Barnton 0-4 Cheadle Town

There can't be many right-backs that can claim to have scored four goals in one game. Step forward Joseph Neild ('e' before the 'i', remember), our leading scorer with five goals, showing our regular strikeforce a clean pair of heels.

If you want to be uncharitable - and there was some evidence of this on social media from those with Barnton bias after the match - then you can pick on the fact that Joe's four-goal haul consisted of a "did he really mean that?" cross-shot and three penalties...and the fact that Barnton were down to nine men by the time the final whistle went.

From a Cheadle perspective it was a well-placed chip that perhaps the keeper shouldn't have misjudged and three well-taken penalties - all arrowed into exactly the same spot in the net - after our front line had got themselves into good positions in the box only to be clumsily upended. If you don't want to give away penalties then don't give away fouls in the penalty area.

Hands up if you scored four goals

This match took a while to get going.

With only a Tom Ratican burst down the left channel (shot blocked) in the opening exchanges to speak of after 21 minutes the match suddenly came to life.

Remeece Brown fizzed a dangerous ball in from the left which was cleared as far as Ruben Abreu, only for him to launch his effort wide.

Barnton then converted from close-range two minutes later only for it to be flagged for offside with an Abreu corner met by the head of Liam Delaney that bounced harmlessly over.

Rhys Clooney's strength and pace allowed him to get two rasping shots in, the second of which brought out the best of the two saves from the Barnton keeper, before Joe Neild got his first of the evening on 35 minutes.

Joe's first penalty on 58 minutes was key, giving us a vital two-goal cushion. Five minutes previous Barnton should have been level as a bounce deceived our back line allowing their forward to rush through on goal.

Fortunately he sent his shot high with the hosts then reduced to ten men two minutes later after Richards picked up a second yellow card.

Ruben Abreu making the challenge

Tom Russell's audacious-but-wide lob on 68 minutes heralded another key moment in the match. Two minutes later Barnton were reduced to nine men when Houghton collected his second yellow with Joe Neild then netting his second penalty of the night - and our third goal - on 73 minutes.

Three goals and two players better off, it was exhibition stuff from us thereafter; possession football with well-timed forays into the Barnton box.

One of those forays resulted in Tom Russell poking just wide after Callum Knight had rolled a delicious ball across for him with another resulting in our third penalty of the evening after Ben Christopher was sent tumbling.

And so onto a busy weekend. Rylands away this Saturday and then Eccleshall at home on Bank Holiday Monday....

TEAM: Morrison, Neild, Ratican, Russell, Dunn, Delaney, Abreu (Knight), Hincks, Clooney (Webb), Whyatt, Brown (Christopher). SUBS: Webb, Knight, Christopher, Whiting (gk).

Barnton 4-1 Cheadle Town (AET)

Eleven minutes.

That's how far away we were from booking ourselves a trip to (as it turned out) Bacup on Saturday in the play-off final and having a crack at elevating ourselves to a position last experienced back in the 1990s.

Eleven minutes. If I've made that sound like a relatively small amount of time with the tacit accusation that the squad "could have at least held on" then that isn't the intention. Far from it. I wouldn't dare insult this excellent squad in such a manner.

To have got within eleven minutes of a play-off final shows how much we have progressed and what an excellent season we have had when all is said and done. We have nothing but our gratitude to Mssrs Hincks, Trucca, Hodson and Summers for getting us this far.

Us. Cheadle Town FC. Unfashionable-but-(hopefully) lovable Cheadle Town FC...and on absolutely no budget whatsoever.

I'm not going to talk about what is possible next season on the back of this, as hyperbole along the lines of "it will be our turn next" and other associated banal platitudes won't heal the wounds or cheer anybody up at this moment in time. It will hurt for a while and we can leave such talk until August when we'll know whether we have been able to keep this current roster together and fend off any interested parties.

The best of British to Barnton in the play-off final. On our three visits to Townfield we have always been made to feel very welcome and, should they be victorious this weekend, it will be a visit that will be sorely missed.

On a long night brought about by extra time, it was that supplementary thirty minutes that did for us.

Six minutes into it a penalty was awarded, argued about vehemently and blasted home by Kevin Towey because, as his history at this level of football will tell you, that's what he does best.

That gave Barnton a 2-1 lead and it was moment from which we never really recovered or responded to.

