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Nationwide Conference By Robin Thomas Barnet's players and supporters were united in feeling a profound sense of injustice after suffering a narrow defeat in this hostile Boxing Day Derby. The queues which remained outside the turnstiles on all sides of the Broadhall Way Stadium just five minutes from kick-off hinted at the prospect of a special occasion, and inside the ground a crackling atmosphere was warming the spectators clad in their new woolly hats, scarves and novelty socks. The Bees, missing key players in Simon King and Richie Graham, were forced to weather an early storm as their Hertfordshire rivals began the match in attacking mood. The Borough players were clearly highly motivated by the opportunity to inflict the first away defeat of the season upon the league leaders, and they should have taken the lead after just three minutes when Elding controlled a high ball on his chest just 8 yards from goal, but his poorly-struck shot allowed Bees keeper Scott Tynan the chance to save well at his near post. Barnet struggled to gain a foothold in the match in the first 30 minutes, as Stevenage dominated possession. The home side wasted further opportunities through Bulman and Elding again, before Weatherstone saw his powerful twenty-yard drive tipped over the crossbar superbly by the busy Tynan. Barnet survived a further scare on the half-hour mark when hesitation between Tynan and Ismail Yakabu resulted in a gilt-edged opportunity for Borough's Jon Brady, but he screwed his shot horribly wide. The Bees managed to impose themselves on the game more towards the end of the first period, with striker Liam Hatch their talisman. He had already seen a deflected shot well-saved by Woodman in the Borough goal when he lashed a shot into the side-netting on thirty five minutes. Then, with the half-time whistle approaching, Hatch found himself with a clear run on goal and chipped a shot over the advancing Woodman, only to see it roll agonisingly wide of the far post. This was not to be the last action of the first half, however, as deep into time added on, referee Deadman, who had been dishing out cards liberally from the second minute onwards, saw fit to brandish a red one in the direction of Bees midfielder Dwane Lee, for an alleged elbow on Boyd. Whatever one's view of the decision, which did appear harsh, it was certainly a major blow for the Bees who appeared to have emerged from a difficult opening to the match and had begun to turn proceedings in their own favour. Second Half In the early stages of the second half it was clear that Barnet had no wish to feel sorry for themselves, and with Paul Fairclough retaining the twin strikeforce of Grazioli and Hatch, they matched their numerically superior opponents thanks in large part to the mammoth workload borne by a three-man midfield of Bailey, Sinclair and Strevens. Such was the Bees' improvement, it came as something of a surprise when Borough took the lead in the 58th minute, as Elding deflected Brady's low drive beyond a stranded Tynan. Barnet responded just three minutes later, as the familiar name of Giuliano Grazioli found its way onto the scoresheet. The Stevenage defence was unable to clear Clist's free kick from the right wing, and in the ensuing scramble Grazioli was able to squeeze the ball into the net from 6 yards. The players' celebrations matched those of the delirious travelling army of over 1300 Bees fans, who were responding to their heroes' efforts with raucous and passionate support. Those celebrations were to be short-lived, however, as in the 64th minute Barnet once again suffered from a controversial decision by the match officials. The otherwise impressive Damien Batt found himself on the wrong side of Boyd as a deep cross was driven towards the edge of the Bees' penalty area. As Batt approached, Boyd fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, and to the shock of the visiting fans and players, Deadman awarded a penalty on the advice of the assistant referee fifty yards away on the far touchline. Maamria, who was perhaps fortunate to be on the pitch after earlier directing a forearm to the face of Simon Clist, stepped up to send Tynan the wrong way and regain the lead for Stevenage. Barnet's ten men dominated the remainder of the contest, forcing Stevenage to defend ever deeper. Damien Batt was particularly impressive on Barnet's right wing, and might have done even more damage with his attacking forays had he not been crudely scythed down on three occasions when in promising positions. In spite of their tremendous efforts, the Bees struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, although both Hatch and Batt tested Woodman at his near post with shots from tight angles. It was heartening to see Barnet pressing for an equaliser until the very end, and they nearly snatched the equaliser their spirit and endeavour merited when, from one of several corners in the closing minutes, Ben Strevens rose above everbody and looked destined to be the hero. However, the ball was just an inch to high for him as it skimmed off his head away from the goal, and with it Barnet's final chance was gone. As Barnet's loyal supporters applauded their defeated team from the pitch, they had reason to feel proud of the players who had worked so hard for no reward. Those same players will need little motivation for the return match at Underhill, however, after Stevenage boss Graham Westley's crass, ungracious post-match comments. He should know better than to write off a Barnet team who once again showed great character, even in defeat. Quotes from the Manager [Of the penalty] "I watched the reaction of the ref and he had ten seconds of thinking time after he thought he saw something. I thought it was a foul on our player." "This is a new situation for us. We have not lost two on the trot. We are being tested at the moment and we have to respond." Match Photos
Thirty-one photos of the game by Chris Holland. Bookings Barnet D Batt (4) Stevenage S Weatherstone (11) Ref: D Deadman (Cambridgeshire) Teams Barnet Tynan, Batt, Hendon, Yakubu, Clist, Bailey, Lee, Sinclair, Strevens, Hatch, Grazioli Subs Not Used: Gore, Champion, Roache, Lopez, McBean Stevenage Woodman, Quinn, Goodliffe, Rogers, Laker, Brady (Hocking 80), Bulman, Boyd (Quailey 89), Weatherstone, Maamria (Nurse 84), Elding Subs Not Used: Hunter, Farrow Match Stats Possession: Shots: Corners: Fouls: Bookings: Other Reports Barnet Times Broadband Only (video footage) Links supplied by Brian Mackie. If you know of any reports please email me the link on jsnow@bfcsa.net Want to write Match Reports? If you are interested in writing match reports for bfcsa.net then click here for more information. |
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