batten's apparent comfort in the middle, Barely now have several options in defence for managers Jim and Richie to ponder. Next week: (if it doesn't rain) Hill Farm Casuals.
Goal: Steve
Defence: Rich B, Danny, Tom, Sam
Midfield: Mike, Richie, Jim, Nick
Attack: Mani, Lefils
Subs: Andy, Rich J
Barely extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games at the weekend with a narrow victory over Westbury Wanderers. Both teams had their moments, but both also had times when it looked as though the pitch - an undulating bobbly-jumper of a surface - was doing them no favours. Asking Barely to produce their slick pass and move game in such an environment was equivalent to asking Ronnie O'Sullivan to produce a 147 break whilst playing snooker on a shaggy rug. He'd give it a go because he's that sort of man, but then he'd probably get cheesed off and storm out of the Crucible, lamping an official en route.
Thankfully, there were no such histrionics from the Barely players. If there were one might wonder what they were doing in the Crucible in the first place, as there was a match to be won in Eastville. And win it they did, though the aforementioned pitch didn't lend proceedings any real sense of spectacle. Instead it was a hard-working game by both sides, played in commendably fine spirit. Indeed, your correspondent feels that this match would be a great example of the Casual League's ethos as, despite no lack of competitive edge, frustrations were kept to a minimum and the Westbury players were noble in defeat, not to stray into the Stuart Hall territory of overexuberance and verbosity.
So: the game. Unusally for Barely, they moved up through the gears quickly from the off and avoided the usual early game lethargy. Nonetheless, they did have some pressure to soak up and the Barely defence, particularly the centre-back pairing of Tom and Danny, were imperious. At the other end, like Westbury, Barely were struggling in a similar vein to test the keeper, though they did force a few corners. It was from one of these that the deadlock was broken, after Barely had seen a shot pushed wide from the keeper. The resultant corner was cleared by the Westbury defence, but only as far as Sam, who touched the ball wide right to Mike. Mike's cross sailed over the crowd in the box to the far post, where Mani headed gratefully in for his second goal of the season.
At this point Barely were edging proceedings and probably deserved their lead as they came off at half time. Danny took the ref's whistle for the second half and Rich Batten moved from left to centre-back. Andy Lillford made his long awaited return from a broken leg to slot in a left-back. Richie took himself off for Rich Jackson, and Steve and Nick swapped places between left wing and goalkeeper.
But the start of the second half was mostly Westbury Wanderers, who were obviously stung by their team talk at the break. But again, Nick was rarely tested as Tom and Rich B marshalled the defence with aplomb. When Wanderers did look likely to score there were goal-line clearances from Sam and Tom to bail them out. And as the half wore on, Barely came back into the game. Rich J began to exert his customary poise and Mani and Lefils started to link with the midfield. They began to mount a series of attacks - that Westbury in turn looked to counter-attack from. But with legs tiring, the long-distance engines of Pinnell and Batten looked comfortable dealing with that threat.
Defences being dominant, it looked to be heading for a 1-0 win for Barely when a couple of late goals enlivened the endgame. First blood went to Barely when the tireless Mani put in Lefils for a simple tap-in. Then, with seconds remaining, Westbury got a consolation when an attacker nodded in from a corner. But it was too late to save them, and Barely go into next week's game in solid form.
Man of the match was Tom Pinnell, though the Barely reporter would also put in honourable mentions for Rich B, Mani, and Danny's first half (and willingness to ref the second). With Lillford's return to the fold and Batten's apparent comfort in the middle, Barely now have several options in defence for managers Jim and Richie to ponder. Next week: (if it doesn't rain) Hill Farm Casuals.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Barely suffer surprise probe at hands of Flying Saucers
Barely Athletic 5 Flying Saucers 5
Goal: Steve
Defence: Danny, Tom P, Phil, Rich B
Midfield: Sam, Rich J, Jim, Mike
Attack: Mani, Lefils
Sub: Rich Sloper, Richie Cormack
It was the biggest ding-dong battle since the great doorbell war of 1974, when Nutone eventually bought up Brighton Electrics in a hostile takeover after a prolonged and very public financial war. Somehow, Barely found themselves 3-1 up despite playing no better than when they conceded the opening goal in their ongoing tradition of opening sluggishness. Flying Saucers rallied, and went into the break 3-4 up. Barely found some form and got back to 5-4, only to give away a cheap goal with what was the last kick of the game.