Three minutes later and Mr Towey rifled in a free-kick from the edge of the area that squirmed through the hands of Steve Piggott and gave the hosts clear sight of Saturday.

If we could snatch a goal back then it was game on and it nearly came about thanks to a Liam Tongue free-kick, but the Barnton keeper did well to save it.

All was lost with four minutes of extra time remaining as Barnton's Rigby didn't give up hope on a loose ball and caught Steve Piggott out in two minds, lobbing it over him and into the corner of the net.

Barnton's third proved to be Kevin Towey's hat-trick as his first was the real heartbreaker on 79 minutes when his sheer persistence drove him through our defence to tuck home past Piggott. Heartbreaking because some 15 minutes earlier Rick Whyatt had gone on a mazy run and cracked the post with a low drive; such are the small margins in football.

The hosts did have the better of the second half but we certainly controlled the first, albeit being a half where chances were at a premium...

...but when our chance came it was a moment of brilliance, and let this match report end with that one moment, a happy note, and Liam Tongue confirming his place at the top of the goalscoring tree for Cheadle Town FC, 2015-16.

For when he got hold of the ball with a crisper-than-crisp drive on the 35th minute and that net billowed emphatically, we believed, we smiled, we cheered and we couldn't have been happier all season....

TEAM: Piggott, Dunn, Pearson, Trucca, Young, Moores, Smallwood (Stevenson), Tongue, M Sherrington (Horan), Whyatt, Magida (Nsimbe). SUBS: Horan, Stevenson, McLaughlin, Nsimbe.

Barnton 1-2 Cheadle Town

Terrible conditions; not-so-terrible result.

One that puts us four points clear at the top at the start of a testing month. The cynics will be quick to point out that the teams below us have games in-hand and we can be easily caught but that's slightly missing the point. A statement was made at Townfield on Saturday: catch us you may, but we're not going to go away that easily.

Two-nil is a horrible scoreline: you're just one mad moment away from home-and-dry to nail-biting and potentially something worse, almost ably demonstrated in this match during the final minutes.

With 89 minutes gone Colin Quirk rifled in a free-kick from distance to reduce arrears with Barnton then cracking the crossbar just moments later. Had the howling wind that had inconvenienced everybody - both watching and playing - all day decided to get hold of that long range effort and somehow divert it past Tom Elford then it would have undone all of the good work that we had put in beforehand.

The opening half-hour of the match saw a bright start from us but only one real decent effort to speak of when Anthony Trucca's effort was tipped over the bar after just four minutes. Both sides were adjusting to the conditions, not least the keepers who were seeing their clearances and goal-kicks barely make the halfway line thanks to the gusts.

As the half-hour mark passed, we started to turn the screw.

Darryhl Mason almost got himself on to the end of a raking pass from Chris Sherrington with the Barnton keeper managing to block a flurry of goalbound shots moments later: Mason with the initial effort when through on goal with all subsequent rebounds and whathaveyou expertly beaten away.

Liam Tongue then fizzed a shot inches wide of the post shortly afterwards with both sides rescued from the wind for half-time with the game goalless.

The status quo only lasted three minutes after the restart.

Barnton saw an effort deflected over the bar before we then went up the other end and broke the deadlock thanks to Darryhl Mason ploughing through on the right of the area before shifting the ball square for Liam Tongue to collect and stab home.

More industry from the right of the area saw us extend the lead five minutes later, James Horan the beneficiary this time, keeping his head to slot home from inside the area.

We then had plenty of chances later on to wrap the game up.

On 71 minutes Darryhl Mason seized on a moment of poor control and bore down on goal, only to see his effort blocked by the keeper.

Three minutes later James Horan seemed to be set to put Chris Sherrington in on the left when in a good position but he opted to go it alone thus allowing the Barnton defence to clear the danger.

Luke Hincks was then in on the right of the area but dragged his shot just wide on 78 minutes with Liam Tongue firing in from the edge of the box but seeing the keeper make a save just a minute later.

Thankfully the footballing Gods decided not to punish our profligacy on this occasion, allowing for wild celebrations from all the playing and coaching staff at the final whistle.

Onwards we go...to Staffordshire next weekend and an opportunity to make another statement at Hanley Town.

TEAM: Elford, McLaughlin, Pearson, Trucca, Young, Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Mason (Whyatt), Horan (Magida), Sherrington. SUBS: Whyatt, Magida, Kennedy, Nolan.