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Early shock for Barnoldswick in county final
Barnoldswick Town 1 Bardsey 3
Barnoldswick Town lost out to West Yorkshire League side Bardsey in the final of the West Riding County Challenge Cup at Woodlesford.
On a perfect evening for a cup final the pitch was in excellent condition. Town had a full strength side available apart from Manzar Ditta who was suspended.
Two coach loads of spectators plus others who had travelled independently made for a hopefully enjoyable game. However, it proved not so enjoyable for the Town supporters as their side found themselves two goals down in the first four minutes.
Straight from the kick-off Bardsey moved right down the centre of the Town defence and hesitancy between Kevin Richardson and Mitch Walker in the Town goal allowed the Bardsey centre-forward to nip in to score.
Worse was to follow when the Bardsey No 8 brilliantly turned on the corner of the six yard area to deliver a telling ball across the Town box where his colleague slotted home.
Town had not yet started and found themselves in all kinds of trouble as the nippy Bardsey forwards constantly attacked their goal.
A through ball after ten minutes to Neil Chapman saw him one-on-one with the Bardsey keeper but his final shot from six yards hit the keeper's legs and cannoned to safety.
Chances were few and far between for Town as they repeatedly gave the ball away and seemed unable to win any second ball.
In the first 20 minutes Town could have found themselves at least four goals down but for some desperate defending by Jack Overson, Stephen Chew, Kevin Richardson and Shaun Clough and some fine saves by Walker in goal.
Town did however pull a goal back when from a corner on 23 minutes James Coonan, who is Town's top scorer in the competition, looped the ball over the keeper, who was hampered by his own centre-half, to get Town back into the game.
The keeper palmed the ball into his own net.
There were no more chances for Town in the first -half, the noisy Town supporters hoping for better things in the second-half.
Things did brighten up for the Town in the second-half as they upped the tempo of the game.
Clough started to break down the left and got the ball over into the Bardsey danger area while skipper Stewart Airdrie was a constant threat down the right.
One attack in particular saw Airdrie send a brilliant cross over along the six yard box. Mick Holt coming in was just challenged as the ball came to him and the ball bounced more off his shoulder than his head and bounced down into the turf.
It looked the equaliser all the way but the Bardsey keeper dived to his right and just managed to palm the effort out. The ball just cleared the incoming Martin Whittaker who looked like he may have been able to get a strike on goal.
A goal would surely have made Town favourites to go on and lift the trophy as the Bardsey players appeared to be wilting.
But it was not to be and in the third minute of injury time, with all the Town players looking for the elusive equaliser, Bardsey broke away on the half way line.
Their forward was adjudged to have been brought down by the Town keeper and he easily scored from the spot sending Walker the wrong way.
With the game now gone Bardsey should have scored a fourth goal when one of their forwards was in front of an empty net but he managed to shoot five yards wide from six yards out.
The disappointment was etched all over the Town players' faces at the end but cup finals do not always live up to teams expectations.
2:53pm Thursday 8th May 2008
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