Bleak, windswept, rainy, dodgy pitch. A typical midwinter away game as Barkers (sixth) took on St Kilda (second), knowing a win was needed to keep in touch with the top four at halfway. Barkers made one change to the side which beat Chisholm 4-3, with Ryan Smith coming in for Anthony Di Crea.
Barkers began brightly, as Ross Clark played out to Danny Aye on the left, but his shot was blocked.
St Kilda set their stall out early to be physical, but this didn’t bother Barkers, who were having the better of the play. On 13 minutes, a free-kick on the left from Aye was curled towards goal, forcing the St Kilda keeper to punch from under his bar. Then Barkers keeper Vladi Velikin pumped the ball upfield for Aye. He put the ball through for Tristan Walker to chase, but the keeper beat him to the ball. On 19 minutes, a snap shot from Marcus Watson went wide, and that was as good as it got for Barkers in the first half.
Five minutes later, a St Kilda corner from the right was headed clear by Sean Perrin. It fell to St Kilda’s Declan Doherty, who drove a low shot just past the far post. Then just before the half hour, Barkers gave the ball away on their right defensive flank. The cross came in, and Jack Lynch rose to head home from close range it make it 1-0 St Kilda, very much against the run of play.
St Kilda then took over for the rest of the half, without really threatening. Half-time: St Kilda 1-0 Mooroolbark, with Barkers playing well for 25 minutes before switching off and allowing the hosts to take the initiative.
Within three minutes of the restart, Aye almost played Watson in on goal, but then disaster struck. St Kilda broke down the left, a shot came in, and a defender intercepted, but put it into his own net to put St Kilda 2-0 up.
Barkers huffed and puffed in the miserable conditions, with Walker and Aye the biggest threats. However, it was the hosts who almost increased their lead when a thunderous volley was brilliantly turned over by Velikin.
Barkers finished the game well but to no effect. On 73 minutes, a lovely move involving Aye and Walker released Clark, but Clark’s first touch was just too heavy and keeper Sean Hyland gathered. Ray Markley played Aye in, but he shot over. Then in stoppage time, Clark wriggled free of the defence but shot past the post. Full time: St Kilda 2-0 Mooroolbark.
Barkers paid the price of a couple of errors, yet for large chunks of each half looked the better side. Halfway through the season and they are halfway in the ladder, with the gap to the leaders slowly increasing.