Our correspondent was granted exclusive access to Barely's dressing room for the post-mortem, but found disappointingly that constructing the game from these disparate interpretations would be rather like getting the description of an absent clown from a load of colour-blind amnesiacs. Only Rich Jackson seemed able to give a version of events that seemed calm and objective - rather like the type of performances Rich Jackson puts in week in and out, with nary a mention in the Barely Reporter - as Rich Jackson was quick to point out last month. The Barely Reporter is working on a appearances-to-mentions table to examine his claims which we will be publishing in the future.
But back to the game. Barely had almost their full complement of Riches, with only Rich Walters missing, as long-term absentee Rich Sloper made a return to the squad after a succession of presumably lazy Sundays. Richie Cormack gamely refereed the first half, Rich Batten began at left-back and Rich 'Action' Jackson took up his unsung role in midfield. Lefils and Manrouf supplied the 'French Connection' as they paired up to spearhead the attack, their moniker presumably inspired by the gritty 1971 film by William Friedkin and not the pastelly-toned high street shop of the same name who have somehow made billions from deliberately misspelling a swearword. Also, they're both French. At the back Phil and Tom P formed the centre of defence and Danny took up the left-back position behind Mike.
But despite the apparent strength of Barely's line-up they began in a fairly half-arsed fashion. Flying Saucers to be fair were not playing total football - they were just doing the simple things well, and it was enough to see Barely looking slightly dazzled. The away side took a deserved lead early on as Barely reeled around in a collective daze. It took the magic boots of Rich Batten, setting out his stall for the man-of-the-match award he ultimately won, to batter in an equalizer after Barely finally managed to exert some coherent pressure. Rich Jackson had been urging him to shoot, and he did.
Not to be forgotten, Lefils controlled a ball on the right, and from a narrow angle rifled the ball into the top left corner to give Barely the lead. And despite Flying Saucers still looking better at this stage in almost every aspect (except when they encountered the determined and on-form Rich Batten), Lefils added his second and Barely's third when he despatched Mike's cross from the left to put his team 3-1 up. For both goals Barely were grateful to have Rich Jackson lurking in midfield.
But the game was a long way from over. To credit Flying Saucers, their heads never went down - probably because they knew the lead flattered Barely. And in the course of about eight mad minutes they scored three goals to ease them into the break a very creditable 4-3 up.
The team needed a shake-up, and Richie got out the broom for the changes. Jim had already agreed to ref the second half, so Rich Sloper joined Rich Jackson in centre-midfield, Richie himself went wide left, coming on for Sam, and Steve and Mike swapped positions. The changes had the desired effect, as immediately Richie's manic energy put the opposition under pressure and forced the game to up a gear. Barely looked a different team, as suddenly Flying Saucers were no longer carving out openings but Barely were instead. And again, Lefils was the one to capitalise as he first dribbled around the keeper to put Barely level (Rich Jackson disappointingly nowhere to be seen) and then gave the home team the lead, when Rich Batten galloped past a couple of challenges and put in a cross we are contractually bound to describe as a 'peach', leaving Lefils with the job of nodding into the net.
Thereafter Barely were dominant and really should have built on their lead. Lefils set up Sam, who was on for Mani, but unfortunately the diminutive firebrand spooned his shot over the bar. In that respect he was the ideal replacement for Mani, who had done exactly the same thing earlier in the half. Rich Sloper ran on a mazy Giggs-like run, if Giggs were sustained by clockwork and nearing the end of his power-up, before plonking a shot onto the post. Despite the wing play of Richie setting up further openings for the attack, that was as close as they got. Nevertheless Barely were so improved the one goal looked to be enough for a long time, Flying Saucers only real chance being an overhead kick that Danny cleared off the line.
But without that two-goal cushion, there was always a chance for Flying Saucers, and Barely succumbed to what would be unfair on Flying Saucers to describe as a sucker punch, but was nonetheless unexpected to a degree. With the seconds ticking out, a right-wing cross ended at the feet of Mike, now in goal, and what happened after that to the minute detail is a matter of interpretation, but Danny and Mike were certainly unable to stop the ball going in the net - and neither was Rich Jackson, who will be furious with himself.
