Barley Mow Wanderers F.C

Barley Mow Wanderers 1 - 3 Smethwick Heating

Match Report

Barley kicked off with there first pre-season friendly at there new ground with a mixed outcome. It was goalkeeper Picketts first game back following an ankle injury sustained early in pre-season and Pickett showed that the ankle was still not at 100% when five minutes in Smethwick had a free kick tipped round the post for a corner, the lack of pace on the shot should have made the save a simple one. Smethwick dominating the early part of the half and again came close to scoring on 17minutes but the shot just curling past the post. The chance seemed to give Barley a kick-start and so started to play some good football until on 23minutes they made the breakthrough, Mark Green playing the ball into the box and Matt Price looped the ball over the onrushing keeper to score his first ever goal for the club. The football continued the Barley took control and came close to making it two when Cartwright cut inside from the left and made space for a shot to be dragged wide. 2minutes later Wollaston latched onto a rickershay but he blazed his shot well over the bar from 25yards. Barley still playing well, created another chance 36mintues in Cartwright's cross only half cleared as it fell to Hill at the back post and his low and powerful drive was tipped onto the outside of the post. But the first half was to end in disappointment when a long ball from Smethwick left the Barley defence flatfooted and the Smethwick forward ran through and took the ball into the penalty area and finished neatly to level the game right on 45minutes. That wasn't the end and a minute into first half stoppage time a similar long ball was judged better by keeper Pickett as he came 10yards out of his area to clear but that troubling ankle seemed to give way and Pickett slipped making minimal contact with the ball leaving the Smethwick forward to collect the ball and dribble it into an empty net. Smethwick leading 1-2 at the break. The second half was a mixture of some good moves and poor finishing from both sides, Barley still looking the better side but midway through the half Smethwick scored the third when a loose ball was hit with much hope from the half way line and finished up in the top corner, with Pickett again struggling to get across his goal. To some up, a disappointing result but a decent performance in patches, plenty of positives to plenty to work on also.