Patron Saint of Grinding 'em out

Barely Athletic 1 St Brendans 2

Mike

Sam       Ian       Toby       Laurie

Darren         Richie       Batts      

John R

Adam

Sub: John T

With no recognised keeper yet again, Barely were forced to call once more for the man who "doesn't bend" and Mike took up position between the sticks. With no Jacko to dictate play, the burden of pendulum-swinging fell onto the shoulders of Richie in the centre of midfield, abetted by Paul and, making his Sunday debut after several weeks of Wednesday appearances, Darren. Toby also returned and slotted in at centre-back. 

However all the careful team-building and pre-match talk of how good the kit was upturned like a cart full of fruit in the European car chase of a Hollywood movie, as St Brendans tore into the Barely defence from the outset, and it looked like it was going to be a long ninety minutes. 

Credit Barely then, that having held out for 20 minutes before finally succumbing to a goal, they finally got their mojo working having fallen behind. Just as some racers like to bide their time rather than lead from the front, Barely started concocting a few moves in the St Brendans half, and were shading things when the whistle went for half-time. Despite much early pressure, Mike had only been called upon three times in any urgency; twice bending - bending!!! - to get a hand to low shots and divert them around the post. Fortunately Batts had found a good referee as well, as St Brendans are clearly a team who like to have a running, collective monologue as to the apparent shenanigans of the Barely team. It was a good match, but played throughout with a fairly feisty spirit.

Barely began the second half in so much contrast to the first it was almost like they had stepped into an alternate reality - one where they are the fittest team around. Though a team with the quality of St Brendans could never be described as out of it, their best moments were plucked out of the air with relative ease by new goalkeeper Paul Loftus, who was sharing second-half duties with Batts and Sam.

At the other end it was so nearly a different story, but despite edging things in terms of pressure on the back lines, Barely couldn't quite negotiate a way through to test the keeper - their best moments being shots from Adam and Richie drifting wide. However with the clock ticking, Barely suddenly found a saviour in Mike. Good pressure from Adam and John T had won Barely a corner, and when Richie swung it in Mike "the quality is in the" Graney applied the deftest of near-post touches to send the ball through a crowd of players to nestle in the net.

Barely surged. With 15 minutes to go Sam went in goal for his shift and - one save with his feet apart - spent the whole of it watching his compadres banging on the door at the other end. To return to the race car analogy, they were now down to the fumes in the tank and gunning the engine to go past the slowcoaches in front. Mike almost covered himself in glory once more with a header that sailed over. But just as the wheel of destiny can turn in your favour, it can also turn against you - or blow out completely, sending you careering over a cliff to the sound of that bongo noise that Scooby Doo and Shaggy used to make when running on the spot. One rogue St Brendans attack was all it took, slicing through a tired back line and sending an attacker clear to hammer past Sam - clutching at air - at the near post. 

There was no time for another gallant rescue, and despite Barely pushing for another goal, the game ended with St Brendans as gracious in victory as a team who have just kicked you all over the field for 90 minutes can be.*

It was another wide casting of votes for Man of the Match, with Richie, Mike and Batts sharing the prize with just two votes ahead of the peloton represented by Ian, Darren, John T (who had come on and run around like a madman) and Sam. 

Close, but no cigar.

*Okay, it was one guy specifically, but we're allowed some sour grapes after that.

Academic

Barely Athletic 1 Cardiff Accies 2

Gareth

Mark B          Danny         Ian            Sam

Paul L

Al               Jacko               Richie

Adam               Fish

Subs: Batts, Mike

After much last-minute shenanigans over the location of the pitch, the availability of the pitch, and the state of the pitch, Barely and Cardiff trotted out for what might be the last game of the season, since so many teams have bailed on the inaugural over-45's league. Say what you like about Barely's football, but they're very good at turning up.

Batts and Jacko had been scheming and came up with an interesting formation: 4-1-3-2 with Paul Loftus patrolling in front of the defence. Mark Blakemore made his Barely debut at right-back and long term absentee Fish returned to partner Adam up front.

It was an inauspicious start for both sides as they struggled to come to terms with the undulating pitch. But Cardiff looked the most likely early on, when they drew a couple of good saves from Gareth in the Barely goal; tipping a shot over and sending another effort wide via an outstretched foot.

