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Barnet made an excellent start to this game taking the lead with a superbly
worked early goal. For most of the first half Barnet were in control, but a
slack twenty minutes after the half time break allowed Doncaster to draw level
and despite putting the Rovers defence under considerable pressure Barnet were
unable to secure three points.
Barnet started with an excellent team goal Mills lovely flick setting Campbell
away on the left wing. For once the full back knocked in a good cross which
Cooper knocked into the path of Sean Divine wo swivelled to strike a low half
volley past Suckling in the Rovers goal.
This early lift gave Barnet considerable momentum and Cooper was very unlucky
not to add to the Barnet tally on the quarter hour mark when his header beat
Suckling only so see Parrish head off the goal line.
Clear cut chances were few and far between but Doncaster managed just two
serious attempts at goal - a powerful swerving shot just too high from Brabin
and a superb saving tackle by Pardew making up for his error which put a
Doncaster player clean through.
In the Doncaster area there were a number of scambles and poor clearences, but
the ball ran kindly for Doncaster and Barnet were unable to extend their league
despite Divine catching defenders in possesion in their own area on two sperate
occasions. For Doncaster the weak kicking of Suckling put his own team under
pressure on a number of occasions.
Doncaster came out after half time a changed team and quickly won a corner. A
decent flag kick was headed powerfully home by the big central defender Darren
Moore who was the only player to jump for the ball, the Barnet defence
resembling statues.
Once again Barnet heads dropped and Doncaster had an excellent fif*** minutes
putting pressure on a Barnet defence that now had an attack of the jitters.
Doncaster had a superb chance to take the lead after Pardew misplaced a pass
allowing two Doncaster forwards to advance on the goal. They did everything
right drawing Taylor and squaring the ball, but the final shot a simple chance
was sent wide.
Having survived the Doncaster offensive Barnet managed to regain the initiative
with Sean Devine missing a great chance to win the game for Barnet. Mills swung
over a cross which should have been easy for the keeper, but Suckling and Moore
collided allowing the ball to reach Devine eight yards out, unfortunately he
struck his volley over the bar.
The last twenty minutes saw Barnet pile intense pressure on the Doncaster goal
and their were a number of near things and the Doncaster defence had a number
of panicky moments. However, this was one of those days when Barnet needed the
ball to run for them, but it didn't happen. A number of passesd just missed
their man, a number of times the ball ran loose in the area but some how it
never arrived at the Barnet players feet despite the introduction of Hodges and
Tomlinson. Indeed Barnet could have lost the late on when Doncaster broke and
got two men on one, but on this occasion the attack peetered out.
For Barnet I thought David McDonald had a good game and Mills had an excellent
first half only to disappear in the second half. For Doncaster captain Gary
'Who ate all the pies' Brabin was superb when he wasn't hassling the referee.
Good player, but a real whinger, although Barnet were guilty of a couple of
highly dubious tackles.
Barnet : Taylor, Gale, Campbell (Dyer), Pardew, Primus, McDonald, Mills
(Hodges), Simpson, Cooper, Devine (Tomlinson), Wilson.
--
They say the king is watching his back again
They say the king is losing his grip again
Raging like a bull to an empty ring
D'you think they will forgive a hero anything ? Gazpacho, Afraid of Sunlight
Cheers,
Ian P.