Report

On Saturday Barnston AFC travelled to Boxted Lodgers for an Essex & Suffolk Border League 1^st division match.  Going into the game Barnston were sitting just below mid table, while the home side were sitting 4^th.

With Liam Paton suspended the visitors took a 14 man squad to the game, with a starting line up of Craig Reid in goal, a back four of Kevin Spencer, Liam Crane, Jack Butcher, and David Cornwell.  In midfield Barnston started with Adrian Martins, Luke Nash, Ben Brown, and Scott Lodge.  Up front Barnston had Mark Pledger and Mike Morgan.  The subs named were Jay Haberland, Ben Brown, and Dan Clark.  Barnston were also supported by new physio Lloyd Upsdell, and suspended Liam Paton who had made the journey to support his team mates.

On what was a lovely flat grassy pitch, the game got underway in very windy conditions, with a light rain falling.

Barnston dominated the 1st 44 minutes of the game allowing Boxted only a couple of counter attacks. During the first 44 minutes, Barnston had a number of shots from in and around the box, with one scooped off the goal line and others going wide or over.

Scott Lodge and Mike Morgan were running at the home defence when in possession, and this was complimented by the good passing of Ben Brown and Luke Nash.  When Barnston were in the final third, then the ever threatening Mark pledger was a constant worry aerially to the home side.

At the back, Craig Reid was largely untroubled for large parts of the 1^st half, while Jack Butcher and Liam Crane both worked hard to contain the Boxted dangerman S. Falla.  Kevin Spencer and David Cornwell launched a number of attacks down both flanks mixing up short passing moves with some direct balls in behind the Boxted back four.

In the last 2 minutes of the half the home side could have gone in 2-0 up but for two good saves by Craig Reid.  Both times Falla found himself in space in the middle of the box with the ball at his feet and forced Reid to make two good saves having been idol up until now.

Half Time:  Boxted Lodgers 0 Vs 0 Barnston AFC

The 2nd half was a more open affair with both teams going on the attack when in possession.

The game was made difficult by the rising wind, dropping temperatures, and heavy rain.

Early in the 2^nd half Barnston made a substitution purely for tactical reasons when right back Kevin Spencer came off, centre back Liam Crane went to right back, and Dan Clark came on at centre back.

Shortly after this a good flowing move by the visitors saw the ball whipped in from the right wing to an unmarked Mark Pledger at the far post 8 yards out only to see his header go narrowly wide of the near post.

Barnston then made another change as they replaced Pledger with Haberland with an hour gone.

Mid way through the half the Barnston defence and keeper did well on a couple of occassions to keep it nil nil. Especially on one occasion when Boxted broke when a Barnston attack broke down, and a badly held defensive line allowed three Boxted players to rush through the middle of the pitch.  A last ditch tackle from Jack Butcher stopped the Boxted forwards, and gained time for his team mates to recover.

With Lodge, Brown, Morgan, and Haberland repeatedly getting in behind the home defence out wide and putting in crosses, chances came and went and it started to look like it would end 0-0.

With 10 minutes to go Tom Hancock came on for Mike Morgan, seeing Scott Lodge go up front and Hancock into midfield.

In the 89th minute the visitors won a series of consecutive corners, from the 3rd one of these the ball was crossed to the middle of the goal 8 yards out, and Tom Hancock headed home to steal the points for the away team.

These 3 points now see Barnston sitting mid table but just 6 points off of 4^th place.

Full Time: Boxted Lodgers 0 v 1 Barnston AFC
Man of the match: Craig Reid – for pulling off some important saves in both halves when called upon even though he had been idol and cold for such long periods.

This Saturday Barnston AFC are at home to Coggeshall Town in the league with a 2.30pm kick off.