City overrun in game of attack and defence

3:50pm Sunday 2nd November 2008

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City 3, Barnet 3

A big question on City fans’ lips ahead of this game was how well the team would cope without their wide men.

The pace of Joe Colbeck and Omar Daley have provided much of their attacking impetus this season but both were missing for the first time.

At half-time they appeared to have got their answer as City showed they had lost none of their attacking edge with three quality goals. The only down side was the return of the Bantams’ frailty at the back as slack defending saw Barnet net two themselves.

The second 45 minutes was a different story though. Outnumbered by Barnet’s fluid five-man midfield, City were overrun for the vast majority of the half. Unable to keep possession as well as their visitors, they certainly missed the wide outlets that Daley and Colbeck have provided.

The equaliser from the dangerous Albert Adomah with 15 minutes left may have been controversial, City goalkeeper Rhys Evans claiming he had saved his shot on the line, but it was no more than Barnet deserved after a half which more resembled a game of attack and defence.

City’s failure to keep the ball after the break was a big letdown, yet they showed they can do it with the best move of the match which led to their opener after ten minutes.

It started in their own half and saw Nicky Law, Michael Boulding, TJ Moncur and Peter Thorne exchange passes before Moncur curled a superb cross for Barry Conlon to hold off his marker and head into the top left corner off the woodwork. It was a goal that would have had Match of the Day analysts drooling.

But the good work was undone ten minutes later. Tom Clarke had already produced a moment of slackness when he missed his kick and let in the lively John O’Flynn but Evans bailed him out with a superb save one-on-one.

Moncur turned from hero to villain as his weak backpass was not dealt with properly by Evans and O’Flynn converted the loose ball into the empty net.

City regained the lead on 29 minutes when Paul McLaren’s dangerous free-kick from the left was converted at the back post by Thorne. The leading scorer got ahead of his marker after Conlon had created problems with his physical presence.

The Bantams didn’t learn their lesson though as more weak defending let Barnet back in two minutes later.

O’Flynn was allowed to pass Clarke too easily down the left and he pulled the ball back for Adomah. His shot produced another fine save from Evans but Nicky Nicolau was on hand to shoot home the rebound.

Back came City in a match that seemed to be heading for a cricket score. Just two more minutes had elapsed when another fine ball into the box from deep by Moncur found Conlon in the box.

The Irishman, showing his best-ever form in a City shirt, chested the ball down well and slammed home into the right-hand corner.

Such a thrilling half meant the second period had much to live up to and it proved an anti-climax – at least for City fans. Nearly all the play featured in the Bantams’ half and you would have thought it was the visitors and not the hosts who had a chance of going top.

Law provided City’s only shot on target when he forced a good save from Lee Harrison from outside the box after 65 minutes.

Their cause was not helped when midfield livewire Dean Furman had to be substituted due to a hamstring injury, with McLaren already hindered after jarring his knee in the first half. City seem to be cursed in the midfield when it comes to injuries.

Barnet were looking anything but a side placed 19th in the division before the game and it was easy to see why they had drawn at Shrewsbury and won at Rotherham in recent weeks.

Adomah’s equaliser after substitute Adam Birchall had helped on Joe Devera’s cross was always coming and in the end City were left hanging on for a point.

The Barnet winger might have won it for his side had he done better with a header at the far post and Evans was called upon again to tip a long-range shot from Michael Leary round the post.

The boos that greeted the final whistle told the story of what the fans thought and City boss Stuart McCall admitted his side had not done enough to win the game.

He said: “It was a poor second half and we’ll take a point. When we give goals away like we did in the first half, it gives them belief to go on and get more and they fully merited the point.

“When we had the ball in the second half we were frightened to put it in the channels because we didn’t have a lot of pace without Colbeck and Daley.

“There was a lot of willingness and hard work but it’s nice when you have a bit of pace to turn things as then you can squeeze up and give your defence a breather but it wasn’t the case today.

“We’ve had to defend a lot of crossed balls. I think second half we’ve not put a cross in and they’ve put about 15 or 16 crosses over with the two wide men.”

McCall added: “We scored three really good goals. The first was a great goal, a good cross and good header, the second’s a well-worked free-kick and the third was a terrific finish.

“That part was pleasing – the three goals and the point. The rest of it was not what we are normally about.”

Attendance: 12, 510