Fleet 1-0 Barrow

[rsheard]

Barrett in added time... sweet!!!!!!!

[Peter W.]

The tide has turned, I have heard how well we played away for the last few matches, but have lost.Today we played some nice passing and flowing football, I must admit when we got to 90 mins I thought oh well a point is not bad, and it breaks that losing streak. Then it happened , what usually happens to us, a goal in the 90 min, this time it went our way.

We still miss a Charlie MacDonald type player, but the lads are playing their hearts out, and the goals will come,HAVE FAITH.

[Hempstead Gaz]

The big difference today was Murray playing spledidly in front of the defence and Ricko and Sacha dropping deep and wide giving Lance throwing options.

Will be interesting to see how a line up like this plays:

Cronin

Ricketts Smith Charles Opinel

Murray

Barratt Hand Long

Moore Ibe

[Santa]

First half fairly mundane with nothing much happening apart from a distinct absence of anyone getting their head on any of the longer balls, looked better second half especially when Stacey came and looked something like his old creative self with the ball spending a bit less time in the air. Overall we were the better team and deserved to win. Barrow didn't show much offensively but were pretty solid in defense. Thier keeper was a bit dodgy apart from the blinding save he pulled of from I think Stacy. We hit the post and it looked like not being our day again....but what a relief at the end both for fans and players alike.

 

Liam mentioned that Barrett didn't have one of his better games but I thought he put in a failry solid performance. Darius was again imperious and I thought the new lad Murray had a very good game sitting in front of the back four picking up the pieces and moving defence into attack.

 

For me the strangest thing was seeing Purcell playing upfront with Gash and Moore seeming to tuck in behind them rather than out wide, maybe it was just my perspective. George has the occasional flashes of brilliance but not sure his overall game is good enough. Moore had a poor game imo.

 

Poorish crowd but given recent form hardly surprising, onwards and upwards Thursday.....

 

Oh, and the flying head butt that took out Ricketts, it was that late I didn't see it as my eyes were on the ball which had left Ricketts head several seconds earlier, no booking, shocking....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mikefleet]

i take what i said about murray back, he was really good in midfield and could of had a goal today.

 

we weren't goin to concide against barrow, like liam said on the radio. it was just a matter of scoring and thats our problem, its alright bringing a midfielder in but we need a charlie macdonald, a sodje, a essandoh, a stadhart AND WE NEED IT NOW!!!

[bilbo baggins]

Not the best game by any means but I hope that the win is the boost we need to kick on

Will definitely need to improve a lot for Crawley and Kettering who will offer a hell of a lot more than Barrow

Not sure when during the game exactly that Murray was "playing splendidly" - he was OK but that was about it

I'd prefer to see Danny Slatter get more a run in the team

George Purcell needs more end product but shows some great touches. Similarly he needs to get more games in.

Half of the Barrow team looked like they had escaped from Strangeways

[Stu M]

I'd also like to see Slatter back, but thought Murray was our best midfielder today. He has a similar eye for a decent pass as Hand and didn't look out of place at all today.

[gaspode]

Originally Posted By: bilbo baggins

Not sure when during the game exactly that Murray was "playing splendidly" - he was OK but that was about it

George Purcell needs more end product but shows some great touches. Similarly he needs to get more games in.

Disagree with you on a couple of points here Bilbo. I thought Murray was the kind of player that we have missed this year. We often get rolled over too easily and he showed real bite and drive. His passing was pretty good too. And given that he has just arrived, hopefully he will get better and better

And as far as George is concerned, in my opinion he is simply not good enough. He shows occasional flashes of brilliance, but the other 88 minutes are ordinary, lack lustre and not up to this standard. He has played every minute of the last two games and has been by far our least effective player. The was a lot of dissent around me when Liam decided to take Gash off and leave George on.

Still, each to his own

[Bill Kent]

Luke done nothing for me today. I thought Kezie Ibe was going to replace Luke. I was supprised that Gashy was replaced.

 

Didn't like the halfway line boo boys when the Gash/Ibe sub took place, could be construde as having a go at the players, although I suppose it must have been meant for Liam. All a bit childish I thought.

Please don't leave it the wire next time lads. It's not good for the heart. Well done my side.

[Our Team]

Taking Gash off proved to be a masterstroke I felt. I felt his body language was a give away, he certainly didn't seem comfortable. Stacey over the past two games seems to be getting some form back. Felt the new boy Murry did a good job. Darius seems impenatrable. Barrow were seemingly content to settle for the one point right from the off, as like Crewe last week, showed very little desire for attacking football.Perseverance paid off in the end as we gained a well deserved victory. It was all about the result today and dosen't it feel good !!!

