Catholic United fall to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Barnston, as George O’ Connor’s penalty secured the hosts a vital three points, making it a second consecutive defeat for the Essex Bhoys.

Report by Freddie Facey

First Half

The hosts had the first chance of the afternoon in front of goal, but a debut appearance from Bailey Kelly tipped the ball over the bar awarding Barnston the early corner-kick of the match.

Minutes after Barnston having their first opportunity, the Essex Bhoys were awarded a free kick which Tom Kearney stepped up to the challenge, but Kearney’s effort was comfortably saved by Harrison Mott.

Catholic United continued to build the momentum in the first half, as brilliant forward play saw Justin Price makes a pass in behind the Barnston’s defence to Zac Wing, but his shot was denied by Mott.

Both sides offered little going forward, but before the break, Catholic were forced into making an early substitution following a reckless challenge on Patrick Kearney, which saw Matt Creevy brought on.

Half-Time Barnston 0-0 Catholic United

Second Half

After the break, both teams came out looking for the breakthrough, with Barnston delivering a cross towards the near post. However, Mike Sammut intercepted the ball out of the danger area to keep the score level.

With 17 minutes remaining, the Essex Bhoys continued to search for a late winning goal. Archie Armstrong delivered a cross at the back post to James Warder, with Mott reacting quickly to flick the ball out of play.
Despite Catholic fighting to secure a point away from home, Justin Price was given a yellow card for pulling a Barnston player’s shirt before both players had entered the penalty area.

The challenge from Price saw Daniel Squibb award the hosts a penalty. George O’Connor stepped up from the spot to send Kelly the wrong way to give the hosts the lead.

After Barnston took the lead in the closing stages of the match, Catholic tried to salvage a point when Eamonn Kearney made a change, with Josh Bird replacing Armstrong.

Josh Bird coming on helped the Essex Bhoys push for a late equaliser. Bird’s cross was delivered to Warder who attempted to head the ball past Mott, but his effort was sent wide.

Despite pushing for an equaliser late on, Daniel Squibb blew the final whistle to bring the end to game, as Barnston’s narrow 1-0 win meant it is now two consecutive defeats for the Essex Bhoys.
O’Connor’s late goal helped move Barnston up to 11th, picking up their first win since their 1-0 win against Bishop’s Stortford Swift. However, Saturday’s defeat pushed Catholic United down to 13th sitting on eight points.

FULL-TIME: Barnston 1-0 Catholic United

Barnston goalscorer: George O’Connor 79’