| OPPOSITION | Southgate Adelaide 2nd XI |
| VENUE | Home |
| DATE | 30-09-2006 |
| RESULT | Lost 4-3 |
Potters Bar went into Saturday's East League Division 6 South West match against Southgate Adelaide 2's knowing they were going to have a harder match than last week. Adelaide had come down from the division above last season and looked well organised in the build-up to the match. Indeed, it didn't take long for Adelaide to assert their superiority. Straight from the push back, Adelaide pushed up field and before Bar had even gained possession, Adelaide scored to make it 1-0.
Bar then fought back and won 5 short corners in a row. From the 5th, a shot by the in-form striker Andy Latham deflected up off a defender's stick, rising high into the air and astonishing everybody by looping into the net to equalise.
Southgate Adelaide came back into the match and won a number of short corners of their own. From one of these, Adelaide controversially took the lead. A shot from the top of the circle was going wide, until Chris Edwards, trying to stop the ball, deflected it into his own goal. Despite the complaints of the Bar defence, the umpire judged the ball to have been hit inside the circle by an Adelaide player, making it a legitimate goal.
Just before the break, as Bar pushed up looking for the equaliser, Adelaide broke quickly and found an unmarked player yards from goal. His shot gave the keeper no chance and Adelaide now had a 3-1 advantage.
Bar's morale was lifted at half-time by the late arrival of one of their players, Andy Stokes. 5 minutes into the second half, Stokes received the ball near the Adelaide goal and turned and shot, unleashing an unstoppable effort into the far corner of the goal. It was now 3-2 to Adelaide and Bar sensed a come back. However, shortly afterwards, Adelaide made it 4-2.
Some tough encounters in midfield ensued and both defenses were stretched. But the tide was turning towards Bar. They started to win some short corners and on two separate occasions an Adelaide defender brilliantly stopped a shot on the line. But his luck ran out and from another short corner, Adelaide half cleared the ball. But as it was hit back into the danger area, the ball passed through a crowd of players and Chris Edwards was on hand to score his first of the season at the far post.
With time running out, Bar pressed forward looking for the equaliser. With seconds to go, a ball across the face of goal from Dave Fennell went agonisingly past the stick of Andy Latham despite Latham's full length dive. Alas, it was not to be, but Bar can take credit from a thrilling match and look forward to next week's match at Stevenage with much confidence.
Team:
David Smith, Ed Newberry, Chris Edwards, Cliff Hawkins, Rob Donoghue, Paul Brady (capt), David Fennell,
David Brandon, Spencer Randon, Owen Hughes, Andy Latham, Andrew Stokes
Umpire: Alan Field
Goal scorers:
 |
 |
 |
| Andy Latham | Andrew Stokes | Chris Edwards |