Barnesalona League
Lokomotiv Londres FC 3 v Barnes 3
Even their fiercest critics were forced to concede that Loko had the eye of the tiger on Sunday as they battled back from 3-1 down to earn a point against Barnes. Everyone had been looking forward to this match, the fourth between these sides this season, and, as usual, it didn’t disappoint. An intensely physical, hard fought yet fair encounter produced a thrilling draw, with both sides leaving the field thinking ‘how did we not win that?’
Loko lined up with Mark in goal (well done Sir!) and Rohan, Dale, Paul and Ivan in defence. A flexible 4-5-1 formation saw Doug, Ismail and James start in the centre with Dave and Nick as the wide men. Andreas was the lone striker. Pete, fresh off the plane from Ireland, sat on the bench with Roger and Christophe, picking the shamrocks out of his hair.
(Scorers left to right, Dale and Dave)
The match began under an overcast sky; the gloomy atmosphere was compounded by the loneliness of the afternoon kick off. There was very little skill on display in the opening period, and throughout the first half Barnes performed an effective demolition job on the Loko midfield. It was an ugly spectacle that brought to mind a small bulldog chewing on bees.
Barnes deservedly took the lead when a free kick was floated over from the right, dropping right in front of the goal. The Loko defence fell apart in the manner of a tissue in a washing machine and the Barnes man was left with a simple finish. Loko showed a little more resolve after this, and managed to claw their way back into the game. Barnes, having been torn apart by Andreas twice already this season, were taking no chances; whenever the ball was played into his favourite channel three defenders were all over the Swedish giant like ants on a bear. Dave and Nick, having to support the defence, were unable to get close enough to help.
Loko pulled level on the half hour mark after a period of sustained pressure, which had culminated in Barnes giving away a free kick right on the edge of the box. Dave stepped up and thrashed it past the wall and into the far left of the goal, adding to his already impressive portfolio of spectacular goals for Loko. For some reason though, the cheers from the Loko players sounded more like grumbled agreement in the House of Commons. BleEeeaeryhEaeeeah….
In any case parity was short-lived. A Barnes player charged down Dale’s clearance; the ball rebounded off the attacker’s hand and into his path, leaving him with time to pass the ball coolly past Mark into the far corner. Ball to hand, he claimed – I got the impression that Dale didn’t see it that way. However, even if it had been ball to hand, it had a major bearing on the match. Trust me - it went into the Loko book of grudges. In Dale’s handwriting.
So Loko kicked off again, and were under pressure again. A Barnes free kick was looped in on target but Rohan headed it off the line. In order to put Barnes off their game, Loko rotated their goal kick takers, with Mark, Rohan and Dale all taking turns.
However Barnes, having appropriated our warm up routine, are now wise to our other ruses, and they duly scored again. This time it was a corner that led to another goalmouth scramble, this one buried by the captain. Loko went in at half time on a bit of a downer.
Half-Time Loko 1 v Barnes 3
At the break Jules rallied his troops and made wholesale changes. Christophe replaced Ivan at left back, and Roger came on for James in the centre. Pete also came on, taking up the centre half slot alongside Paul – which allowed Dale to push up into midfield. Doug made way. Jules was quite calm in the circumstances. He pointed out that we were playing like a bunch of girls, and basically reminded us that the fate of our season depended on our attitude during this and the next few games. I thought I detected a steely glint in some of the players’ eyes, but I may have imagined it. Perhaps more of a dull leaden hue.
The players seemed to have listened to their manager though, as they immediately launched an assault on the Barnes goal, which they proceeded to sustain until the final whistle. The difference, once Roger and Dale were running the show in midfield, was marked. Barnes were restricted to attacks on the break, and they rarely threatened.
Dale took a moment’s break from knocking heads together to consult the book of grudges; he stumbled upon a recent entry in a familiar hand, double checked to make sure, then pulled on his shooting boots with a grim smile.
His first move was from a long throw from Dave. The ball was flicked on into the box and Dale, somehow finding himself in acres of space in the six-yard box, wrapped his head round the bladder and sent it looping over the keeper into the top corner. First blood Dale! Not five minutes later he was at it again! A free kick was sent over from the right, Andreas won the first header, the keeper missed his interception and Dale, having lost his man in the woods, popped up to volley home at the near post. This brace from the midfield maestro meant he once again overhauled Dave in the race for second place in the scoring charts.
At this stage, with over half an hour still to play, it looked as if Loko would go on to claim all three points. Barnes looked dangerous at times, but just lacked that Richard Paquette (ex-QPR striker for those of you not in the know!!!) pace to take them away from the Loko back line, which, with Pete and Christophe, looked leaner than I’ve seen it for quite some time. Twice they went clear; the big man Neil blasted one effort wide, and Mark just got enough on the second to allow Rohan to clear it away.
Meanwhile Loko battered away at the Barn doors, with Roger, Nick, Dave and Ismail making the most of Dales’ headers and the space behind both full backs. As a result of this Andreas had a bit more room to play in. He fashioned for himself Loko’s best chance of a winner when he wriggled through the Barnes defence and shot hard and low with the outside of his boot towards the bottom corner, but Alan produced the save of the match to divert it wide.
When the match ended Loko were disappointed not to have put Barnes to bed, but on the balance of play a draw was a fair result. Next up it’s Hendrix I think. Fresh quarry! Let’s all be on time eh lads?
Final Score Loko 3 v Barnes 3
Manager Julian Milne's comments:
"We left ourselves an uphill battle after a poor first half. With Pete still on his way back from Ireland Dale had to drop into the back four which in turn left us with a lightweight midfield. In what was to be a physical encounter, Barnes did more of the harrying and got in our faces, their pressure pushing the wide men back and leaving Andreas isolated. This made it difficult on a poor surface for us to pass our way out of trouble and at times we didn’t properly clear our lines.
The second half was much better, in particular the players’ attitude which was spot on. I have in the past bemoaned our lack of vocal encouragement and unity but certainly things seem to be improving. Mark’s presence in goal and communication set the whole team off and we played with authority and character. Let’s not slip back into old habits and ensure this becomes the template for the rest of the season.
Dale epitomised this and his two goals capped off a commanding display. But there were strong performances throughout and I thought Paul Dwinfour was outstanding. If we can play for the rest of the season like we did in that second half then we can probably go further than most people realise. That is now five matches unbeaten in the league and hopefully the players are as determined as I am to extend that run.
Man of the Match: Dale"
Team Line Up
1. Mark
2. Rohan
3. Ivan
4. Dale
5. Paul D
6. Doug
7. Dave
8. James
9. Ismail
10. Andreas (c)
11. Nick
12. Christophe (Replaced Ivan 45 Minutes)
13. Roger (Replaced Doug 45 Minutes)
14. Pete (Replaced James 45 Minutes)
Goals:
Dave (1)
30th Minute - A great free kick powered through a crowded area into the back of the net.
Dale (2)
55th Minute - A long throw by Dave was flicked over the keeper into the far corner of the net by the head of Dale.
60th - A right side free kick was swung over and Andreas won the first header, the keeper could only parry the ball into Dale's path and he volleyed home from five yards.
Match Report provided by Rohan Tesh.
