Barton Rovers 1 Northwood 1

Andrews 60 Power 30

HT 0-1 Att 80

Northwood went straight on the offensive from the first whistle. It took them only four minutes to create their first chance. Captain John Christian heading over after getting himself into a good position. The game then became something of a midfield stalemate with possession being surrendered by both sides. The breakthrough came in the 30th minute with the first real concerted attack from the visitors. The ball was played down the left and neatly squared across the box to debutant Danny Power. He looked up and simply drilled a low shot into the bottom corner. Aaron Fletcher in the Barton goal would have been disappointed not to have covered his nearside post.
Some resolute defending from Barton ensured they held out until the break.
The second half saw Barton kicking down the slope and they made a lively start. It was no surprise when in the 60th minute stalwart Paul Andrews was on hand to powerfully head home a well flighted corner. The pace was upped by both sides and only good work from the respective goalkeepers kept the scores level. The game ended on a sour note after a nasty tackle from Taylor Nathaniel saw instant retaliation from Northwood’s Sam Sharples. Most of the outfield players decided to join in the fracas. Some excellent work from all three officials calmed a volatile situation. The end result was a straight red card for both the combatants. This was a hard fought point for Barton and a spirited second half performance. They lack power and height up front which has already caused them problems in this early part of the season.
Man of the match was Paul Andrews who gave a sterling performance in organising his defence and winning some vital tackles.
M O M Paul Andrews.