Josh Greening attempts to control the ball in Tadcaster’s 3-2 defeat at Barton. Picture: Ian Parker
Scott Phillips scored a dramatic winner for Barton Town Old Boys in the 4-3 victory over Tadcaster Albion, who missed a last minute penalty to level matters.
Barton’s win ended Tadcaster’s nine-match unbeaten run in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division.
The Brewers flew out of the traps on a scorching day in Barton as they took the lead inside the first 60 seconds. Josh Barrett raced down the right wing and clipped a cross into the box in which The Swans made a real mess of and failed to clear and Nick Black fired low into the back of the net.
Barton came back into the contest hit the woodwork for the second time in the 11th minute as Tom Darwood let fly from all of 30 yards and Stevens again pulled off an incredible full stretch save to tip onto the post this time.
The game eventually slowed down after a frenetic opening fifteen minutes but The Swans did equalise just shy of the half hour mark from the spot. With Phillips bearing down on goal, Paddy Miller sprinted across the striker who went to ground after the Tad defender brushed past him and the referee deemed it to be a foul and a penalty kick. Brad Ricketts stepped up and side-footed the penalty to the bottom right and Gary Stevens just couldn’t stretch enough to save and Barton were level.
The home side were galvanised after the equaliser and really stepped it up as they went 2-1 ahead just six minutes later with a cracker. A corner kick was cleared out only to the edge of the penalty area and Ricketts was teed up by a teammate and he belted a shot from 30 yards into the right side of the net which flew past Stevens.
Things got even better for Barton as they scored their third goal in an eleven minute spell. Gareth Owen struck goal wards from the right flank which looked as though it took a deflection and as a result meandered into the corner.
The first half action did not stop there as Taddy reduced the deficit once again to one as a corner was cleared out to Tom Claisse who sliced a half-volley towards the target and Miller cleverly and instinctively flicked into the top corner left-hand corner.
Taddy had to come out in the second half and go for it if they were going to keep top spot in the NCEL Premier Division and they thought they were going to be awarded a penalty on the hour mark as Black looked to clearly be pushed over however the referee didn’t think it warranted a spot kick.
The Brewers were given a penalty just a minute later as full-back Jordan Armstrong was brought down. Captain for the day Jimmy Beadle stepped up and hammered home the penalty to level the match at 3-3.
The thrilling encounter was now on a knife edge, you felt that there would be a winner but it was difficult to see which way it would go as the pendulum swung back and forth.
The pendulum swinging was evident again as the home side go up the other end and hit the woodwork for a third time as Ashley Lattimore bent a free-kick onto the crossbar.
Barton netted the elusive seventh goal eleven minutes from time. Phillips bounced and barged his way into the penalty box and the striker who has a knack of scoring against The Brewers scuffed a shot which somehow trickled into the back of the net.
Taddy were to throw everything at The Swans in the final ten minutes to try and come away with a point which in the end would have certainly been a deserved point. With this being said they got the perfect opportunity to make it 4-4 in the 88th minute as Barrett easily got the better of his man down the left by-line and the defender clearly didn’t like it as he dragged the attacker down for a second penalty kick. Once again Jimmy Beadle picked up the ball to take the penalty but he struck tamely down the middle of the goal and Dave Bramley trapped with his legs to all but deny Tad a point.
There was more drama as Barton’s Ricketts was given a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident.
Tadcaster Albion: Stevens, Armstrong, Clayton, Miller, Milne, Claisse, Barrett, Beadle (captain), Black (Conway 82), Greening, Baker. Subs unused: Woodhead, Ormsby, Mycoe, Beestin
Barton Town Old Boys: Bramley, Belcher, Gowen, Barlow, Dexter (captain), Ricketts, Owen, Darwood, Phillips, Lattimore, Mortimer
Referee: Andrew Park
Attendance: 181
Thanks to Jay Taylor for this report.