Sunday, 20 March 2011
Sunderland Sunday League
RCA The Barnes continued with their recent good form and notched a fourth league victory out of the last five with a hard fought 2 - 1 win over the Potters.
RCA were again without a number of regulars and were further hampered by the withdrawal of skipper Phil Hall and Lee Harrison on the morning of the game. Manager Gary Errington was also missing with 'man flu' (would you believe?) and fielded a makeshift eleven which included (fortunately) Paul Hartley, who was back up home for the weekend from the Smoke. Keeper Atkinson was behind a back four of Peel, McVay, Curtis and Metcalfe and the midfield comprised Tyzack, Charlton, Hartley and Hughes, with the regular pairing of Crew and Place up top.
In awkward, blustery conditions with a hard pitch, the game kicked off and the standard was not particularly entertaining for the first 15 minutes while both sides got to grips with the conditions. But it was Potters who took the initiative after this opening period. After some sustained pressure Joe Walton headed home at the near post from a corner to put Potters 1 - 0 up after 20 minutes. At this point RCA began to get their game together and played some neat and tidy football, especially down the left flank with Metcalfe, Hughes and the free running Crew creating some decent opportunities that were not taken. However on 35 minutes a left wing corner was sent, somewhat unconvincingly, to the near post at knee height were Hartley flicked on and Andy Place stroked home from close range to give a half time score of 1 - 1.
The second half saw RCA take a bit of a grip on the game, with a slight wind advantage some good openings were created which the Potters defence and keeper dealt with, but RCA were not to be held up for long and after 65 minutes Hughes received the ball back from a throw in level with the Potters 18 yard line, on the left, and floated a ball to the far post were it was headed back across goal by Crew for Paul Hartley to nod home from two yards to put RCA 2 - 1 up. The score should have been 3 - 1 after 75 minutes, but when Charlton was released through the middle the Potters keeper came up with a tremendous save to thwart him.
Potters applied lots of pressure in the last ten minutes, but the RCA defence performed admirably. Keeper Atkinson dealt with any crosses into his area confidently. RCA held out for a deserved victory.
There is another league game next Sunday, 27 March at Meadow Park against the impressive Farringdon WMC outfit, who were promoted last season and who have coped admirably in their first season back in the Premier Division.