22/10/2016 – Report – Barnston AFC versus White Notley FC

ANDREAS CARTER ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE

 

PREMIER DIVISION

 

  BARNSTON AFC:           1.

WHITE NOTLEY FC:        4.

 

Date:   Saturday 22^nd October 2016.                                    Venue: High Easter Road, Barnston.

 

Probably the longest trip I’m likely to make to cover ESBFL League matches this season, but the drive is definitely worth it when you are warmly greeted by Bob and Bill, two club stalwarts at Barnston AFC who always cater for both home and away teams.

 

With First Team manager, Glen Wilkinson away, Assistant Manager, Andrew Bezant took control of the home team off the pitch with Scott Hiskey continuing as Manager of White Notley FC who had recently secured the return of Dobrowolski after a season at neighbouring Coggeshall Town FC. Both teams have made numerous changes to their playing personnel this season and as it was the first time I had seen them play, any prediction for a result would be way of the mark but hopefully I would witness a decent game, along with a couple of “ground-hoppers” who had travelled all the way up from Reading, and by the way they did enjoy the game.

 

On a still but bright sunny afternoon the match official for this Premier Division game was local referee, Mark Keeling who had seen his originally appointed Assistant Referees re-assigned during the preceding week, however both designated club linesmen stood up to the task when required.

 

White Notley kicked-off facing a Barnston team with just a bare eleven players with three substitutes on their way back from a Reserve game and Codd was upended early on for the first free-kick of the game. Both teams opening brightly and tried to play a passing game on the well prepared pitch however it was Falco who got on the end of a cross from Frost to send in the first shot that Coomber dived to save at his near post, perhaps a notice of intent. White Notley continued to press after this encouraging start and a shot from Kottas. Latching onto a loose ball flew wide of the target. Osinoiki for Barnston    drifted down the left side to link up with Hill but from the eventual cross Mayes cleared high into touch. Another break forward by Kottas saw his cross drift out for a goal-kick and after just five minutes Collier fed Dobrowolski whose cross found keeper, Coomber, then Lodge tried to put Kottas through but he had strayed marginally off-side, and when Frost tried a similar move for Dobrowolski, he too was caught behind the defensive line. Chaves a tricky winger for the home team found space and time to play Hill through but his snatched effort cleared the cross-bar for his team’s best chance so far.

Corr, an almost ever present for White Notley made a run forward to find Frost who rode two challenges before passing to Dobrowolski but his final effort was poor and Coomber collected but these chances to both teams failed because they rushed the final pass, there got that one in early, but it is something I see week-in, week-out! Sixteen minutes into the game and the first goal arrived when a poor clearance from Da Silva fell to Corr whose driven cross was only parried by Coomber to allow PETER FALCO to easily score from six yards out. Smith for Barnston sent Chaves away and when his low cross entered the penalty area, the covering player, Lodge, cleared the ball into the car park, if in doubt, kick-it-out! From the corner Corr sent a long ball forward towards Mayes, found galloping away down the left side forcing keeper Coomber to advance well outside his penalty area only to upend the White Notley player. Fortunately for the goal-keeper he was not the last man as two defenders had got back goal-side but the keeper accepted his inevitable caution without any further dispute. Another run from Chaves down the right wing ended with a foul being committed outside the penalty by Mayes however Chaves dived into the penalty area and the players squared up to one another with the Barnston player rightfully cautioned for pushing, despite winning the free-kick. Once again a poor free-kick allowed White Notley to attack down the left side through Dobrowolski but Collier was again caught off-side, another close call but Barnston were playing a dangerous game pushing that far up the pitch.

On twenty-five minutes, when Jackson tried to dribble the ball out of his penalty area he was dispossessed by Collier who set Falco up to score but he contrived to miss what looked like an open goal! The visitors had kept up a constant attacking formation so when Lodge headed clear to Dobrowolski his pace found Collier who skipped past Smith and shoot straight at Coomber. Another quality team move involving Corr, Codd, Collier and Dobrowolski led to Falco blasting over the cross-bar with a lobbed response from Hill of Barnston at the other end just clearing McCartney and the cross-bar. Coomber caught a corner from Collier whose throw-out to Smith whose forward pass found Hill but the early presence of Lodge enabled the visiting skipper to ease Hill off the ball and set his team going again. Dobrowolski tested Coomber whose outstretched fingers diverted the ball for a corner and Frost received treatment after receiving a knock in the build up. From the corner Falco tee’d up Collier but instead received the ball back only to blast it over the cross-bar from six yards out, another decent chance that went begging!

 

HALF-TIME:       0 – 1

 

This game needed more goals, plenty of attacking play so far and plenty of near misses, particularly for the visitors but Barnston through Osinoiki just missed a chance to equalise from close range. Dobrowolski had swapped wings for White Notley and as usual he would expect to see a lot of the ball, using his pace and footwork to push forward into dangerous positions. Only five minutes of the second half had elapsed when the visitors scored their second goal, Dobrowolski took on Da Silva to cross to AARON COLLIER who took the ball round the keeper before scoring. A free-kick taken by Cowell found Duhig whose shot on the turn forced McCartney into a smart save at the near post then Chaves was dumped on the ground by Kottas, Cowell took the free-kick and gained a few more yards when Chaves was fouled just on the edge of the penalty area by Lodge. The cheeky Chaves tried to place the ball under the defensive wall as they jumped up but the execution was not quite right and White Notley cleared. Lodge appeared to challenge Hill illegally from behind but having played the ball the referee waved play on despite the odd protest from the home team.