Barely threatened at the other end too: Adam flashed a shot fractionally wide after good approach work by Barely and Richie also threatened. But Barely's breakthrough came from a most unexpected source, when Richie's corner curled all the way across the face of goal and inside the far post. 1-0 to the home side, and inspired by the breakthrough Barely enjoyed a good ten minute spell.

However this ended with some pantomime style football in the Barely box after several opportunities to head the ball clear were forsaken in favour of wild, swinging legs, some falling over and a kung-fu kick on the line from Sam, which failed to stop Cardiff taking advantage of the mayhem by prodding in from close quarters for the equaliser.

The break rolled around with the score still at 1-1 and Barely feeling the game was winnable, as long as they didn't shoot themselves in the foot again. However the second half was only ten minutes old when things took a turn for the worse, as Ian and Gareth expected each other to take control of a ball bobbling into the area and as they hesitated, an attacker stole between them to flick the ball inside the far post.

Barely tried to respond, and the Accies gloveman was the busier of the two keepers. But although called upon with increasing regularity, he never looked fazed by what Barely threw at him, and several attempts skewed wide anyway. Sam's mad dash the length of the pitch could have ended in glory when Adam set him away and he cut inside the first defender - but those mad dashes the length of the pitch do make him quite tired, and he could only feebly stab the ball in the vague direction of goal. Mike's presence on the right (with Batts now on at the back) was a source of some more direct attacking play as he looked to get Adam or Fish away, before the latter limped off after catching his studs in the turf.

And though they huffed and puffed, Barely could not find a way to an equaliser, and a game played in good spirit ended on a disappointing note for the home side.

Gareth narrowly took the Man of the Match award from runner-up Adam, but it was a wide spread of votes with Paul, Richie, Ian and Sam all featuring in the voting. Cardiff took the points though.

Rosetti Steps In

Mathern 1 Barely Athletic 1

Mike

Sam          Toby           Ian           Batts

Laurie         Richie          Al             Nick

John R

Adam

Sub: Gareth

Barely Athletic arrested their early-season slump in form with a hard-earned point over the Severn in Mathern. With key players Danny, Jacko and the two Pauls (Loftus and Tovey) absent, not mention long-term casualties Tom and Sir Jim, and it was down to the bare bones. Stepping up to the plate for his Barely debut was Toby, thrown in at the deep end by partnering Ian at centre-back. Al also returned to the fray after a long absence. With Gareth desperately covering the miles fro Winchester - surely some sort of prize for dedication to the cause there? - Mike stepped into the sticks at a delayed kick-off.

Mathern made the early running. You wouldn't say Barely were swamped, but forays forward were few and far between during the first ten minutes. Gradually they worked their way into the game and even managed a shot - courtesy of Richie - but on the whole it was Mathern's half, even if Mike was only called upon to collect the odd shot trundling straight at him. Gareth arrived and after the briefest of warm-ups took Mike's place in goal, just in time to see Mathern step up the pace a little. There was a flurry of attacks and one of them led to the goal - Mathern broke through the middle and although Gareth got down well to block the ball, it ricocheted off him and inside the near post.

Half-time came with Barely feeling they had perhaps a bit more to offer. Although it had been Mathern's half they hadn't really looked like scoring - until they did of course. We have to give them that.

The rolling subs routine was up and running and Barely upped their game in the second half, possibly unlucky not to get a penalty when Richie was barged to the ground. Though Mathern were still breaking forward, the Barely back line usually got the upper hand. However their counterparts at the other end of the pitch were similarly dominant - for now. As legs began to tire Adam embarked on a series of runs as the likes of Richie and Nick dinked balls over the top for him to chase. Once he even set off courtesy of a back-pass and was erroneously ruled off-side.

But the Barely goal came out of sheer persistence - Al and Sam combined to win the ball back on the right, and Sam sent a ball into the box. Adam clambered past a defender and shot - the keeper saved, but the ball bounced to the feet of John Rosetti, who finished with aplomb, more than justifying Batt's shrewd decision to play him as a number ten. 1-1, and with not a great deal of time left in the game, both sides went for a winner, and both back lines matched each other for obduracy. Aside from the challenge on Richie and a couple of Adam dribbles, Mathern held firm. And the away team similarly kept attempts on Gareth's goal to a minimum.

