By Peter Stephenson
On Saturday evening, Barkers’ men, sitting twelfth and bottom, travelled to a freezing Bosnia and Herzegovina Centre to take on seventh placed Heatherton.
Barkers spent much of the first half on the defensive as Heatherton laid siege to the Barkers goal, but the sides went in at half-time goalless.
The second half saw a little improvement from Barkers, but two goals from Heatherton’s Wumjock Jock in the sixty-fourth and sixty-seventh minutes gave Barkers a stiff task.
They pulled one back four minutes from the end with a Sam Klepac penalty, but it was too little, too late, and Barkers remained bottom.
Next Saturday, Barkers have their first home game since before lockdown, as they host second-placed Collingwood City.
Earlier, Barkers’ mens reserves, sitting seventh, made heavy weather of dispatching an ill-disciplined bottom side.
On 11 minutes, Jack Buglass scored the opener from an acute angle. Fifteen minutes later, Matt Bell whipped a corner in for Mario Rivera to head home for 2-0.
Just before half-time, Heatherton hit Barkers on the break, with Ermin Jelecevic reducing the arrears to 2-1 at the interval.
In the first minute after the restart the home side had a penalty, which was converted by Abdelmalik Kas to make it 2-2.
On the hour, Buglass raced past his man to put himself in on goal, calmly rounded the keeper and tucked home the winner, a very well-taken goal.
The reserves stay seventh, and next Saturday host eighth-placed Collingwood City at Esther Park.