The experienced Lodge showed a touch of class to win a challenge inside his six-yard box on Chaves, feigning one way then the other to elude two attempted challenges and run clear with the ball. As the visitors pushed forward again Corr found himself free inside the home area with the ball at his feet, this from a cross by Kottas, but he was denied by a point-blank save by Coomber. On the hour mark Cowell received a blow to his face and needed treatment and upon the restart Chaves ran at a retreating White Notley defence only to be fouled by Kottas, Johnson took the free-kick finding Chaves but from his cross, Lodge headed clear. Barnston replaced Duhig with Williams but no change in the pattern of play followed as Dobrowolski continued his attacking prowess whenever he had the ball and when he ran from the right wing to the left wing his eventual shot cleared the goal. The threatened third goal came after sixty-seven minutes, Corr started the move and Collier laid the ball off to KANE DOBROWOLSKI who passed the ball into the net and almost immediately Coomber again came to his sides rescue to thwart Falco and White Notley replaced Frost with King.

Barnston scored what turned out to be a consolation goal on seventy-one minutes, a direct run by Chaves whose run was almost stopped by a clumsy challenge by Kottas but the referee allowed play to continue with Chaves passing to ABRAHAM OSINOIKI whose first shot was parried by McCartney but the home player followed up to smash the loose ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle. Lodge encouraged his players for more effort and set an example himself with a strong challenge and a fine distribution pass forward to Dobrowolski with the home team replacing Johnson. When Smith fouled Dobrowolski, the same player took the free-kick from which King tried an overhead kick, the ball bouncing once before Coomber intervened. Coomber was again alert as Collier ran free with the keeper clearing thirty yards from his goal-line but only to Lodge whose control and immediate distribution caught the eye. Williams and Molloy did work an attack for Barnston but Osinoiki tried a diving header only to see the linesman’s flag raised for offside. With five minutes to go White Notley completed their scoring when Falco held the ball up well before setting up AARON COLLIER who lobbed the advancing keeper and in the last piece of action Howlett replaced Palmer but their team had run out comfortable winners.

 

FULL TIME:        1 – 4

 

Whilst I was perhaps expecting a closer game, White Notley fully deserved their victory, made with a good team effort and the margin of victory could have been more, for Barnston keeper Coomber, so often the saviour was kept fully occupied as his young inexperienced team struggled to contain the visitors in many areas.

 

My Man of the Match selection could have been Coomber, a caution, but numerous timely saves to keep the score-line respectable, but White Notley played very well, Codd, Frost and Kottas tied up midfield and allowed Dobrowolski, Collier and Falco to score the goals. However in defence Lodge, back to perhaps his best form, after a long absence with a broken leg led his team well, he never missed a tackle, won most aerial balls but his distribution from feet was excellent throughout.

 

Teams:

 

BARNSTON AFC:                                             Colours:            Blue Shirts, Blue Shorts and Blue Socks.

Edward Coomber (C)., Deshawn Smith., Yannick Da Silva., Reef Cowell., William Jackson., Connor Molloy., Harry Duhig., Samson Johnson., Christopher Hill., Abraham Osinoiki., Patrick Chaves.

 

Assistant Manager:        Andrew Bezant.

Used Substitutes:          Louis Williams & one other

Unused Substitutes:      Andrew Bezant.

 

 

WHITE NOTLEY FC:                                        Colours:            Amber Shirts, Black Shorts & Amber Socks

David McCartney., Daniel Corr., Matthew Mayes., Scott Lodge (C)., Charlie Palmer., Reece Codd., Charlie Frost., Filip Kottas., Peter Falco., Aaron Collier., Kane Dobrowolski.

 

Manager:                      Scott Hiskey.

Used Substitutes:          James King., Timothy Howlett

Unused Substitutes:      Scott Hiskey.

 

 

Referee:                       Mark KEELING               (Braintree)

 

Man of the Match:      Scott LODGE               (WHITE NOTLEY FC)

 

******************************************************************************

 

Request to Club / Fixture Secretaries

 

This season the fixtures, results, referees and “kick-off” times will be shown automatically on “The FA Full-Time / The Whole Game System” ( http://full-time.thefa.com ) but would all Club / Fixture Secretaries please advice any agreed changes, as required, to Alison Willmore ( mjw1947@sky.com ) especially for evening games and for those matches being played under floodlights etc.

 

KO is 3:00pm from:        August to October

KO is 2:00pm in:             November, December & January

KO is 2:30pm in:             February

KO is 3:00pm from:        March to end of season

 

Cup Matches:

Kick-Off times for ESBFL cup matches, are generally 30 minutes earlier than those shown above but check competition rules beforehand.

Kick-Off times for Essex County Football Association cup matches are published on the ECFA web-site.

( www.essexfa.com/competitions/county-cups )

 

 

 

ESBFL “web-site”

 

The web-site for the Essex & Suffolk Border Football League is:              www.esblfootball.com