A game played on a splodgy pitch came to a close with honours as even as the spread of mud on Adam's knees.  Man of the Match voting reflected a very good team performance with a wide spread that included new boy Toby and returnees Al and Gareth. Rejoicing in their shared victory (two votes each) were Adam, John and Sam. More importantly though Barely have shown that they don't have to lose every game between not and 2020 by five goals to nil. Well done everyone!

Axbridge Crossing Troubled Waters

Axbridge 5  Barely Athletic 0

Danny

Batts       Mike      Ian       Laurie

Sam       Jacko      Paul L      John T

Richie

Paul T

Rolling subs: John R, Nick. 

It was an idyllic day for football. A slip nip in the air in a two-hour gap between downpours and Axbridge's scheduling was spot on. If only the same could be said of their crossing...

With no recognised goalkeeper, Danny, Mike and Nick gamely took the gloves and did respectively one half and two quarters each of the game. Barely went with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Richie playing just behind Paul Tovey. They began very well... in fact, although they lacked the composure in front of goal to bemoan the result, they played very well throughout. But they were hit by a series of goals so freakish as to imagine Axbridge had some kind of pact with the footballing Gods. 

Three times intended crosses looped over the Barely keeper and into the net - and two of them came in the first half, which ended with a slightly bewildered Barely team trudging off 2-0 down. The away team had had their chances, with both Paul T and Richie shooting narrowly wide, Jacko heading a fraction over and Sam clipping the post. But they had been not so much sucker-punched as twatted on the head with a plank of wood, Keaton style.

The talk at half-time was to carry on as they had been doing, but although Barely did that, creating more chances, they left themselves open to the counter-attack and Barely's back line had to be alert. Barely carved open more chances but couldn't quite take them. Paul T headed and shot just over the bar. John T and Sam couldn't quite get half-chances on target. Even when they got something on target - Mike's long-range effort; Nick's drilled attempt - it was snaffled up by the keeper.

Meanwhile Axbridge accidentally scored a third, got a face-rubbing fifth when a shot heading wide diverted in off a defender, and in-between times scored a decent goal, a sublime finish from outside the box. The ref mercifully called time and, in a wide spread of votes Paul Loftus was a clear man-of-the-match winner. 

Nobody had a bad game and indeed, Barely could play this well and win. It was a game played in the right spirit by both teams too. Sometimes you just don't get the rub of the 3G.

No Blessed Relief

St Brendan 5 Barely Athletic 0

______

Marcus

Ian    Mike   Danny

Laurie      Paul L     Jacko    Richie    Sam

Adam    Paul T

Subs: John Trimble, John Rosetti, Nick, Batts

St Brendan might be the patron saint of sailors and travellers, but any sense of watchful benevolence dissipated early on in this game. Maybe Saint Barely could be the patron saint of wake-up calls, as if the gentle trials of the previous game had possibly led the the squad to think they could perambulate in a similar manner today, they were sorely mistaken. Though Barely started reasonably well St Brendan's first real meaningful chance - several attacks having been stymied by a hitherto resolute back line - ended up in the Barely net.

There was an element of chance about it. A goal-bound header was heroically pushed onto the post by Marcus, but it ricocheted off his body and into the path of an attacker, who slotted in just inside the opposite post. And before Barely could regroup, they were three down. A cross from the St Brendan left hurtled into the box and Sam's volleyed clearnace went straight into the body of an attacker. Two or three ricochets later and the ball was in the net. Shortly after Ian's accidental handball was penalised in the harshest way when the penalty was given and slotted away.

Having begun, if not brilliantly, then decently, Barely were reeling, and at this point getting to half time without conceding further should be considered an achievement of sorts. They switched to a back four but kept five in midfield, with Adam earmarked to burst forward in support of Paul Tovey up front. However despite his best efforts the main thing Adam burst was a bloodvessel, as the usually philosophical wing-back-cum-striker took one heavy challenge too many and told the perpetrator what he thought about it. The physicality was an unwanted feature of the game - there were a few shoves and barges from St Brendan's that didn't exactly resonate with Corinthian spirit -and moments after flattening Adam he repeated the trick with Jacko.

But minor gripes aside, their football was a class above Barelys', who couldn't even get a semblance of mojo going. Two neat finishes in the second half added to the home team's tally to give them a deserved scoreline gloss - and it could have been worse for Barely, but for some alert keeping by the debutant Marcus.

