A
depressingly lack lustre game, saw County go down 1-0 to league leaders Barrow
, last night at Edgeley Park. The score line was close, but that was misleading
as Barrow pretty much held the whip hand throughout the second half of what
was, as I say, not a great game.
There was
not that much between the two teams in the first half, and just about no
excitement in a thoroughly uninteresting spectacle. Against a side that scores
an average of very nearly 2 a game on trips out, to come away just one goal
adrift is a decent showing I suppose, but ...at home most County fans might
have expected a better response after the nightmares at Bradford and Aggborough,
and did Barrow really look a top of the table side ? The truth was however,
that by the re-start Barrow had County sussed. Whilst we were trying to play
football, there was no threat on the end of it all, and when passes started to
go astray, as they did rather regularly, we were undone. Just one goal was
enough to win the points for Barrow- a decent finish from substitute Lewis Guy with 17 minutes left, and thereafter the visitors were in cruise mode, and that
was more than sufficient to see the job done.
The first
five minutes saw Barrow push forward and probe the County defence, which held
long enough for a counter to be sorted via Duxbury who sent Ryan clear with a
decent ball. He was offside however and fared no better a couple of minutes
later when another pass from Duxbury came his way- Andy Burns doing enough to
see the threat off.
Things got a
bit hectic next thanks to the stand side liner who looked on motionless as
Lofthouse was mugged. The consequence was that Barrow had the ball through Andy
Hawarth, and it took an excellent bit of work from Churchman to stop his run.
A run by
Jason Walker, curtailed by the upraised liners flag, and 15 minutes had gone
by, with neither keeper greatly troubled.
The game
meandered soporifically on, until the 21st minute when Dan
Pilkington darted through to the by-line. Hurst missed the cross that followed,
but was relieved no doubt to see Todd in position to put the ball out of play,
for a corner which Hurst did altogether better dealing with.
The 22nd
minute actually saw County create a chance, and it was a decent one too, set up
by a neat pass from Glover, but faced with keeper Aaron Taylor and a gaping
goal, Ryan ballooned an awful effort high into the empty Railway End.
Mainly
though it was the Cumbrians doing the attacking, and Lees did well at one point
to prevent Cook from getting to a cross from Walker.
Glover did
get a shot on target from a Ryan knock down, but it went straight to the
keeper, ushering in another Barrow break that saw Todd earn applause with some
excellent work preventing Haworth from making hay beyond the back post. Hurst
joined Todd in garnering small ovations next grabbing a cross by Walker, who
had again made it to the by line, before either Cook or Pilkington could get to
it.
County did
start to play a bit with the break almost on us.....a neat cross field ball by
Glover setting Wilkinson up for a shot that took a deflection as he cut
inside. Wilkinson followed this by
tracking back, a minute or so later, to block Haworth who was on the charge,
but by and large he was mostly peripheral to the action, which was greatly
disappointing from a player with obvious skills.
A Todd cross
,from Bakers pass, caused a minor flurry of excitement, before Livesey ushered
the ball back to the keeper, but the cosh kept coming down on County heads in
the minutes leading up to the break as Cook, Walker and Grand got in a lather
attempting to force a corner home. One or other of said threesome did a naughty
midst this action, but dear old Mr Salisbury was oblivious to all this,
although I must say my least favourite custodian of the stringed whistle was by
no means as agonisingly awful as I have oft times remembered him....I`m
obviously mellowing with extreme age!
Half time
arrived not a moment too soon as 1 minutes added time was heralded by a free
kick that Glover just managed to stop
Cook from converting in the box. A corner followed and O`Halloran hooked it
clear, and that was that for the first 45 minutes!
Barrow went
straight for the County jugular upon the re-start, and Todd again earned his
corn by denying Cook a shooting opportunity after Lacey had picked him out with
a diagonal ball.
The
leisurely tide of Barrow attacking continued, briefly abbreviated by a
Wilkinson effort which he leaned back and sent way over the bar, and Lees did
well to stop the rot and ensure that Cook did not prosper from a misplaced pass
from Churchman.
A County
break that saw Ryan beaten to the ball by Taylor, was the prelude to another
sortie up the park, and near panic at the back for County as Hurst eventually
managed to fall on the ball with all manner of mayhem threatening around him.
The passes
were going astray wholesale now from the blues, and Hurst just managed to get a
touch to a shot by Grand, keeping it out. Corner after corner followed this-
Todd eventually on hand to hoof clear after Hurst had spilled the ball under
pressure.
Twice after
this Ryan was sent clear, once by O`Halloran and then Baker, but both times
Grand had too much nous for him and the breaks were nullified, pretty much
before they had materialised. In short....there was almost nothing interrupting
the flow of Barrow possession- Lees outstretched leg keeping Cook from a
through ball just beyond the hour mark. Todd followed suit saving the day with
Haworth bearing down on goal, as the visitors started to build up a head of
steam, by introducing 2 substitutions....ex Hatter Sam Sheridan for Ledsham,
and Lewis Guy for Walker.
Chris Sharp
for Glover, was A.L`s reply, and initially it seemed to offer a possible
solution as Sharp`s energy, seemed to ruffle the odd Cumbrian feather a time or
two in the minutes that followed. It did not last though and the 73rd
minute saw Barrow break down the left where Pilkington`s cross was met by Guy
and fired home first time! Barrow had the lead, and but for an intervention
from Hurst might have doubled it within a couple of minutes, but the lively
Cook was denied by the County keeper.
More pain
followed for the blues as loose balls abounded offering tempting half chances
to a Barrow side that thankfully did not look that able to take advantage of
them. They liked to show boat though, and Lacey luxuriated in doing so heading
for the County box, but was borderline apoplectic to see the liners flag up as
Cook darted clear.
It was not
great as Lees was forced to make a last gasper as passes continued to go
anywhere but to a blue shirt.....Sharp got a good block in with Cook
threatening menacingly.
Hurst had a
save or two to make late on, but Barrow by this stage, with their fans noisily
singing “ We are top of the league”, looked to be in cruise mode and more
concerned with ending the game than getting a second.
A blast of
Mr Salisbury`s whistle and they had their wish, and County supporters have to
wait until Saturday`s trip to Brackley for the chance to see their team try to
put things right.
There were
too many passengers today.....we needed 90 minute players and those were not
thick on the ground.....Todd.....Lees....O`Halloran for sure, but the rest
flitted in and out of the game alarmingly- A.L. will be working to secure a
decent top half finish now, and he needs his team to buck up and support him!
County line
up:
Hurst, Todd,
Lees, O`Halloran, Duxbury, Churchman, Baker,Wilkinson, Ryan, Glover ( Sharp 66),
Lofthouse.
Subs not
used:
Ormson,
Russell, Moses, Hancock.
Barrow line
up:
Taylor,
Burns, Cowperthwaite, Lacey, Livesey, Grand, Pilkington( Ray-Harvey 78),
Ledsham( Sheridan 65), Walker( Guy 65), Cook, Haworth.
Subs not used;
McWilliams,
Gorman.
Attendance:
1962
Ian Brown