[ebbsfleet is for life]

just got home oh my god what a match.in the first half we did not really put barrow under too much pressure which was a disapointment.

all credit to the lads in the second half we never give up and kept attacking till the end.

what relief when neil barratt struck the winner in injury time

sometimes i wish we could play two strikers and put some of these teams under the cosh

great moments at the end of my first fleet home match was sacha celebrating with the fans at the plough end after the match.

memories like that will stay with me for ever

i will definitely be back come on the fleet

[Graham S]

Errr, what was with the somewhat unseasonal dress of some of our guests in the away end?

 

 

Shame to see the "Eeeeh, we're so hard we walk around wi' no shirts an' eat our grannies for breakfast" image disappear once it got a lttle parky after the break.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bluebirds]

Your just jealous,'because us barrow fans, have a fine physique' :L

Have you got anymore photos mate ?

[1 F in Fleet]

Mate ? Isn't that what animals have when they want a sh*g ???

[Graham S]

Originally Posted By: Bluebirds

Your just jealous,'because us barrow fans, have a fine physique' :L
Have you got anymore photos mate ?

I was quite impressed that they were prepared to risk exposure to the elements when none of them had the layers of cold repelling blubber often possessed by football fans who feel the need to go au naturel. You're not one of the torso boys are you? If so, sorry to disappoint on 2 fronts. 1. Had my wife & daughter with me yesterday & they found the display of northern male physique very funny, but not at all stimulating in any other way. 2. Unfortunately I do not have any more photos - I just took the quick snaps of you guys because it was such an unusual sight in mid November. I am sure others have some, though, & they may see this & post a link.

Must have been a sickener to come all that way & concede as late as you did - but that's what supporting a team is all about; without the gut wrenching lows, you cannot really enjoy the highs when they come along. Good luck with the rest of the season.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Although they were a rugged, dour side, to their credit, Barrow never turnred dirty.

The ref was excellent imo -, lots of advantage, and no bookings was a testament to the spirit in which the game was played and the control the ref had.

Pity Barrow were soooo negative.

[Bluebirds]

Yes i was one of the ones who took my top off. Tbh we were stretched today, a 40year old in midfield who hasn't played in a while, and a striker in midfield. Although all this i thought we were worth at least a point,but sometimes we rode our luck a bit. Real sickner tho timing couldn't be worse. Eastbourne the week before '0-0' and to day , two mammoth away trips and not to see us score,and a few sheets spent as well.But thatghappens.

 

Good luck for the season!!

[Andanotherthing]

Firstly well done the Barrow supporters to come all that way and do "your thing", reports indicate our officals did not add to the occasion.

 

Now for the game, I know we won and it was good we for once got the last minute winner but I do not recall any shots on goal in the first half. I think 60 mins had passed before their goal keeper had to make a save, we hit the post later and apart from the goal maybe a couple of half chances.

 

With all repect to Barrow they were not very good and rarely threatened us which begs the question why did we need Murray directly in front of the back four up until Long came on and we finally pushed on and made a football game of it.

 

When Gash was substitued a very heated debate broke out between fans wether or not Purcell should have been the one, it was not so much the merits of the argument but the intensity of it as the shear frustration came spilling out of our performance.

 

The 4-3-3 system no matter how we use it seems to make us very narrow in the middle and spread to wide up front, any front player when receiving the ball usually has to go it alone.

I believe Gash is misused, he does some lovely turns and makes space for himself and lays the ball off with good vision given the chance but being made to run the channels and play completly isolated is not what gave him a

[Jeff]

Ah well. Out first double of the season and how badly did we need that win yesterday. Left it late but it is nice to actually score a last minute goal rather than concede one.

 

Sorry to hear about the problems with the stewards. I have had run ins away before. Not at Barrow though. I stood with a group of Barrow fans in the first half and got a potted history of the club. Good cumberland sausage butty as well.

 

Pics are here Bluebirds.

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60381&l=91abc&id=647255667

[Hannah]

From what I saw, we definitely deserved to win and if we hadn't got that goal it would have been very frustrating, considering how badly we need to start winning. We haven't just won 3 points here, hopefully the boys have won themselves some confidence to go get 'em on Sunday.

 

Awesome goal from Barrett, he really has been a little star for us so far this season.