There was no time for Barely to respond, and they cannot complain about the result, especially as Flying Saucers played the game in very good spirit right to the end. Rich Batten picked up the Man of the Match award, as the general consensus was that Lefils really should have scored six goals instead of a paltry four. Much improvement needed from him. And despite the disappointment of a point dropped Barely do remain unbeaten in the league, and with the Casual Leagues 2pts-for-a-win system, their third draw in four games sees them drop only 3 points rather than six. Whilst that fact may be essentially the epitome of straw-clutching, it is nonetheless mathmatically reassuring.
Barely need to improve. Their post-match analysis mined a rich seam of teasing for the several Barely players who weren't at their best, but management team Richie and Jim would surely rather be celebrating a win and slagging off the other team instead. Next week gives them a chance to put the theory to the test as they take on the big guns of Reunion.
Goal: Steve
Defence: Danny, Tom P, Phil, Rich B
Midfield: Sam, Rich J, Jim, Mike
Attack: Mani, Lefils
Sub: Rich Sloper, Richie Cormack
It was the biggest ding-dong battle since the great doorbell war of 1974, when Nutone eventually bought up Brighton Electrics in a hostile takeover after a prolonged and very public financial war. Somehow, Barely found themselves 3-1 up despite playing no better than when they conceded the opening goal in their ongoing tradition of opening sluggishness. Flying Saucers rallied, and went into the break 3-4 up. Barely found some form and got back to 5-4, only to give away a cheap goal with what was the last kick of the game.
Our correspondent was granted exclusive access to Barely's dressing room for the post-mortem, but found disappointingly that constructing the game from these disparate interpretations would be rather like getting the description of an absent clown from a load of colour-blind amnesiacs. Only Rich Jackson seemed able to give a version of events that seemed calm and objective - rather like the type of performances Rich Jackson puts in week in and out, with nary a mention in the Barely Reporter - as Rich Jackson was quick to point out last month. The Barely Reporter is working on a appearances-to-mentions table to examine his claims which we will be publishing in the future.
But back to the game. Barely had almost their full complement of Riches, with only Rich Walters missing, as long-term absentee Rich Sloper made a return to the squad after a succession of presumably lazy Sundays. Richie Cormack gamely refereed the first half, Rich Batten began at left-back and Rich 'Action' Jackson took up his unsung role in midfield. Lefils and Manrouf supplied the 'French Connection' as they paired up to spearhead the attack, their moniker presumably inspired by the gritty 1971 film by William Friedkin and not the pastelly-toned high street shop of the same name who have somehow made billions from deliberately misspelling a swearword. Also, they're both French. At the back Phil and Tom P formed the centre of defence and Danny took up the left-back position behind Mike.
But despite the apparent strength of Barely's line-up they began in a fairly half-arsed fashion. Flying Saucers to be fair were not playing total football - they were just doing the simple things well, and it was enough to see Barely looking slightly dazzled. The away side took a deserved lead early on as Barely reeled around in a collective daze. It took the magic boots of Rich Batten, setting out his stall for the man-of-the-match award he ultimately won, to batter in an equalizer after Barely finally managed to exert some coherent pressure. Rich Jackson had been urging him to shoot, and he did.
Not to be forgotten, Lefils controlled a ball on the right, and from a narrow angle rifled the ball into the top left corner to give Barely the lead. And despite Flying Saucers still looking better at this stage in almost every aspect (except when they encountered the determined and on-form Rich Batten), Lefils added his second and Barely's third when he despatched Mike's cross from the left to put his team 3-1 up. For both goals Barely were grateful to have Rich Jackson lurking in midfield.
But the game was a long way from over. To credit Flying Saucers, their heads never went down - probably because they knew the lead flattered Barely. And in the course of about eight mad minutes they scored three goals to ease them into the break a very creditable 4-3 up.
