AA4 Match Report v Dunbar (08/05/11)

The match against league leaders Dunbar was the first for four weeks,
and was always going to prove a tough test. The team had barely even
seen each other since their draw with Lions, and with several regular
starters missing and a couple of ring-ins, it felt like starting the
season again. Dunbar had enjoyed the good fortune of missing only one
of their games for the season; Barnstoneworth had played just two from
five.

Nevertheless, Barnstoneworth started brightly, exposing Dunbar’s
defence and creating a succession of opportunities at goal. Dunbar’s
occasional visits to the Barnstoneworth half were met with shaky but
effective defense. Barnstoneworth were definitely on top, but just
couldn’t find the net.

And that was to prove costly. After 35 minutes, an untidy corner pin
balled around the box and eventually found a Dunbar foot. 1-0 to
Rovers. A string of short passes and other errors across the pitch put
Dunbar firmly in the driver’s seat, leading to a second goal just two
minutes later. A misguided clearance at the back meant it was 3-0 at
half time. Ten very costly minutes against the run of play.

The reds emerged for the second half with a positive attitude and a
mountain to climb, and a well worked move by Dunbar (perhaps the
highlight of their match) gave them their fourth after five minutes,
making the job just a little bit harder.

Barnstoneworth kept their heads up and again dominated play for large
periods, but couldn’t capitalise on their possession. A consolation
goal from Alex’s tireless efforts brought the final score to 4-1.

Overall the lads played well under the circumstances and were arguably
the better side, succumbing only to the superior fitness of the
opposition for that truly awful 10 minutes leading up to half-time.

Plenty of positives to take from the game, though, and the result
could so easily have been reversed if a couple of early Barnstoneworth
chances had found the back of the net.

Man of the match: Alex Todd for his ceaseless commitment in every area
of the pitch