Retford United 1-0 Barton Town Old Boys

Today was the first competitive match of the season for my good self. Friendlies are all well and good but they don't have the blood and thunder of league matches. Lincoln were playing their final pre-season match away at Boston United and seeing as Boston is a bit of a dump we decided to watch Retfords first league match of the season in the Baris NECL Premier division.
As there was a two division gap between the two clubs last season and the vast turnabout in the Retford United squad from last season it was tough to say who was favourite for this match. Some of Retford's squad hadn't played much at this level although they have gained impressive pre season victories over higher league opposition in the guise of Hucknall, Carlton, and Belper, the last of which was more of a kick fest then a football match.
Barton have had a mixed set of results in pre season. We had the pleasure of visiting them just a few weeks ago as we watched Lincoln stroll to a 2-0 win. Last season they had finished a credible sixth in the league which was owed to a long unbeaten run that stretched back all the way to January.  Given their form towards the back end of the season you would expect them to provide the badgers with a stern test. Of which they did just that. However, before the football began it was time to take in some vital pre match calories to see me through the match whilst reading the new look matchday programme.

The programme is another cracking effort although i am not sure if there was any point of printing out all the league tables when nobody has even played a match yet. Still i bet Armthorpe Welfare fans will be very happy with the table as it stood at 2.59 today. The programme actual sold out today so does it mean that this item will be worth a few quid in the future? No is the probable answer to that one.

Last season the pitch at Cannon Park was dreadful. Although the groundstaff did what they could a combination of it being played on by two teams, the worst winter we have had for years and the fact that the ground is built on a natural flood plain meant that they were always fighting a losing battle. It is undoubtedly in much better nick now but it is still quite uneven and has quite a bit of sand on it. We were stood by the away team dugout for the first five minutes or so and the pitch took quite a bit of stick from the management team of Barton. While i will admit the pitch isn't what it should be for the start of the season it was the same for both sides. He did sound as if he was getting his excuses in early in case they got beat. Barton do have a fantastic pitch but they don't have the ground's name written on it. Retford do!

The pitch didn't really effect anything in the early stages as the ball spent more time up in the air than it did on the ground. Barton appeared to be a strong side who liked to get the ball up front quickly. The also have some tall players in their ranks. If Retford were going to get anything from this they would have to stand up to them and take a few knocks. We hadn't really seen much of Barton as an attacking force against Lincoln but  today they showed plenty of it. Retford started the best; forcing a flurry of corners but nothing came of it. Chances were few and far between in the first half but Barton had the better of them. The nearest Retford got to breaking the deadlock was when Will Tomlinson hit an effort against the bar with the keeper well beaten. At the other end Barton had a good chance to take the lead when they were awarded a free kick inside the box following a backpass which the keeper picked up but Retford somehow managed to clear the danger. Quite a bit of injury time was added due to the amount of free kicks because of niggly fouls although neither side was able to take advantages of the set plays.
HT 0-0
Lee and myself checked out the programme shop while all round good egg Baz got the tea in and most excellent tea it was. The Football League started this weekend and there were a fair few checking out the half time scores in the clubhouse. Not that i took much interest now that we are no longer in it. Although we all let out a collective "for fucks sake" at the news that Jabba the Hut's Crawley Town were leading at Port Vale. The news that Lincoln were 2-1 to the good in Boston though was welcome news.

As always at Retford we went behind the far goal for the second half which the badgers were attacking. The second half was a much tighter affair although Barton did create quite a few chances with set plays and Retford rode their luck a little. Retford were managing to get a few crosses, free kicks and corners into the Barton box but all too often the delivery was poor and straight at the Keeper who showed safe hands through out. Later in the half Retford did get some joy from attacking down the two flanks but they were often stopped by some cynical tackles from the Barton full backs. Then just as the game looked to be ending in a 0-0 draw Retford took the lead in the 89th minute when Barry Payne bundled the ball home from close range. The goal was as scrappy as they come but it meant the world to Retford. The homeside saw out the final few minutes and held out for the win. Lincoln also held out for the win courtesy of a 4-3 scoreline at York Street.

All in all it was a great day for the new look Badgers. You really can't ask for any more than a win and a clean sheet on the opening day of the season. The fact that Barton are a decent side and dished out some meaty challenges made the win all the more impressive. Retford have a young side and they will need to become a little more streetwise but with guidance from manager Brett Marshall that will come in time. It will certainly be interesting to see them develop throughout the season. Another pleasing aspect was the crowd which i overheard was 177; which is alot better than most were last season. After last season it will take a bit to convince fans to return but if the club continues like this then i am sure the crowd will grow even more. Onwards and upwards as they say.