The team needed a shake-up, and Richie got out the broom for the changes. Jim had already agreed to ref the second half, so Rich Sloper joined Rich Jackson in centre-midfield, Richie himself went wide left, coming on for Sam, and Steve and Mike swapped positions. The changes had the desired effect, as immediately Richie's manic energy put the opposition under pressure and forced the game to up a gear. Barely looked a different team, as suddenly Flying Saucers were no longer carving out openings but Barely were instead. And again, Lefils was the one to capitalise as he first dribbled around the keeper to put Barely level (Rich Jackson disappointingly nowhere to be seen) and then gave the home team the lead, when Rich Batten galloped past a couple of challenges and put in a cross we are contractually bound to describe as a 'peach', leaving Lefils with the job of nodding into the net.
Thereafter Barely were dominant and really should have built on their lead. Lefils set up Sam, who was on for Mani, but unfortunately the diminutive firebrand spooned his shot over the bar. In that respect he was the ideal replacement for Mani, who had done exactly the same thing earlier in the half. Rich Sloper ran on a mazy Giggs-like run, if Giggs were sustained by clockwork and nearing the end of his power-up, before plonking a shot onto the post. Despite the wing play of Richie setting up further openings for the attack, that was as close as they got. Nevertheless Barely were so improved the one goal looked to be enough for a long time, Flying Saucers only real chance being an overhead kick that Danny cleared off the line.
But without that two-goal cushion, there was always a chance for Flying Saucers, and Barely succumbed to what would be unfair on Flying Saucers to describe as a sucker punch, but was nonetheless unexpected to a degree. With the seconds ticking out, a right-wing cross ended at the feet of Mike, now in goal, and what happened after that to the minute detail is a matter of interpretation, but Danny and Mike were certainly unable to stop the ball going in the net - and neither was Rich Jackson, who will be furious with himself.
There was no time for Barely to respond, and they cannot complain about the result, especially as Flying Saucers played the game in very good spirit right to the end. Rich Batten picked up the Man of the Match award, as the general consensus was that Lefils really should have scored six goals instead of a paltry four. Much improvement needed from him. And despite the disappointment of a point dropped Barely do remain unbeaten in the league, and with the Casual Leagues 2pts-for-a-win system, their third draw in four games sees them drop only 3 points rather than six. Whilst that fact may be essentially the epitome of straw-clutching, it is nonetheless mathmatically reassuring.
Barely need to improve. Their post-match analysis mined a rich seam of teasing for the several Barely players who weren't at their best, but management team Richie and Jim would surely rather be celebrating a win and slagging off the other team instead. Next week gives them a chance to put the theory to the test as they take on the big guns of Reunion.
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Barely give Nobs a hard time.
Barely Athletic 9 Nailsea Old Boys 2
Goal: Steve
Defence: Chris, Tom P, Danny, Rich B
Midfield: Sam, Jim, Rich J, Richie
Attack: Manrouf, Lefils
Subs: Tom 2, Mike, Bob
Yes, that slightly laboured innuendo is in honour of Barely's comprehensive defeat of the always-competitive Nobs this morning. Perhaps a little foresight on Nick's part is to be applauded as he elected to play this game on astroturf, a surface that suits Barely's pass and move game, on the random occasions they get it going.
This morning was one of those days.
Barely shrugged off their traditional opening-ten-minutes lethargy and having dealt with Nob's early threat, set about opening the scoring themselves. Lefils and Mani were the epitomy of pace, positioning, power, and any complimentary adjective beginning with 'p' that you care to mention. They linked well with midfield and even better with each other - after Lefils opened the scoring he set up Mani for the second as Barely looked to trouble the Nobs defence every time they had the ball. Around the half-hour mark Rich B broke into the box and was barged over: penalty. Nobs felt hard done by but your correspondent feels the decision was just: the player ran across Rich without gaining control of the ball. Lefils plonked the penalty into the back of the net and Barely went into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Nobody was slapping themselves on the back however - Nobs are not a side who give up the ghost at any stage, and the team felt the next goal would be crucial. Tom (2) came on in defence, Mike to right-wing and Chris gamely went between the sticks as Barely made minor adjustments.
But it was the home team who scored again first as Lefils completed his hat-trick with a dribble and near-post finish, and then Tom added a fifth with a slightly deflected free-kick. "It would have gone in anyway" Tom confirmed after the game, possibly optimistically. In fact those goals may have been the other way around such was the dizzying speed of the second half, and the glut of goals. Nobs lived up to their reputation as whatever the opposite of quitters is by forcing in a couple of goals themselves - both well finished.
