FOREST GREEN ROVERS 4-4 BARNET
Nationwide Conference - Saturday 5th October 2002
Attendance 871
My
match report of the thrilling game at the Lawn on a day when
Lieutenant Martin Allen first took took charge!
When
a team scores 4 well taken goals away from home at any level of
football it should expect to earn 3 points but that wasn’t the way
it happened at the Lawn on Saturday 5th October 2002 as Forest Green Rovers twice
clawed back a two goal deficit to share the points with the Bees.
 |
| Peter Shreeves |
In
Peter Shreeves absence Martin Allen took command on a gorgeous sunny
afternoon in Gloucestershire where team changes from the previous
Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Morecambe saw Danny Brown filling in at
left back in place of Ismail Yakubu, Craig Pope in at Right Back for
Lee Gledhill and the return of Neil Midgley in midfield. Jason
Soloman continued as central defensive partner for Lee Pluck as Mark
Arber was still injured.
Martin
had walked into the clubhouse bar before the game and announced to
the Bees fans enjoying a drink that he was in the hot seat – I can
remember my then 13 year old son George being proud of punch asking
Martin if he wanted a drink - “A diet Coke please young man” he
said, so I paid............yeah ok.
 |
| Diet Coke? Should start drinking it again Martin |
Barnet
line up:
Lee
Harrison, Craig Pope, Lee Pluck, Danny Brown, Jason Soloman, Ben
Strevens, Mark Gower, Neil Midgley, John Doolan, Wayne Purser, Junior
Agogo.
Subs:
Ricky Millard, Chris Cashman, Ismail Yakubu, Leon Bell, Toby Oshitola
Report:
Barnet
started very brightly with a brisk passing and movement game on the
excellent playing surface and completely with the run of play
deservedly went one up as a floated Mark Gower corner from the right
was powerfully headed home by an unmarked Soloman for his first goal
in a Barnet shirt after 13 minutes.
 |
| Jason Soloman |
The lively Junior Agogo once
again impressed the noisy Barnet following with a brilliantly taken
goal on 27 minutes exquisitely curling a shot past Steve Perrin in
the Rovers goal from the left edge of the penalty area after the
defence failed to clear
 |
| Junior Agogo PoY 2002-3 |
It was all going so well and the old
favourite terrace songs and chants started up behind the Forest Green
goal. Yet just 5 minutes later Lee Pluck’s challenge on the much
travelled striker Neil Grayson was penalised and from the resulting
free kick Jon Richardson headed comfortably past Lee Harrison into
the corner of the net. Disaster struck right on half time as Jason
Soloman’s firm back pass was chested down but not bought under
control by Harrison and after an untidy scramble with Kayode Odejayi
in the 6 yard box the ball finally ran loose and the big front man
stroked the ball home. The scoreline didn’t reflect the balance of
play in the first 45 minutes as Barnet’s front three of Agogo,
Strevens and Purser plus Gower had caused uncertainty and hesitancy
in the Rover’s over worked defence from the first whistle.
Rovers
started the second half much the better team but soon Barnet got back
into their stride with Purser and Gower causing problems wide and
John Doolan marshalling the midfield with help from the hard working
Midgely. FGR’s Steve Jenkins was yellow carded after 53 minutes and
Barnet turned up the heat with some neat play. Eventually, just
before the hour, Barnet’s pressure was rewarded as the Rovers
defence failed to clear a Danny Brown cross and the ball fell to Ben
Strevens who cleverly stabbed the ball into the right hand top corner
of the net.
 |
| Ben Strevens |
Strevens turned supplier ten minutes later as his superb
defence splitting pass was inch perfect for Gower to round Perrin and
tap in goal number four.
 |
| Mark Gower |
Lightening
can indeed strike twice as from that point on the game turned
dramatically. The Greens began to believe they could get back into
the match again and the Bees two goal lead was once more cancelled
out this time by a brace of goals from substitute Alex Meechan.
Grayson’s header over the top of the Bees defence on 71 minutes
left Meechan clean through and he slotted the ball under the
advancing Harrison as he raced ahead of the chasing defenders. Yakubu
replaced Wayne Purser as Martin Allen strove to strengthen the ever
shakier defensive line but that still didn’t stop Meechan snatching
the equaliser and making it 4-4 with 5 minutes left latching onto a
header from Odejayi. A nail-biting finale was endured by one and all.
Mark Gower was booked for unsporting behaviour and the last chance of
the game fell to Alex Sykes who should have won it for Rovers, his
low shot beat Harrison to his right but clipped the outside of the
post.
Added
to the recent draws with Scarborough and Morecambe and victory over
Stevenage this result made Barnet unbeaten in 4 games. However those
of us who witnessed the game, and what was on reflection stunning
entertainment, will know that 3 points were in the bag on two
occasions and that was not play-off material.
At
times Barnet were irresistible (heard that a few times) and one
couldn't help thinking if Greg Heald, Mark Arber, Lee Flynn and Lee
Gledhill were fit would we have let those leads slip?
 |
| Barnet FC 2002-03 |
This
was one of those games when in years to come someone will ask ‘do
you remember one year at Forest Green Rovers when it finished 4 goals
each but we let a two goal lead slip twice?’
Anyone for curry?
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