STREET FC 1-1 BARNSTAPLE TOWN: FULL MATCH REPORT & MORE IMAGES...

Gritty Barum Pegged Back At The Death

Street FC 1-1 Barnstaple Town

Barnstaple benefited from a fortunate first period own-goal by Street’s Ross McErlain at the Tannery and then performed resolutely to protect their advantage, despite dealing with mounting pressure by their hosts, who in truth created enough chances to have suited the form book and taken three points from their guests. Barum prop up the league table but surely if this kind of form could be repeated, an improvement in fortunes might not be far away. Both teams struck the goal-frame but on another day, both Street striker Steve Murray and midfielder Dave O’Hare might have netted more than once. Visiting goalie Aaron Screech, not the quietest child in class, was effective, using his powerful punts to relieve pressure, using time consuming falls to the green turf with the ball and using his bellowing vocal cords to scare the shit out of his colleagues. His player-coach, another Aaron, this time Harper-Penman, was also rather vocal, encouraging, berating and yelling at his troops to hang in there. He played really well too and Barum replacement Jed Harper-Penman, head bandaged like that of a Crimean War casualty would lash a second period drive against the Street crossbar and Steve Holland would bring a fine save from home gloveman Liam Kingston…

SHORT AND SILENT...

MURRAY AND NANCEKEVILL...

It really did seem that the Cobblers would be denied even a point until home replacement Craig Herrod’s curled shot was parried downwards by Screech and the rebound was snaffled by another substitute, Phil Ormrod. In all fairness though, Street’s shooting was often as inaccurate as the aim of an inebriate darts player on New Year’s Eve. Ed Butcher, Murray and O’Hare were probably the main culprits, as efforts flew off target, bar O’Hare’s superb first-half header which shook the cross-beam.  

MURRAY HAS ACQUIRED A SECOND HEAD...

SCREECH: A VOICE FIT FOR A PANTOMIME LEAD...

After left-back Steve Reed’s shot had been deflected for an early corner, Barum’s skipper Jack Jenkins received the ball back from his own low flag-kick. Jenkins’ second delivery was glanced goalwards by the influential George Nancekevill towards Cobbler McErlain, whose forehead did the rest, wrong-footing his ‘keeper Kingston and deflecting the ball past the airborne custodian into the left corner of the net. Shock… 

0-1...

OWN GOAL THOUGH...

Another Jenkins corner from the left dropped over Kingston later in the half but in effect, that was all the visitors conjured up on offense before the interval, bar a few set-pieces and a 27 yard free-kick by Reed which bounced past Kingston’s left upright. Street though, despite perhaps lacking sharpness, forced a way back into the match and before he was replaced by Ormrod, Harry Foster saw a header punched out by Screech, from O’Hare’s nodded set-up then the forward shot weakly, after Murray had capitalised upon a Nancekevill error. Butcher though fired two low shots wide of the left post, the first after Foster’s right-side centre had been nodded away from his goalie by Aaron Harper-Penman and secondly from attacking right-back Josh Bennett’s centre, Butcher lashed his volley into the side-netting. 

LOOKS LIKE BUTCHER'S PRAYING HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED.
NO... IT'S A BOOKING FOR RICE-LETHABY...

Jamie Short, always having something to say, like the one kid in class who doesn’t see the point of learning about motte-and-bailey castles in history lessons, had earlier struck a drive which curled away to the right of the target but he would become more influential for the Cobblers as the match wore on. Murray worked hard in the home attack and two sorties at inside-right brought danger to Barnstaple. First he passed across the edge of the 6 yard box but support was scant and Barum’s Mike Humphries cleared, then the striker turned inside from the byeline and shot, only to be denied by the feet of Screech. Screech fumbled a later Murray shot though but the alert Nancekevill hacked the ball away for a corner before Foster could capitalise. However, it was O’Hare who came closest to actually scoring, first by smacking a header from Butcher’s right-flank corner onto the face of the crossbar, then by curling a right-booter from 19 yards which saw Screech flying like a Short-Eared Owl as the ball passed the left stick. 

THE REF PAUSES TO WRITE A POSTCARD HOME.
OR IS McERLAIN BEING CAUTIONED?

The opening period had been error strewn on occasions but certainly Matt Hurley had seen a lot of the ball in the home midfield, with left-back Lewis Waldy always willing, like Bennett on the other wing, to support the attack. Butcher had shown fleet feet and it had taken some fine defending by Aaron Harper-Penman, Stuart Cameron and Nancekevill to keep Barum ahead. Town striker Harry Stevens chased every ball, as did Jack Langford who failed to reappear after the break. The nippy Steve Holland and Jack Rice-Lethaby made quick rushes for the guests but were constantly called upon to get back too. Indeed, Rice-Lethaby was cautioned for attempting to yank the shirt from Butcher’s back. Cobbler McErlain had earlier been booked for a foul, as Town were making an attacking break.

