County 2 Barrow 3 : FA Trophy 3QR Replay
County`s orgy of cuts and underfunding reaped another
small whirlwind last night, when they went out of yet another Cup
competition.....the FA Trophy, with a
clueless performance at Edgeley Park
where they contrived once again to throw away an early lead midst an
indifferent display of football skills.
Having twice come back from being a goal behind on
Saturday at Holker Street, there appeared every prospect that, with home
advantage, County would reward their supporters for ignoring the blandishments
of England/ Germany beside a warm fire, with, if not a resounding win, maybe a
performance of wit and endeavour.
Oh........naive old me......it is never as simple as that
with County is it?! They started well enough, going ahead via a wondrously
struck free kick by Jevons, who along with live wire Rhys Turner seemed to
offer hope of a blue victory, but this was yet another accursed illusion.
County had a plethora of forwards on show – Dickinson and Dennis adding to the
notional fire power aimed at our visitors from Cumbria from the start, but
there was no width thus although Turner ran himself dizzy going close more than
once, and Jevons coaxed and cajoled his colleagues studiously, there was little
in the way of support and the lack of manpower out wide eventually told because
Barrow had it, and used it causing havoc
down both flanks ,more and more as the game progressed, and when County`s defence
dozed off allowing ex Hatter Danny
O`Donnell to snaffle a cheeky one after 23 minutes , and Carver to score
another within 2 minutes of this, the writing was on the wall. Hit on the break
with 20 minutes left and it was game over despite a goal in the games dying
embers from substitute Iain Howard.
Read on then, if you will, and take in the fact that just
over 800 were on site to witness this most depressing of games- 39 of them would
end the evening in high spirits......they had travelled to EP from Cumbria!
County had 4 out and out forwards on show, which was
probably 1 too many, although when the game started Dennis lined up left
midfield so perhaps there was to be an element of fluidity in evidence? In any
event I told myself that it was surely a sign of County`s intent to attack.
Hmm.............it took fully 5 minutes for anything
remotely of interest to surface on the pitch, but when it came I was encouraged
– true McMillan, the Barrow keeper, managed to thwart Turner`s break, and the
corner that followed was not capitalised on, but it was a half decent start,
and it looked like continuing when McMillan again did well to deny young Rhys
after a neat cooperation between him and Platt had made inroads in Barrow`s
cover!
So far so good then, but another 60 seconds ushered in a
warning as a half hearted `tackle’ from Jacobs allowed Nicky Walker in on goal.
It was a definite chance, but Ormson spared the ex FCUM man`s blushes with a
solid stop when the shot came his way, and did well again shortly after cutting
out a cross from Harvey after Nick Rushton had spread panic with a ball hugging
run.
Nine minutes in and Jacobs redeemed himself with a lovely
through ball to Jevons who looked well set in front of goal. Turning on the
ball, Jevons then played it on to Dennis ,and in a trice the ball was in the
net, but it was no goal as the Pop Side liner`s flag was up- it was offside!
Turner`s energy and skill were to the fore next as a
couple of runs told Barrow that they would need to be on their toes if they
were not to perish. Ormson`s long kicks were something of an item as well at
this stage giving the centre of the Cumbrians defence lots to think about, but
it was a long kick from someone else that was to light a spark in
proceedings.....a set piece, and Jevons was the perpetrator! Gosset had just sent
Dennis beyond half way, and he had just been routinely mugged for his trouble
giving County a free kick. It was however some 35 yards or so from goal and
thus no threat to McMillan`s peace of mind, but no one had told Jevons this,
and he promptly curled a beauty past McMillan into the net to give County the
lead!
The goal served to spur Barrow on to reply and Fagbola
did well to contain the dangerous Carver as he looked to shoot in the box.
Walker did altogether better however, making it to the by-line where he picked
Carver out with a neat pass. The resulting shot was blocked but the ball ran
back to Walker ,and Ormson earned plaudits by pushing his shot around the post
for a corner.
Barrow failed to make anything of the flag kick, and
County followed suit when they got one minutes later after Reynolds tackle on
Jevons had been adjudged not a foul by referee Wootton. So.....maybe it was
complacency that undid County....maybe not, but when Radcliffe forced another
off Jacobs, they somehow managed to allow ex Hatter Danny O`Donnell to sneak in
at the near post and snatch a cheeky one! Now....I think Danny`s a fine lad,
but that was overdoing the hospitality quite a bit!
There was a reply from County, and quickly, but Dennis
was flagged offside when put through by Dickinson, and it was not long before
County`s woes multiplied in the shape of a second Barrow goal!
The visitors were attacking, but Duxbury initially looked
to have done well to stop Burns as he probed down the right, but the ball ended
up with Carver, and with County apparently nonplussed, he lifted a neat shot
over Ormson`s head into the far corner of the net to make it 1-2!
County struggled to get a kick after this for a while as
Barrow did their best to make inroads down the flanks, and Ormson did well to
prevent Rushton reaching Radcliffe`s cross. The County keeper looked dished
though, on 34 minutes, when Jamie Allen was put through by Harvey, but the shot
came straight at him and the danger passed.
A small pre Xmas panto ensued next involving Dicko,
Carver and referee Wootton, which featured Carver walking about with the ball
.......Dicko manhandling him.......Carver falling down, and referee Wootton
giving Liam a lecture! It was all due to Carver`s determination to waste time
at a County free kick, but he need not have bothered as Platt lumped it well
wide!
Meanwhile County were living dangerously and relieved to
see the liners flag upraised as Walker darted clear with the blues cover blown!
