Damage in the Box!: BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS (Marsh Lane)

With the season now entering its dying embers, and most of the main leagues rounding off their seasons the previous Saturday, on this Bank Holiday Monday it was very difficult to find a) a game and b) a game that actually had something riding on it. Luckily there was one game that did have something riding on it, so it was to Barton-Upon-Humber I pointed the hopmobile!

The town of Barton is right on the banks of the River Humber and views of the Humber Bridge are fantastic. As luck would have it, near the viewing point there is also a GBG listed pub, The Sloop Inn, where a decent Wold Gold (Wold Top Brewery) was sampled.

Marsh Lane (aka The Euronics Ground) was buzzing today as 250 spectators, excluding the Louth supporters obviously, aniticipated the victory the would take The Swans to promotion, and their highest ever placing in the non-league pyramid. The club was formed in 1995 when Barton Town and Barton Old Boys merged and it has been steady progress ever since as the team rose up the pyramid. There were a few blips along the way, mostly regarding ground grading but today Marsh Lane is a neat and tidy example of a non-league ground.

After a cagey opening 38 minutes, Richard Medcalf gave Barton an interval lead then the floodgates opened in the second half. Medcalf added his and the teams second on 65 minutes with a great volley before Andy Jackson (70) topped that effort with an even better volley. An Ashley Dexter bullet header 2 minutes from time sealed an emphatic win.

The players began to party on the pitch as a second place finish meant they will be playing NCEL Premier League football next season. This game brings the curtain down on my "English" non-league football for this season, as the next couple of weeks it will be Welsh and German games to round another season off.