BUFC D South vs Wyoming Match Report

This match started with black armbands and a minute’s silence around the circle in remembrance of Casper Ellis, a Terrigal Under-12s player who lost his fight with leukaemia the previous week. Having all joined this team by dint of being fathers, the Barnstoneworth side wishes to send its condolences to the Ellis family.

After a minute’s silent contemplation it was time for the game. Barnstoneworth had turned up as underdogs, and within a few minutes of the first whistle it was clear why. Wyoming’s passing game was superb, and with a series of deft triangulations through the centre they soon had the Barnstoneworth defenders under all sorts of pressure.

A goal in the fifteenth minute put Wyoming into the lead, and for much of the half they had most of the possession. Chris Peers ran himself ragged in the centres marking a skilled and highly-mobile player, and managed several steals, but Peter Miller and Ben Johnson weren’t able to convert the little ball they got into points.

Down one-nil at half time, Barnstoneworth came back with more structure in the second half, and Ben Johnson backed himself to land one in the net and level the scores. By this stage things were getting heated, and the referee was having difficulties imposing discipline.

No less than five yellow cards came out, mostly for swearing, and when Adam Chandler narrowly missed scoring in a one-on-one confrontation at the goalmouth, the goalie took the opportunity to deliver an uppercut with his elbow. He was sent off, but then it turned out that this was because he wasn’t wearing a number, and he came back on to deflect Jason Bush’s penalty shot.

Shortly after this altercation, Wyoming caught Barnstoneworth out with a long pass which led to some confused scrapping in the corner between Trevor Husk and the Wyoming winger. Struggling to reach the ball from a cross pass, Simon Ashley-Binge was stranded out of his goalmouth and the Wyoming striker headed one into the net.

With their fitness starting to work in their favour, Barnstoneworth retaliated with a strike down the left wing. Peter Miller out-stepped a very quick defender to boot one in from close range. With the referee rapidly losing control of the match and the two touch-judges apparently falling asleep on the sidelines, Barnstoneworth had a last crack at the Wyoming defence, but the passes just seemed to go to the opposition more often than not. Happily, before either side could score again, the final whistle blew.

Having expected to lose, Barnstoneworth were quite satisfied to come away with a draw against a technically-superior side.

Final result: 2-all draw.