19^th April  2008

Barton Stacey  1   Devizes  5

Friendly

A friendly fixture between two teams due to play the mighty Alderbury in forthcoming cup finals, Devizes in the final of the Wilts cup, Barton in the Testway Youth league Cup.  Arranged at short notice Barton were shorn of several first team players.  Sam Hadlington riding the tracks at Alton Towers, Luke Bacon riding the nags somewhere in Wales, Connor Jones also unavailable due to prior commitments. With defender Dan Pomroy delayed due to bicycle problems, a relatively unrecognisable Barton Stacey side took the field.

Devizes were at full strength, and what strength it was. While many are soothed by phrases such as “it doesn’t matter Dear size doesn’t matter” and “ big doesn’t mean better” it makes a significant difference in football at this age group. Devizes were huge, towering above the Barton boys; at least five of their team could look me in my addled eye. No matter what skill and technique you possess, the way you use it counts for nothing in a fifty fifty challenge if one fifty is twice the size and weight of the other fifty.  An uncomfortable atmosphere developed on the touchline, with the Barton crowd dividing along male and female lines, the ladies looking sideways at their menfolk muttering accusingly about weak sperm, the gents confidently attributing the difference to better diet and the bracing air of a West Wilts upbringing.

In a difficult first half, expertly refereed by Mike Ronan, Barton Stacey held their own, and were unfortunate to fall two goals behind.  At times the game resembled Dads v Lads, one incident at a corner personifying Barton’s problem, shortest boy on the pitch and header of the ball extraordinaire Nick Bearpark, marked by a defender who’s elbows were level with Bearpark’s eyeballs.  Sorely missing the physical presence of Sam Hadlington, Barton battled on, eventually pulling a goal back after superb work by Charles Sherwood, and Daniel Ronan allowed Michael Taplin to score from the edge of the box.  Barton threatened to draw level several more times, before the stand in Barton coach stepped up to the mark to make some crucial match winning interjections. Changing formations, personnel, and his mind several times in the space of ten minutes, it was the crucial juncture of the game Barton becoming utterly confused by the complexity of the coaches plan, Devizes scoring a quickfire three goals to lend a distinctly distorted feel to the final score. 

A heavy defeat for Barton against a team who were perhaps a goal or two better than them on the day; with a little better direction from the touchline the scoreline may have been a lot closer.

A useful warm up game against a team who play a similar style of football to Alderbury but from a greater height and with a bigger frame, boy do they breed them big in Devizes!