Blunder leads to keeper’s dismissal (12.04.03)

TWO bizarre blunders involving keeper Richard Barnard and his defenders cost the Magpies any hope of getting a result at Billericay on Saturday.
The first mix-up cost the Magpies a goal, and the second – minutes later – cost them Barnard, who was red-carded.
The initial act in this farcical scene saw Billericay’s Nick Savidge launch an innocuous ball to the edge of the Magpies’ penalty area. Barnard came for the ball but called weakly and so was stranded when Andy Morley took matters into his own hands to clear.
Unfortunately his header had neither direction or height and it merely went across the top of the area to the waiting Chris Stow who nodded into an empty net.
Within two minutes a similar situation occurred, with disastrous consequences for the visitors.
The excellent Stow played a delightful chip for Lee Snowhill to chase, causing confusion at the back. Again Barnard came off his line, indeed out of the area, to collect the ball, but again without a dominating call. As a result Craig Webster headed the ball back to where he thought Barnard was, only to see it start to fly past the keeper who was right behind him.
Instinctively, Barnard clawed at the loose ball, and received an early bath for his efforts.
Veteran defender-cum-striker-cum-keeper David Harrison took over the No.1 jersey. Although the resultant free-kick came to nothing, the match had been turned on its head, and never looked likely to revert back.
Yet disappointingly all this overshadowed an opening 20 minutes when the Magpies were all over their Essex hosts and – like against Hayes the previous Saturday – they really could have taken an irrevocable lead had their aim been truer.
Live-wire Lee Channell and Orlando Jeffrey had half-chances initially, and then a flick from Channell set up Lawrence Yaku but he blazed over the top.
Then on six minutes a give-and-go with Yaku saw Channell in space but his powerful strike flew wide.
As the Magpies continued to dominate on a hard, bouncy surface, Channell played a smart first time pass to put Yaku away down the flank, and his cross found the head of Webster, but the glancing effort rolled agonisingly past the left-hand upright.
When, on 24 minutes, Cook took a return ball and delivered it across the face of the goal with the strikers just off the pace, it seemed that the visitors must take the lead.
But eight minutes later the home side were ahead, and off and running. In truth they should have had a hatful especially after the break, with Stow, who showed some neat touches and shrewd awareness, and Lee Snowhill, the main culprits.
Harrison stood firm between the posts and used all parts of his body to keep the ball out, but could do nothing on 58 minutes when Stow got on the end of a route-1 move to lash the ball into the top corner.
The 10-man Magpies side battled until the end, but did not create another opportunity, and in fact they did well to keep the tally down to just two.
By the end Billericay were worthy winners, but the Magpies must accept that they contributed hugely to their own downfall.

Billericay Town: John, Savidge, Gilley, Adedji, Ansell, Penn, Graham, D Snowhill, L Snowhill, Stow, Alexander. Subs: Eastwood (for Gilley, 26), Williams (for Stow, 90), McDonald and Fay (not used).
Maidenhead United: Barnard, Webster, Connor, Cook, Durrant, Jeffrey, Boyce, Yaku, Channell, Kelly, Morley. Subs: Harrison (for Boyce, 36), Allen (for Channell, 61), Keywood (Connor, 61), Coppard, Glynn and O’Connor (not used).