Alsager Town 1-2 Barnton
Alsager Town hosted Barnton on a sunny afternoon as they looked to secure victory after a frustrating end to their midweek game. The Bullets were moments away from winning at Foley Meir, but conceded a stoppage time penalty which saw the match end all square.
Before today’s match, Alsager were eighth in the league, whilst Barnton were 14th and in need of points to secure safety from relegation.
First half
It was Alsager who had the first real chance of the match, when a cross was delivered to Dylan Woods. However, it was slightly behind the youngster, who headed the ball wide of the goal.
Barnton were more clinical with their chances and made no mistake with their first goal. David Oko made a needless foul on the edge of the box and Jack McKean converted from the penalty spot to make it 1-0.
Alsager began to control possession, but were unable to craft opportunities. Their crossing was poor and they made no use of their free kicks inside Barnton’s half.
The home side should have been given an advantage as a Barnton player ought to have been sent off. He appeared to slap an Alsager player and the sound of the slap echoed around the ground. However, the referee made a bizarre decision to let him off with a yellow card in a display of lenience which has rarely been seen this season at Wood Park.
The Bullets did not let this controversial decision affect them, as they equalised through Woods. It was a similar opportunity to the one he missed earlier on, but he made no mistake the second time round, heading the ball over goalkeeper Max Beddow.
Alsager continued to be the dominant side after their equaliser, although it was Barnton who had the best chance to go ahead. A well worked attacking move allowed Bafude Djabi to get a shot on goal, but Joe Lawton made an excellent save to keep the score level.
Half time: Alsager Town 1-1 Barnton
Second half
Alsager’s players returned to the pitch after a fiery team talk from Matty Russell which could be heard loud and clear from the pitchside. The Bullets’ manager was furious with his team and accused them of lacking fight.
His harsh words appeared to fall on deaf ears, as Alsager were worse in the second half than the first. Both teams managed one or two half chances early in the half, but neither side looked overly dangerous.
As time went on, Barnton gained momentum and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would go ahead. Soon after, they did, with Tom Stanton getting on the scoresheet.
Alsager’s final chance to rescue something from the match came from a free kick. The delivery was better than many of the set pieces in the first half, but the ball was headed over.
Barnton managed to see out the game and claimed a victory to keep them in the NWCFL First Division South for another season.
Full time: Alsager Town 1-2 Barnton
Alsager are now ninth, which is a disappointing position to find themselves in considering their electric start to the season. The supporters were clearly frustrated after yet another home defeat.
They will end their campaign next Saturday against league champions Winsford United, who they defeated away from home on the opening day of the season. However, anything other than a defeat for the hosts would be a surprising result.
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