But these came amidst a further four goals for Barely. Jim finished off a fantastic, intricate move that went through the whole of the Barely midfield before he switched feet to make room for himself and slotted home. "Impact player" Mike marked his debut with a simple tap-in as Barely inevitably managed to convert some of the many chances they were creating. Rich Jackson got up to the far post to cushion a looping header over the keeper from Mike's cross. And Jim finished things off with a deft lob to give Barely their biggest win in a while. It might have been a larger score but for some profligacy from the Barely players - Bob in particular will be disappointed to have come on for a run-out at the end only to fall over when through on goal. But he was not alone. However it was a day for celebration in the end as Barely, knocked out of the cup, continue their tentative involvement in the league with a third game unbeaten.
Man of the match was a tricky vote with the team (finishing aside, though it seems picky to say so after nine goals) uniformly excellent. But Lefils' hat-trick was hard to ignore, with Tom P finishing runner-up after an imperious display of centre-halfism.
Next up: Flying Saucers.
Goal: Steve
Defence: Chris, Tom P, Danny, Rich B
Midfield: Sam, Jim, Rich J, Richie
Attack: Manrouf, Lefils
Subs: Tom 2, Mike, Bob
Yes, that slightly laboured innuendo is in honour of Barely's comprehensive defeat of the always-competitive Nobs this morning. Perhaps a little foresight on Nick's part is to be applauded as he elected to play this game on astroturf, a surface that suits Barely's pass and move game, on the random occasions they get it going.
This morning was one of those days.
Barely shrugged off their traditional opening-ten-minutes lethargy and having dealt with Nob's early threat, set about opening the scoring themselves. Lefils and Mani were the epitomy of pace, positioning, power, and any complimentary adjective beginning with 'p' that you care to mention. They linked well with midfield and even better with each other - after Lefils opened the scoring he set up Mani for the second as Barely looked to trouble the Nobs defence every time they had the ball. Around the half-hour mark Rich B broke into the box and was barged over: penalty. Nobs felt hard done by but your correspondent feels the decision was just: the player ran across Rich without gaining control of the ball. Lefils plonked the penalty into the back of the net and Barely went into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Nobody was slapping themselves on the back however - Nobs are not a side who give up the ghost at any stage, and the team felt the next goal would be crucial. Tom (2) came on in defence, Mike to right-wing and Chris gamely went between the sticks as Barely made minor adjustments.
But it was the home team who scored again first as Lefils completed his hat-trick with a dribble and near-post finish, and then Tom added a fifth with a slightly deflected free-kick. "It would have gone in anyway" Tom confirmed after the game, possibly optimistically. In fact those goals may have been the other way around such was the dizzying speed of the second half, and the glut of goals. Nobs lived up to their reputation as whatever the opposite of quitters is by forcing in a couple of goals themselves - both well finished.
But these came amidst a further four goals for Barely. Jim finished off a fantastic, intricate move that went through the whole of the Barely midfield before he switched feet to make room for himself and slotted home. "Impact player" Mike marked his debut with a simple tap-in as Barely inevitably managed to convert some of the many chances they were creating. Rich Jackson got up to the far post to cushion a looping header over the keeper from Mike's cross. And Jim finished things off with a deft lob to give Barely their biggest win in a while. It might have been a larger score but for some profligacy from the Barely players - Bob in particular will be disappointed to have come on for a run-out at the end only to fall over when through on goal. But he was not alone. However it was a day for celebration in the end as Barely, knocked out of the cup, continue their tentative involvement in the league with a third game unbeaten.
Man of the match was a tricky vote with the team (finishing aside, though it seems picky to say so after nine goals) uniformly excellent. But Lefils' hat-trick was hard to ignore, with Tom P finishing runner-up after an imperious display of centre-halfism.
Next up: Flying Saucers.
Monday, 26 November 2007
Axa swing on Barely
AXA 1 Barely Athletic 1
Goal: Steve
Defence: Danny, Tom, Phil, Rich Batten
Midfield: Richie, Jim, Rich Jackson, Sam
Attack: Manrouf, Andy
Subs: Rich Walters, Chris, Nick, Ioan
Barely were looking forward to a first win of the season yesterday when AXA staged a late rally and nabbed a point. The result was probably a fair one, although perhaps a little harsh on Steve, who had kept goal like the proverbial cat in the preceding 75 minutes with three world class, or at least UK class, reaction saves.
