24^th February 2008 

Chestnut Savin  2  Barton Stacey  0 

The Wilds of Wallop Camp for this one. Behind closed doors, or at least an eight-foot perimeter fence, on one of the hardest bits of ground in Hampshire. Highflying Chestnut looking to stay in touch with the league leaders. Mid table Barton Stacey, confidence high after the previous weeks success, seeking to consolidate their place in division 1 for next season. 

Barry Purdue could only field ten, in a side unrecognisable from the previous week; this promised to be a long Sunday morning. 

Five minutes into the game, Barton Stacey fell a goal behind when the Chestnut striker headed powerfully home an in-swinging corner.  After thirty minutes it was two, stand in keeper Rhys Betteridge given no chance after he was left “one on one” with the speedy Chestnut striker.  Ten man Barton may have been rushing around putting out fires but were by no means out of the game. Guy Wilkinson a particular inspiration in the centre of defence. Flanked by a couple of Chrises – Dewey and Oliver, he had his hands full with a brace of pacey strikers. One in particular, Violet Elisabeth I think his name was, frustrated at Wilkinson’s resolute defending, stamping his feet and threatening to sthcweam and sthcweam unless the ref saw things his way. Unedifying behaviour for a grown man on a football pitch, and water off a ducks back to Wilkinson who must have been a strong candidate for man of the match. 

Two goals behind at half time Barton had conceded much of the possession, but were still in the game.  In recent times, important sporting events have been subject to fly-pasts by famous aircraft such as Concorde or the Red arrows. During the second half we were treated to a rather shaky looking flying machine buzzing the ground, narrowly missing the trees as it made three attempts to land at the nearby airfield, which somehow summed up the second half.  Twice Barton were reduced to nine men, as Chris Oliver and Alex Iddles left the field through injury. Chestnut added fresh legs throughout the second half, many of their attacking moves and approach play aborted by stout defending and numbers behind the ball by Barton Stacey. Chestnut hit the bar in the seventy-fifth minute, which was the sum total of their second half efforts to land a big score on Barton Stacey. 

Ten man Barton showing a great deal of character, against superior numbers away from home.  The score line may well have been different with a full squad to select from.