| |
Barnoldswick’s
season has gotten off to a bright start, and they probably
felt that they didn’t need, but were no doubt very grateful
for, the two goal start that Villa gifted them through a
couple of incidences of incompetent defending. Although the
visitors pressed and pressed to try to make amends during a
second half which they dominated, they were unable to find
the decisive end product that would enable them to take away
a point, which arguably they eventually probably deserved.
With nothing much
to choose between the two sides on current form, opening
exchanges were cagey. That is until nine minutes in, a
defensive miscalculation saw a surprised home forward in the
clear with just the advancing Ross Baxter to beat, and
although gifted the chance, his exquisite lob was a quality
finish. This of course allowed Town to settle and served
only to increase the tension in the Villa ranks. For the
remainder of the half, Barnoldswick looked quicker and
stronger than the Euxton side, and closed everything down
quickly, preventing Villa from constructing anything
cohesive going forward, and their cause was not helped by
some overly fussy refereeing which constantly disrupted the
flow.
But it was another
defensive howler that allowed the home side to take a two
goal cushion into the dressing room at half time. Baxter and
Craig Chambers failed to communicate effectively and got in
a tangle going for the same ball, allowing a lurking striker
the simplest of tap-ins.
Whatever was said
behind closed doors at half time certainly seemed to work
the oracle. Villa came out looking a different side, and
from the outset went about attempting to overturn the
effects of their first half lapses. Where every pass seemed
to go astray before, now they were finding their intended
target, and Villa were driving and sweeping forward with
increasing regularity. Gavin Cooper, Phil Woodman and the
increasingly impressive Elliott Dunn were finding particular
joy down the right, ably assisted by the marauding Chambers
from right back.
And it was they
who carved out a possible way back for their team. Cooper
forced a throw-in near the corner. Woodman quickly spotted
Chambers in the clear, and he in turn looped a delightful
chip on to Dunn’s head, and his back header crept in at the
far post.
Villa redoubled
their efforts, and Mark McDonnell threw on Adrian Briggs,
Martin Whewell and the less than fully fit George Craddock
to freshen things up. But although they were now under an
almost incessant barrage, the Town defence held firm. And,
as so often happens in these situations, with all hands to
the pump going forward, the home side were able to exploit
the space behind and killed the game off with a well taken
cross and header on the break.
A disappointing
outcome for the travelling faithful of course, but Villa
deserve great credit for the way they came back from the
first half disaster, as indeed do their opponents for
resisting that second half onslaught.
Villa Line-Up: Baxter, C.Chambers, Davies, Bolton, Clitheroe
(Craddock 55), Woodman, Bingham (Whewell 77), Cooper,
Atherton, Fletcher (Briggs 55), Dunn
|
|