The officials proved less helpful however in added time when the ball appeared
to have been carried out of play by Radcliffe near the County left corner flag.
Did I say `appeared’?.......no......it had gone out, but play was allowed to
continue, the ball reaching Rushton who promptly sent it thudding into the
post! That was the end of the danger, but it could have been game over, with
another 45 minutes to play!
By this stage, having neglected to dash off and get a
coffee, I was feeling the cold- think Siberian Wastes meets the surface of
Pluto and add a dash of Walsall`s away end at any time of the year, and you get
the picture! Yes......another 45 minutes did not offer any solace at all!
County attacked early on after the re-start but I
detected no noticeable quickening of EP`s collective pulse, and I think mine
was about to shut down, but I was alarmed to see Sam Sheridan inches away from
sending Carver in ,with another of his trademark long balls.
As I say.....County attacked a bit only for McMillan to
keep the ball from Jevons after Jacobs had treated us to a run that had seen
him win the ball.....lose it.....win it back......lose it and get it once again
before getting his cross in. County`s best bet though still seemed to be the
Jevons/ Turner combination and the 51st minute saw them link up
brilliantly with Dennis. The final ball from Turner had possibilities but only
until McMillan`s prompt action denied Jevons the ball! Jevons seemed to be
doing better shortly after this only for the referee to again look the other
way when he was upended by Reynolds. It was really frustrating, but this
feeling only increased when Dennis found himself with the ball with McMillan
stranded in no man`s land away from goal. It should have been County`s
opportunity to draw level but Dennis failed to pick anyone out with his onward
pass- maybe because there was no one following up , which was more than
frustrating!
County looked to have a small gust of wind in their sails
now especially when the Jevons `falling down bit’ took on a new twist, as the
Stockport man went to ground again just outside the box. I saw this one as a
dive, but hilariously Wootton blew for a County free kick! Now...this was a
very definite chance, but I was dismayed to see Dicko and Jevons over the ball
as the Barrow wall took shape. Surely Jevons would take it and Dicko`s part was
one of just a not too elaborate mime! But......no.....Dicko took it- beating the
wall well enough, but not McMillan who grabbed the ball with little difficulty!
The wind continued to blow County`s way via Turner who tested McMillan with a hooked
shot from a throw by Jacobs, and then set Jacobs up nicely to feed Dennis in a
good shooting position. Yes....it did look good, but bugger me....the liners
flag was up again and we were dished once more.
If that was depressing, the next action dwarfed it for
awfulness, as Gosset picked out Walker with a gruesomely bad pass. He was away
and clear, but somehow Jacobs appeared on the scene and stopped the rot with a
tackle that just might have saved the game for County.
If some of the quality was questionable at times, County
were at least trying to rectify matters, but there was again no one following
up when Dicko`s final ball attempted to round off good work from Jevons. Things
did hint at turning County`s way however when Dicko forced a corner with
determined work, especially when the usually reliable McMillan spilled the
incoming kick. Turner pounced but somehow Burns managed to hook the ball clear
from under the bar and Barrow survived!
Surely something would materialise from this pressure? I
thought that it might , but Turner`s shot , from Dennis`s cross on 69 minutes,
missed out by no more than a foot, and I again looked on aghast to see another
Turner run end in ruins with no one backing up! Basics......when will County
start doing them?
Well there was little time to ponder that one, as another
County raid broke down allowing Walker a free hand to dash clear. There was
loads of space for him to do stuff in, and he had Rushton for company as well,
so he passed to the Barrow number 10 who took the ball round Ormson, who was
cruelly exposed, to slam the ball home.
That was surely game over now, but Turner kept having a
go......blocked at the edge of the box one minute, and thwarted by a brilliant
save from McMillan the next as he shredded the visitors cover.
Jevons went close as well with a header as did Dicko who
reached Duxbury`s aerial ball with a prodigious stretch only to push his shot
narrowly wide.
The 80th minute saw Charnock depart the scene,
which saw County go 3 at the back( Jacobs, Fagbola and Duxbury), as Howard
joined the fray, but it was still Turner doing
the biz at the sharp end heading another Duxbury high one just wide.
There was a fair bit of attacking coming from County at
this point, and when they won a free kick a rare moment of panic ensued in the
Barrow box as Dicko, Howard and Jevons vied to snatch a goal back only to be
denied by McMillan!
Yes..............the effort was there from County but not
the finish- a fact that was fully emphasised, on 88 minutes, when Jacobs picked
Howard out in the box only for him to lift the ball hopelessly over the bar.
But......as I say, effort was in evidence and Jevons showed this in shed loads
tracking back to block a run by Radcliffe. From this Turner was on the run
again and beyond Radcliffe and Walker in no time, picking Howard out at the
back of the box with his pass, and County had pulled a goal back as Howard forced it home!
Jevons and Turner, urged on by Jacobs kept plugging away
deep into added time, but there was no squaring this circle on this day for
County as we headed for the exit thoroughly perished and somewhat down hearted!
I can just visualise dear old Ryan thinking of extending
his cuts bonanza to AL, but we all know that that`s not the answer-
shareholders and directors getting their act together to resolve this chronic
under funding situation is, before it is too late!
County line up
Ormson, Jacobs, Fagbola, Charnock ( Howard 80), Duxbury,
Gosset( Lofthouse 73), Platt, Dennis, Jevons, Dickinson, Turner.
Subs not used
Jones, O`Halloran, Windsor.
Barrow line up
McMillan, Burns, Radcliffe, Sheridan, Reynolds, O`Donnell
, Allen, Harvey, Carver, Rushton, Walker.
Attendance 812
Ian Brown
Comments
Post a Comment