By Peter Stephenson
Barkers (fifth) had their first home game in a month as they hosted Knox City (seventh) at a surprisingly sunny Kennel. Barkers made two changes to the side that lost 2-5 at Peninsula, with Chris Potter and Maxim Solovyev replacing Aaron Porcaro and Jerome Valadon.
Both sides began cautiously, but on 12 minutes, a Sean Perrin throw-in on the left found Ahren Angulo, who hit a low shot wide. Five minutes later, Ray Markley went on a run down the right, and his cross flashed across the Knox goal with no forward on hand to connect.
Barkers’ best move so far came on 25 minutes, when Danny Aye sent Ross Clark down the left. Christian Porcaro overlapped and received the ball, he crossed and found Markley’s head, but the attempt went over. Then Knox had their best chance so far, when Nicholas D’Angelo slipped the ball to Dimitri Kosmas. With seemingly nothing on, he let rip an excellent shot that went just wide.
Now I didn’t know until recently that a goal direct from a corner is apparently an “Olimpico”. With a nod to the great event in Gay Paree in a couple of weeks’ time, Clark sent in a corner from the left, and it sailed beyond everyone into the far corner of the net for a goal which stunned everyone, certainly the Knox defence – how everyone in the six-yard box manages to miss these is a mystery, but regardless, Barkers had a deserved lead.
This lead was short-lived, though. Just four minutes before the break, Knox sprayed the ball out to Leo McLeod on the right. His pace was too much for his marker, and he ran on and slipped the ball past Mark Naumowicz for the equaliser. The last five minutes saw Knox try to capitalise on that momentum, and Mateusz Kurzeja curled a free kick over, but the sides went in level at 1-1. Barkers looked the better of the sides in a tight first half, but Knox took almost their only chance.
The second half was at first, a continuation of the end of the first, as Knox looked much sharper than the hosts. Six minutes in, a great ball was played out to Ceu Khi Teng on the right. He crossed for McLeod, who had he connected would certainly have scored.
Then Khi Teng swivelled and shot just wide from close range. As Knox piled on the pressure, they had three attempts in quick succession which Naumowicz somehow repelled with Barkers on the rack.
However, Barkers survived and then had a good spell of their own. First Clark broke down the right and crossed for Aye, but as he shaped to shoot, a defender did just enough to put him off. Then just after the hour, a lovely passing move involving half the team ended with Potter squaring the ball to Liam Seaye, whose shot was on target but keeper Matthew Krstina had it covered.
The game now became scrappy, and on 68 minutes, an innocuous foul by Markley somehow led to him receiving a straight red card. Having reviewed the footage it was a yellow at worst, and nobody from either side has yet to disagree with that.
The game drew to a conclusion with no real threats from either side until well into stoppage time. A Barkers free kick saw them lose the ball, Knox broke with McLeod in the clear, but Naumowicz, not for the first time this afternoon, came to Barkers’ rescue with another point-blank block. Full-time: 1-1. An entertaining derby but both sides now seem condemned to mid-table.