THE BELL RINGS FOR LUNCHTIME...

And so, from numbers 7-11, Barstaple had three Jacks, not a bad Poker hand, I guess…

2ND HALF...

Clearly, Street would crank up the pressure after the left-over turkey sandwiches and sour red wine had graced the half-time interval in the dressing-rooms and that proved to be the case, with Short and particularly Hurley dictating the play. Defensively though, Aaron Harper-Penman, Cameron and Nancekevill continued to be rocks, with the player-coach diving full length to head clear at least two crosses, as well as marshalling Reed and Humphries. Butcher drove too high from 12 yards, inside-left channel, after two other blocks had been made by the visitors, Waldy had a near post angled effort beaten out for a corner by Screech, then another low shot deflected and central defender McErlain nudged two headers wide, nodded a Waldy free-kick right at Screech and hit a 25 yard left-footer straight at the ‘keeper in the final minutes. 

NANCEKEVILL HAS FOULED SHORT...

Murray shot Ormrod’s assist into the right side-netting, Ormrod nodded a cross wide and from Hurley’s centre, saw another header maybe strike the outside of the right upright and also Screech to win a corner, replacement Oscar Latas had a header fielded by Screech, Short drove an angled effort high across the face of goal and a header by skipper Ben Amghar was punched out by one of Screech’s gloves. However, O’Hare went close twice, first heading Latas’ curling shot wide of the right post, then rising high to head a very late Short delivery over the goal-frame. Latas might subsequently have wondered whether his original effort might have beaten Screech though, had O’Hare not intervened… Headers? So many headed attempts by Street were attempted and yet the goal, when it came, was a right-booted shot by Ormrod. 

SCREECH IS HURT...

Screech might feel disappointed, for Herrod’s shot from the edge of a crowded penalty-box late in the game saw the ‘keeper parry it downwards near his own left post, allowing the predatory, lurking Ormrod to smash a low angled drive into the far corner of the net. A Screech ‘owler? It might have felt so to the goalie but there were players affecting his eye-line, surely…

1-1 & A GOAL FOR ORMROD...

THE COBBLERS ARE LEVEL...

Barnstaple rarely threatened in the second period to be fair, bar a long Stevens volley off target, a fine shot on the run by Holland which was saved well by the leaping Kingston and from Holland’s assist, Jed Harper Penman’s measured 16 yarder which thumped against the crossbar. Jed nearly got onto a pair of low left-flank crosses by substitute Kyle Darragh too, on late breaks as Street piled forward but the ball evaded him on both occasions. Town’s Aaron Harper-Penman was vociferous in praise of Barum (apparently from the Latin name for Barnstaple, Barnastapolitum, hence Barum for short on religious writings) who battled to preserve a point after conceding the heartbreaking equaliser, which Street had deserved, in truth… For the hosts, Hurley’s control of the game in midfield was laudable, whilst Short was a stronger player and became more influential late on from a deeper role, once the overlapping Bennett had been relieved of his duties. Murray was actually well marked by the Barum defenders but as already mentioned, O’Hare probably came closest to winning the match for the Cobblers…

Second-half cautions were issued to Barum’s Humphries (maybe for time-wasting), Stevens (harshly, for shoving the ball into goal after being flagged offside) and Nancekevill (for a rough challenge on Short.) 

The officials? That well known firm of seaside solicitors: Cockle, Fudge and Sage… 

You simply couldn’t invent those names…  

And so the New Year had brought no winner, except perhaps young Jace, who was a total star on the day, hoping to continue his SDR journey, raising enough money to get the treatment he needs to become more mobile… 

JACE WITH THE BODGING...

I wish him and his lovely family all the best. 

JACE PRE-MATCH...

They fully deserve it…

TEAMS:

STREET FC:

LIAM KINGSTON, JOSH BENNETT, LEWIS WALDY, BEN AMGHAR (CAPT), ROSS MCERLAIN, MATT HURLEY, JAMIE SHORT, DAVE O’HARE, STEVE MURRAY, HARRY FOSTER, ED BUTCHER.

SUBS:

LEIGH BAILEY, PHIL ORMROD, AIDAN CHAINEY, CRAIG HERROD, OSCAR LATAS.

BARNSTAPLE TOWN:

AARON SCREECH, MIKE HUMPHRIES, STEVE REED, STUART CAMERON, AARON HARPER-PENMAN, STEVE HOLLAND, JACK LANGFORD, JACK JENKINS (CAPT), HARRY STEVENS, GEORGE NANCEKIVELL, JACK RICE-LETHABY.

SUBS:

KYLE DARRAGH, DANNY BALL, JOSH PEARCE, JED HARPER-PENMAN.