Barnstaple Town 1 Bristol Manor Farm 2

Barnstaple Town 1 Bristol Manor Farm 2
Goalkeeper Ben John earned Manor Farm their first victory of the league
campaign with a superb penalty save in the final minute of normal time,
followed by a great block during an extended injury time to ensure his side took
all 3 points back home after a strongly-contested game at the TM Autoparts
Stadium on Tuesday night.
There was a somewhat frenetic opening ten minutes to the game in which both
sides sought to find space down either flank. Farm right-back Tyler Ashmead
came under pressure during this spell but the youngster withstood Barnstaple’s
probing, settling down to enjoy another assured performance in the Number 2
shirt.
Manor Farm began to find better space through the middle of the park and
Jordan Metters opened up the defence to play Lewis Leigh-Gilchrist into the
channel but the industrious midfielder shot high.
Just before the half-hour mark Lloyd Mills produced a fine block deep in the
Farm penalty area as Barnstaple threatened from the right hand side.
Ben John then made a sharp save after 33 minutes before Ashmead made a
fantastic goal-saving clearance from under his own bar, running back to hook
the ball up and over for a corner.
With the clock ticking down to half-time Manor Farm took the lead when
Metters played a sweet ball in to the left hand-side of the Barnstaple box where
Joe Tumelty rattled a terrific shot in off the underside of the crossbar.
Barnstaple began the second half brightly in pursuit of a leveller but the game
quickly became a bit ragged, disjointed. There was a brief delay whilst the
unfortunate Leigh-Gilchrist – who has impressed for the Farm so far this season
– was helped from the pitch following a heavy challenge to be replaced by Joe
McClennan.
Before Farm could re-settle, Barnstaple levelled the score in the 66 th minute
when their lively number nine Saddam Bello cut inside well to smash the ball in
off the underside of the same crossbar Tumelty had scored off in the first half.
The search for a winner intensified with both teams battling hard for supremacy
but it was Farm who got the decisive goal five minutes later and what a winner
it was. Lewis Bamford was fouled on what must have been the very edge of the
penalty area and up stepped Tumelty who had been successful by way of a

deflection from a similar distance during Farm’s 3-3 opening day draw against
Winchester City on Saturday. This time the young number 9 hit a sumptuous
drive into the far corner with such precision and venom that Stephen Oliver’s
feet in the Barnstaple goal did not, could not, move an inch. The Farm players
and their supporters celebrated joyously.
Farm looked solid enough in defence of their lead until a late rally by the home
team in the games final minutes of the regulation 90 threatened to snatch a
draw. From the second of two free-kicks wide on the left the referee blew his
whistle for an infringement in the box and awarded a penalty kick for
Barnstaple to huge roars from the home crowd. But it was the visiting fans who
cheered the loudest when John dived to his left, punching clear the spot-kick to
make the match-winning save.
STAR MAN (Ben John, Bristol Manor Farm)