With a plethora of players to choose from, tactician-in-chief Richie shuffled his pack and tried Andy Lillford upfront, partnering Mani, and moved Sam into midfield. Danny took the left-back berth and Rich Batten returned at right-back. After their traditionally flimsy opening five minutes, Barely looked solid enough against a well-organised AXA side, who never did a great deal of running (with one or two notable exceptions) but used the ball exceedingly well.
The first half was a tight affair but AXA edged it, with Steve pulling out his man of the match perfomance to keep the scores at nil-nil, and Barely making some deft breaks through the middle as Mani and Andy tried to put each other through. But Barely couldn't quite carve out the decent chance to put them ahead. At half-time Chris made his 11-a-side debut taking the right-back slot and Rich Walters partnered Andy up front. If AXA had shaded the first half it was now Barely's turn to take charge and much of their pressure resulted from the strikeforce constantly harassing the AXA defence. But they looked to have held firm, until Richie played a quick one-two from a corner and belted in a goal from the edge of the box, aided slightly by a deflection.
Barely's confidence soared after this and with the team in slightly unchic orange and black stripes bossing, Barely looked to have sewn up the points. But no. AXA doggedly fought their way back into the game and after another save by Steve, Barely's keeper was finally beaten at the near post as an attacker was played through. Now AXA were on top, and if anyone was going to score in the last ten minutes it looked to be the side in blue. But Barely rallied again, and almost scored a winner when Jim was played through on goal. But the keeper smothered it well.
Richie shuffled the line-up again as both sides looked for the three points but Bob blew the whistle on the game with honours even. Man of the Match went to Steve in a landslide victory, but in truth everyone had a pretty good day at the office. It was a solid performance against a good side. But Barely go into next week's game without a win in three games this season, and facing up and coming Flying Saucers.
Goal: Steve
Defence: Danny, Tom, Phil, Rich Batten
Midfield: Richie, Jim, Rich Jackson, Sam
Attack: Manrouf, Andy
Subs: Rich Walters, Chris, Nick, Ioan
Barely were looking forward to a first win of the season yesterday when AXA staged a late rally and nabbed a point. The result was probably a fair one, although perhaps a little harsh on Steve, who had kept goal like the proverbial cat in the preceding 75 minutes with three world class, or at least UK class, reaction saves.
With a plethora of players to choose from, tactician-in-chief Richie shuffled his pack and tried Andy Lillford upfront, partnering Mani, and moved Sam into midfield. Danny took the left-back berth and Rich Batten returned at right-back. After their traditionally flimsy opening five minutes, Barely looked solid enough against a well-organised AXA side, who never did a great deal of running (with one or two notable exceptions) but used the ball exceedingly well.
The first half was a tight affair but AXA edged it, with Steve pulling out his man of the match perfomance to keep the scores at nil-nil, and Barely making some deft breaks through the middle as Mani and Andy tried to put each other through. But Barely couldn't quite carve out the decent chance to put them ahead. At half-time Chris made his 11-a-side debut taking the right-back slot and Rich Walters partnered Andy up front. If AXA had shaded the first half it was now Barely's turn to take charge and much of their pressure resulted from the strikeforce constantly harassing the AXA defence. But they looked to have held firm, until Richie played a quick one-two from a corner and belted in a goal from the edge of the box, aided slightly by a deflection.
Barely's confidence soared after this and with the team in slightly unchic orange and black stripes bossing, Barely looked to have sewn up the points. But no. AXA doggedly fought their way back into the game and after another save by Steve, Barely's keeper was finally beaten at the near post as an attacker was played through. Now AXA were on top, and if anyone was going to score in the last ten minutes it looked to be the side in blue. But Barely rallied again, and almost scored a winner when Jim was played through on goal. But the keeper smothered it well.
Richie shuffled the line-up again as both sides looked for the three points but Bob blew the whistle on the game with honours even. Man of the Match went to Steve in a landslide victory, but in truth everyone had a pretty good day at the office. It was a solid performance against a good side. But Barely go into next week's game without a win in three games this season, and facing up and coming Flying Saucers.
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