Scott Phillips chased down a lost cause to score the winner for Barton
Star striker Scott Phillips capitalised on a mistake to earn Barton Town Old Boys a late 1-0 victory over a Barnsley X1 at the Euronics Stadium last night.
That was the highlight of an otherwise uneventful match that had few moments of excitement.
Both sides cancelled each other out, but the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division outfit arguably had the most clearcut chances on the night.
Phillips, who turned down offers from other clubs to stay at Barton, saw a low drive diverted away from goal Christian Dibble during the first half.
But, other than that attempt, the goalkeepers had a relatively quiet 45 minutes.
Action from Barton 1-0 Barnsley
Action from Barton 1-0 Barnsley
Barnsley were the side carving out the opportunities in the second half, but without really hurting the Barton defence, who did not have influential captain Ash Dexter marshalling them.
Jack Alton struck an ambitious volley over the crossbar and Brad Abbott did the same with a free kick.
A goal-less draw was clearly on the cards until seven minutes from the end. Chasing a seemingly lost cause, Phillips forced goalkeeper Jack Walton into missing the ball in the right-hand corner of his box.
The striker nipped in and kept his composure to score into the empty net from a difficult angle.
To Barnsley’s credit, they tried to force an equaliser and trialist Callum Chippendale should have done better with a close range chance.
Barton goalkeeper Scott Drury held his nerve and comfortably held the ball to ensure Barton the victory.
Barton Town Old Boys: Drury, Fisher, Gowen, Belcher, Barlow (captain), Hartley, Darwood, Ricketts, Phillips, Norfolk, Lattimore. Subs: Gill, Moveladze, Branton, Dennison, Owen, Ansu.
Barnsley: Jeffs, Templeton, Scott (captain), Cowgill, Abbott, Maxwell, Drennan, Chippendale, Carneiro, Alton. Subs: Walton, Hannah, Reilly.
Referee: Neil Guest
Attendance: 147