BARNETBY FOOTBALLERS COMPLETE CUP DOUBLE AT BRIGG TOWN FC

Brigg Blog and many other dedicated followers of football in this area will wish to congratulate Barnetby United Football Club on winning two knockout trophies - one of the finals taking place at Brigg Town FC's EC Surfacing Stadium (Hawthorns). These cup finals were held over from the 2020/21 Scunthorpe & District Saturday League season because Coronavirus emergency restrictions halted play in the Spring.
Barnetby's Lee Fielden reports (below) on both cup finals, while Luke Broughton's fine action pictures accompany Lee's words about the game in Brigg. Our thanks go to them both. 

 

21/09/2020: HOSPITAL CUP FINAL 2019-20

Following what seems an eternity - 245 days to be precise from when Andy Bradley coolly slotted home the 16th and decisive penalty in the semi-final shoot out at the Co-op ground (Scunthorpe) against College Wanderers - Monday 21st September saw the final eventually played. That is testament to the league in particular, and the clubs' willingness to play them.
Despite Covid-19, the FA and government guidelines allowed the game to take place and a crowd of well over 200 flocked to West Street, the home of Winterton Rangers, on a balmy autumn evening.
 

 

The home side, The Butchers Arms, were fastest out of the traps and put the Railwaymen under pressure from the off. With only 5 minutes on the clock great work down their left saw Daniel Barker turn in a low cross at the near post and The Butchers were 1-0 up.
Within 5 minutes Barnetby responded; Ben Popple sent Josh Goodman through in the inside left channel and his cross-come-shot was finished off at the far post by Ben Hunt; Barnetby were level.
Butchers, though, continued to hold the upper hand. The game was disrupted by the loss of a player on both sides to injury but following the resumption of play, Marshall for The Butchers, hit a sweetly timed volley that just evaded the far post.
Under the cosh and 5 minutes into injury time at the end of the 1st half, Popple sent Goodman through, chased by Marshall; the later was adjusted to have pulled the former back just outside the box and was shown a straight red.
Cameron Hill stepped up and smashed the ball into the keeper's bottom right-hand corner to notch his 135th goal for The Railwaymen.
Having been second best for most of the first half, Barnetby led 2-1 and had a one-man advantage.
They attacked the West Street End in the 2nd half and on 55 minutes Goodman was sent through by Elliott Gunn into the inside left channel; he looked up and thundered a rising left foot drive in off the underside of the bar to put his side 3-1 up.
Still the 10 men of Butchers caused Barnetby concerns but, on 68 minutes, Gunn again played the ball in to Goodman who turned his man and slotted home his second of the game.
Ben Hunt and Josh Goodman were replaced by Greg Brackenbury and the evergreen Will Hartley. On 83 minutes a big free kick was punted by George Merrick into The Butchers box. Hill chested the ball down, controlled and laid it off to the advancing Brackenbury who curled a beauty into the net... and it was game over.
There is no doubting the red card turned the game and that the 5-1 result doesn’t tell the whole story of what was a very hard-fought game.

 

Barnetby receiving the Hospital Cup.

1/10/2020: UNITED AT THE DOUBLE AS THEY RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

The Railwaymen followed up their Hospital Cup victory by claiming their 2nd Scunthorpe League Challenge Cup on a pulsating night at The EC Surfacing Stadium. They ran out 3-1 winners over Scotter United who had finished runners up last season, too.
In contrast to the Hospital Cup Final, Barnetby were the first out of the traps and Ben Hunt volleyed a Ben Popple cross wide when unchallenged at the far post. Cameron Hill was then thwarted by Matt Lawson in the Scotter goal before he broke the deadlock on 11 minutes when Goodman, who looked offside, ran on to a ball that came off a Scotter player and squared to Hill who calmy rolled home his 13th of the season.
Barnetby continued to pressure Scotter but Lawson was in defiant mood, twice getting the better of Will Forrest in 1-on-1s.
Scotter gained a foothold in the game and with The Railwaymen making a double substitution - Jake Parker and Alex Green replaced Elliott Gunn and Andy Bradley - the game was in the balance.
Tellingly, Popple picked up a booking just before half-time and it was “The lads from the Junction” who were happier to hear the half-time whistle.
Upon the restart, Barnetby again took the upper hand and on 56 minutes Jake Parker fed Ben Hunt on the left; he advanced, cut inside and threaded a ball through for Hill who cut between the centre halves. His first effort was saved by the advancing Lawson but the rebound fell kindly and he rolled the ball home into an empty net for his 137th club goal, to put the Railwaymen 2-0 up.
Scotter’s captain was then sin-binned for dissent and, while they were down to 10 men, Hill had the chance to complete his hat-trick but again that man Lawson kept his side in the game.
With 20 minutes remaining, Popple was left to rue his rash tackle in the 1st half, and when he received his second yellow and subsequent red card the Railwaymen would have to hang on with 10 men.
Their task was made even tougher when, with 15 minutes remaining, Green was adjudged to have handled the ball and George Cook smashed home the resulting penalty.
With Barnetby now well under the cosh, Hunt was replaced by Will Hartley, but the back line of Andy Dawson, Joe Scott, George Merrick and Alex Green (with Sam Thirkell behind them) withstood everything Scotter could throw at them.
A corner late on saw Scotter make a last gambler's roll of the dice as everyone, including keeper Lawson, filled the Barnetby area. Again The Railwaymen stood firm. Goodman even led a break out which led to scenes of desperation to get back to defend the Scotter goal, having all gone forward.
Into injury time, Will Hartley cut in from the left; his effort was again parried by Lawson but the ball fell to Goodman on the edge of the box; he jinked, turned and curled a fantastic effort that nestled in the top corner.
He’d won the cup for Barnetby! Wild scenes of celebration and more than a sense of relief swept through the side and its supporters. It was tough on Scotter and particularly keeper Lawson, who'd had an outstanding game, as they were runners up for a second season in succession. 

Official attendance: 155.
Pictures below from the EC Surfacing Stadium courtesy of Luke Broughton Photography.