Barnes Stormers were unable to make it 3 back to back wins this weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a strong Syndicate side.
Barnes were forced into a few changes this weekend with Rhys, Casey, Jamani and Luke all unavailable paving the way for a slight change in personnel with Hussain, Kai, Michael and Billy all stepping into the starting XI.
Barnes started well again with James putting early pressure on the opposition defence, creating some nice early chances. It was end to end stuff and Syndicate hit Barnes on the break a number of times but the defence dealt with the threat well. It was one such Barnes attack in the first 15 minutes that led toSyndicate conceding a free kick in a dangerous position outside their area. Harry stepped up to whip in a fantastic ball for James to flick on and it was Kai who was able to loop it back in over the keeper to open the scoring. 1-0.
Syndicate hit back and broke through but with their attacker facing 3 of the Barnes defence, it felt quite comfortable. Their attacker managed to slow play down long enough for support to arrive in the box, he crossed a ball in which Billy thought he had headed clear but a mis-communication error left the supporting Syndicate player unmarked and he was able to head home to level the scores. 1-1.
Barnes reacted well and came out of the blocks to attack again and again. One such attack led to a corner which Mo thought he had headed home but was ruled out by the ref for a foul on a SYndicate player elsewhere in the box. Frustrating, but the scores remained 1-1 at half time.
Barnes looked comfortable going into half time, cruising maybe and never really got out of 3rd gear, neither did they need to in order to remain in control of the game. The second half started and Barnes again attacked well utilising the aerial threat of Kai and James to their advantage. However it was some tenacious defensive work from Johnny in the middle of the park that won possession and a few passes later, Michael was tearing into the opposition box where he was fouled and brought down. James took the ball and after 5 mins of trying to find the penalty spot amongst the mud, the referee marked out a spot slightly closer to the goal. Alas, it proved no help at all. James struck the ball cleanly but the keeper read it well to parry the shot onto the post and back into play.
Barnes continue to press Syndicate and won several free kicks in dangerous positions but were unable to capitalise on their opportunities. Syndicate did little to threat in the second half, limited largely by a storming team effort to break up their attacking play. On the occassions that Syndicate did break through, Ali was able to easily mop up loose balls and distribute wellback up the opposite end of the pitch. The introduction of Alex (who had been missing since last year) and debut for Nathan did freshen up the team somewhat but the team were unable to find that elusive second goal.
In the dying moments of the game, Barnes won a free kick on the edge of the opposition half with Hussain confidently saying to Jacko to film it to watch it curl into the top corner but unfortunately it was read by the defenders and they cleared the final threatening moment of the game.
"It was a really frustrating game,to be so dominant in the second half and not come away with all 3 points is a little disapointing. But look, we were strong defensively and it was just that killer instinct that we lacked, something that we can work on. And it was great to see Kai back on the score sheet after his long term injuries aswell as being able to hand a debut to Nathan too." said Jacko.
MOTM: Johnny
Line Up: Ali, Mo, Billy, Jack, Harry, Johnny, Hussain, Michael, Kai, Deschamps, James
Subs: Alex, Nathan