An eighty-ninth minute equaliser from Barnoldswick meant AFC Liverpool had to settle for a point at the Silentnight Stadium.
The opening stages of the match were a cagey affair, with the Reds showing good passing and movement. However, it was Barnoldswick who had the first clear cut chance on five minutes, as a powerful strike nearly wrong-footed Ryan Jones with an awkward bounce. Fortunately the AFC keeper was able to punch it away.
From that point the Reds began to make their possession count. James Robinson caused particular problems for Barlick with some excellent runs from wide right. His seventh minute strike was blocked by Edward Hall in the Barnoldswick goal
The Blue and Yellows went close with a long range free kick which hit the top of Jones’ net but AFC Liverpool were beginning to take control of the battle in midfield, nearly forcing an own goal as Barnoldwick defender Shaun Airey deflected a Michael Girvan cross goalwards which rolled just wide of the post.
With Steve Williams fending off some strong tackles from Barlick’s Christopher Ridehalgh, the Reds had their best spell of the game. On twenty-four minutes a superb passing move carved open the Town defence. Unfortunately, Ryan Cox scuffed his shot which allowed a last-ditch block from Carl Ellerton. Cox was unlucky again two minutes later as his free kick from the edge of the area was held by Hall. The visitors kept up the pressure for twenty minutes but Barnoldswick did manage to find their way back into the game before the break. The Reds had the last word of the half however, as Liam Loughlin’s close range shot beat the keeper, but a clearance off the line kept the scoreline goalless.
The weather took a turn for the worse during half-time, as a torrential shower slowed the momentum for both teams as play resumed. As AFC Liverpool pressed higher up the pitch, Barnoldswick began to exploit the space, with pacy winger Joel Melia causing problems for the visitors. Jack Sinnott made two superb tackles in quick succession to prevent the home side capitalising on their possession. Ridehalgh finally found his way into the referee’s notebook for a poor tackle on Morgan, but Barlick kept coming, forcing the Reds defence to double up on Melia and Scott Byrom on several occasions.
Attacking frustrations for both sides led to substitutions on sixty-five minutes. Robinson made way for the returning John Lawless, while Mark Threlfall went off for Stewart Airdrie for the hosts. Only a few minutes later, Lawless made his mark on the match as he won a penalty for the Reds in the seventy-first minute. His strike from the spot was well placed to the keeper’s left, but Hall managed to get a hand to the ball, fortunately rebounding into the path of Cox who had a simple finish over the prostrate keeper into the opposite corner of the net.
As the rain returned, Girvan and Sinnott were particularly effective in preventing Barnoldswick from getting back into the match, but in the later stages the home side resorted to a long ball game and their poor tackling went unpunished. The Reds nearly sealed the match on eighty-six minutes following a mazy run from Steve Williams but once again a crucial block from Airey prevented the final shot from staying on target.
Town’s tactics began to pay off and they finished the match strongly and they were finally rewarded for their efforts as cross from the right caused a goalmouth scramble in front of Jones’ goal. In the confusion, a lofted shot led to a header across goal and substitute Stewart Airdrie was unmarked at the back post, diving forward to head the ball beyond Jones sending the home fans into a frenzy.
The home side sensed a potential victory with the late equaliser unsettling the Reds, who conceded several dangerous free kicks at the finish. Airdrie could have won it as his long range shot went just wide. The referee inexplicably sanctioned nearly eight minutes of injury time, during which tempers threatened to boil over. Two more Barlick players went into the book, as well as Steve Williams for retaliating to James Gill’s two-footed challenge.
Although the final whistle was a welcome relief for AFC Liverpool, they were left frustrated by the draw as they had been the better side overall. This was the first ever point they have earned at Barnoldswick, but this was little consolation as they undoubtedly saw this as two points dropped. Paul Moore’s side remain unbeaten in the league and face AFC Blackpool in Crosby on Wednesday evening.
Barnoldswick Town 1-1 AFC Liverpool
Airdrie 89’ Cox 71’
Barnoldswick Town: 1.Edward Hall 2.Harry Thompson 3.Carl Ellerton 4.Christopher Ridehalgh 5.James Crorken 6.Shaun Airey 7.Joel Melia 8.Scott Byrom 9.Mark Threlfall (14.Stewart Airdrie 65’) 10.Aaron Hollindrake (12.James Gill 90+3’) 11.Neil Stansfield
Unused Subs: 16.Damon Whelan 17.Michael Hodson
AFC Liverpool: 1.Ryan Jones 2. Michael Girvan 3. Muktar Mahama 4. Jack Sinnott
5.Darren Torpey 6. Nathan Valentine 7.Steve Williams. 8. Liam Loughlin 9. Ronnie Morgan (17.Joshua Purcell 71’) 10.James Robinson (14.John Lawless 65’) 11.Ryan Cox
Unused Subs: 15. Ionut Cuciorva 16.Elvis Banyihwabe
