Match Report - Barnston AFC v First Team
Published by Shane Exley on September 1, 2011 22:17
Earls Colne travelled to Barnston AFC for their second game of the season and were without no less than 7 players unavailable from the previous week! One bonus was the inclusion of Wayne Saunders making a debut for Colne.
On a nice surface it took the visitors a while to settle, but they got the breakthrough on 20 minutes when a superb cross field ball from Harris was brought down well by Bragg and after getting to the byline his cross was met by makeshift centre forward Paul Davies to tuck his shot away from close range.
Shane Exley was a thorn in Barnston's side and he got his reward when he picked up a poor back pass and took on his defender before neatly putting the ball past the keeper for the second. Saunders was always probing and Colne came close to a third when he put Evason in who just shot wide.
In the second period Colne won a corner after Exley didn't give up a heavy pass, and from the set piece, Harris drilled the ball into the path of Paul Davies on the edge of the box who smashed in his second.
Barnston then scored direct from a corner to peg the scores back, and injuries to Evason and keeper Pudney saw players down at both ends. Pudney made some fine stops but couldn't keep out a double shot to make it 3-2. That made for a nervous last 5 minutes, but the visitors held on to keep them on maximum points for the two opening games.
Pudney, Johnstone, Theedom, Burlong, Vince (Sherif), Harris, Saunders, Bragg (Stalley), Exley, Davies, Evason (Mansfield)
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