On a day where nobody really excelled themselves - Richie picking up an injury didn't help their cause - the man of the match vote was spread wide but Adam clinched it - quite possibly for telling the centre-back what everyone else was thinking, as much as his usual tireless efforts. But overall it was the type of day at the office where everyone goes home with sweat stains on their shirt and coffee stains on their trousers. Barely must away to the metaphorical laundromat and return for the next fixture as new men.

Goodbye to all that.....

Here's a bit of history from the climax of last season - a final appearance in the top flight of the two last remaining founder members teams from the casuals league. At the beginning of May both Barely Athletic and Hill Farm met in a bottom of the table clash that saw both say goodbye to their continuous runs in that division. That had both been there when the casuals were a single division of misfits, sufficiently old fat and knackered even back in the day when we rekindled a true Corinthian spirit of Sunday football that has characterised the league ever since. The picture of the teams has Tony Wilner of Hill Farm shaking hands with Barely’s Nick Ambler to his right and Richie Cormack to his left. All three played in the first fixture between the teams when they first met. For the record it was Barely who this time took the spoils but it was a new form of local football that has been the real winner. Almost a generation ago we started a new kind of local league and after the final whistle Barely have gone forwards with a new adventure in the beautiful game, for the really old, very fat and totally knackered and the new over 45s league.

Barely's New Horizons

Barely Athletic 3 Voyager 0

Tom

John      Mike      Danny

Sam      Jim       Jacko       Paul L        Adam

Nick      John

rolling subs from
Laurie, Batts, Paul T, Al

Barely's great new adventure - the inaugural fixture, in the inaugural over-45's league, with the inaugurally bagged-up kit - ended with the strangest sensation, not felt for something like two or three seasons: of being deserved and clear winners.

At half-time there must have been one or two flutters, however. Having bossed the first half in terms of possession and chances, Barely hadn't managed to break the deadlock - the exception being Sam's dribble around the keeper to finish after a through ball from Paul, which was tragically chalked off due to the ref having blown up for a handball by the Voyager back line. WHAT KIND OF A DECIS- - anyway, Sam took the free kick, but it was pushed out for a corner by the keeper.

Barely had had the lion's share of possession, but were also finishing like lions - lions in football boots - with Paul's long-ranger flying over the bar and Nick's header, after good work from Adam, drifting wide. Onion bag apart, Barely's 3-5-2 was looking golden at this point, with Jim Fry adding some deft footwork to Paul Loftus' aggression and Jacko's calm distribution. Key to the whole shebang though - as recognised in the man of the match vote later - was Mike Graney's work at the back. Tasked with man-marking Voyager's danger man, he didn't give him a sniff all game. Barely haven't looked this well-drilled since the last time they organised a night out.

But despite their good work the break came with things all square. And when the game restarted Voyager had regrouped. The away team's best spell came over the next fifteen minutes, as Barely took a turn on the back foot. Tom was called upon a couple of times, although not stretched.

Then Barely took the lead out of nothing. Paul Tovey - having his best game by far in a Barely shirt (maybe it's the new kit), turned and hit a powerful shot from distance - a great effort, matched by a great save from the keeper, who pawed it up in the air. But as the keeper landed the ball came down behind him, and bounced into the net. 1-0.

Barely took heart and took hold of the match again. Whilst Voyager still looked more threatening than they had in the first half, Barely were scything through the defence again with Adam and Sam dashing down the wings, Paul controlling every ball hit near him and John terrorising the Voyager back line with his constant running. Another attack down the left and the ball fell to Adam, who took a touch before doubling Barely's lead with another cracker, going into the top of the net from outside the box.

As Voyager threw everything they could forward Barely broke on the counter at will. John - on for John (surnames would be handy!) scored on his Barely debut when Sam sent Paul away down the right, and his low cross deflected off the desperate glove of the keeper. There was nearly a fourth when Al capitalised on confusion in the box to poke a shot fractionally wide.

It's unlikely the whole season will be this delightful. But three points, a clean sheet, and a great squad performance - Barely couldn't have wished for a better start. The only blot on their day's work was poor Jim's knee caving in on his return after three years away. It looked like a hospital trip at first but it was a relief to see him walking normally after the game: like a man broken by life.

That aside, it was the perfect start in Barely's brave new world.