Southern League South, West Division

Shortwood United 3

Barnstaple Town 3

ANOTHER second-half fightback from Shortwood clinched a point on a cold evening at Meadowbank,writes Harry Ash.

Shortwood took the lead with half-an-hour to play only to be pegged back five minutes later, and Barnstaple will feel that they should have held on going in at half-time a goal up, and after retaking the lead at the start of the second-half.

Boss Paul Meredith said: “After a slow start we managed to get in to the game, maybe Saturday took it out of us a little but when we led we should have managed the game a lot better, we took our foot off the gas and let them back in. I’m disappointed with only a point but on reflection I think it was probably a fair result.”

After a slow start from both teams, Barnstaple took the lead with just under 15 minutes played; Connor Clifford shifted the ball towards the byline, before playing a low cross into the near post, allowing Barnstaple debutant Luke Durham to slide in from close range.

Two minutes later, Clifford’s deflected strike from twenty-five yards forced a fine save from Burton. Burton did well again to tip Booth’s header over the bar following Gardner’s corner, with twenty minutes of the half to play.

Having displayed little to no threat for the entirety of the first half, Shortwood scored three goals in fifteen minutes, but Barnstaple also got two in twenty. Haswell’s cross from deep was sublimely controlled by White, who turned and finished left-footed past Osbourne, two minutes after the restart.

Just a few minutes later, though, what looked like a harmless long ball into the right hand side of the Shortwood box was seized upon by Durham, and Burton needlessly took him down inside the penalty area.

Chris Ibbeson sent Burton the wrong way to give Barnstaple the advantage once again.

Two minutes passed before Shortwood made it 2-2, with what appeared on first viewing to be a Joe White tap in from a Nick Humphreys corner, but it was later revealed to be a Humphreys goal, in his first game back at the club following his return from Cinderford, as the ball crossed the line before White got a touch.

With just over half-an-hour to play, Jordan Morris was released by a Meredith lay off following a good run and pass from Adam Price, but Morris’ rushed effort rolled wide. Morris made up for that miss moments later, though, as he gave Shortwood a 3-2 lead; White gave a simple pass to his feet twenty-five yards from goal, allowing Morris to cut in onto his left foot and unleash a shot into the bottom corner of the near post.

Barnstaple dragged themselves level with just over a quarter of the match to play: Gardner caused Shortwood problems throughout the second half on the left, and he whipped a ball into the back post for Rickard to nod home.

Barnstaple looked the more likely to grab a winner in the final quarter of the game, but, despite their clear plan of passing it to Gardner and loading the box, no real chances were created.

Shortwood: George Burton, Ryan Meredith, Ryan Thwaite (yellow card 45+1’), Ben Prictor, Joe White (yellow card 88’), Tristan Haswell, Adam Price (C) (Jack Freeman 62’), Sam Taylor (Alex Kibble 67’ (yellow card 72’)), Nick Humphreys, Liam Meredith (Will Hawes 73’), Jordan Morris