Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

DROYLSDEN 2 - 1 BARROW

Nationwide North, Saturday 7th April 2007

Report by Gary Owen

In a game which at times lacked some quality, but made up for in emotions, Droylsden came from behind to beat a resilient and organised Barrow side at a sunny Butcher's Arms.

The Bloods managed the first shot of the match when Terry Fearns' snapshot flew high and wide, but it was the Bluebirds who opened the scoring. Nick Rogan held off the attentions of Carl Ruffer before drawing Paul Phillips and slotting home underneath his diving body on 13 minutes.

However, it took the Bloods just six minutes to level matters. Fearns was surrounded in the Barrow box but still somehow fashioned a curling effort onto Jamie Speare's bar, and Steve Daly was on hand to convert the rebound.

Speare was called into action moments later, having to tip Jamie Tandy's free kick over the bar as Droylsden began to assert some sort of control on the game.

The Bloods thought they had taken the lead on the half hour mark, but were to be undone by an assistant's flag for offside. Tandy's long range shot was fubmled by Speare (much to the annoyance of his skipper, Paul Jones, who unceremonioulsy kicked his #1 as he lay on the floor!) and Daly again converted the loose ball, only to be puzzled by the assistant's flag.

After the break, Black's free kick went straight to Phillips, and another Tandy free kick this time struck the wall.

With the game now finely balanced, Droylsden flung a number of dangerous crosses into the Barrow box, notably from Blake Norton and Daly. Barrow failed to fully clear their lines and when Norton nodded down Daly's right wing cross, Kevin Lynch was on hand to shoot through a crowd of players for a precious 2-1 lead.

The Bloods could have made the game safe in the closing stages, but Norton shot over from just 8 yards out from another Daly cross, and Fearns was unlucky to see his header come back off the bar on 84 minutes with Speare beaten.

Barrow pressed hard for the equaliser, with Steve Ridley shooting over, but the Bloods held firm to secure another three crucial points and to keep Dave Pace's men firnly on target to land the Nationwide North title.

The roller coaster continues on Bank Holiday at Worksop, before returning back to the Arms on Saturday when Moor Green are the visitors.

This will then leave the Bloods with a tough run-in against Harrogate, Workington and Hyde.

DROYLSDEN: Phillips 7, Williams 6, Warner 6, Ruffer 7, Robinson 6, Morris 6, Tandy 7, KELLY 8, Fearns 7, Daly 8, Jagielka 7.

SUBS: Fowler (not used), Lynch 7 (for Morris, 68), Norton 7 (for Tandy, 68), Burke (not used), Fitzpatrick (not used).

BARROW: Speare, Bond, Butler, Jones, Bayliss, Doughty, Flitcroft, Stingfellow, Walker, Rogan, Black.

SUBS: Potts (for Doughty, 76), Eckersley (not used), Ridley (for Walker, 67), Taylor (for Black, 85), Timms (not used).

SCORERS:

DROYLSDEN - Daly (19), Lynch (75)

BARROW - Rogan (13)

REFEREE: Mr. P. Bramley (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

ATTENDANCE: 652