9:58am Tuesday 31st August 2010
By Craig Stoddart
Barrow 1 Darlington 1
DARLINGTON were denied their first away win of the season against Barrow on a dramatic and highly-charged evening at Holker Street.
On a night in which both teams were upset with referee Lee Metcalfe, the second half featured a controversial penalty, a red card and each team had a goal disallowed, with Quakers particularly annoyed at Paul Terry’s strike being ruled out.
His effort appeared to have crossed the goalline, in an incident minutes after Metcalfe had incensed Darlington by awarding Barrow a penalty for a seemingly innocuous challenge by Aaron Brown.
Darlington had a penalty of their own in first-half injurytime but right-back Paul Arnison saw his effort saved, however Barrow ended the game just as frustrated after Paul Jones was red-carded for violent conduct.
The 87th minute incident with Danny Hone preceded a tunnel bust-up between both sets of players.
Both managers were critical of Metcalfe, with Quakers’ boss Mark Cooper saying the Lancashire official had been influenced by the home crowd.
“I thought we played really well and did enough to win the game, no doubt about that and but for a couple of crazy refereeing decisions we would have won the game,’’ he said.
“Aaron never touched him (for the penalty), he was a yard away. But you always felt he was going to do that, the referee, because he was getting a lot of stick from the Barrow fans.
“He’s been refereeing OK, but he got a couple of major decisions wrong. He got their penalty wrong, and the boys are convinced Terry’s shot was well over the line.
“I am deeply frustrated but given the amount of players we’ve got injured I can only give the players praise and I’m sure the fans will have gone away feeling it was a good performance.”
Depleted Darlington went into the game without striker Liam Hatch, who has joined captain Ian Miller, Kevin Austin, John McReady, Gareth Waite and Michael Brough on the sick list.
And midway through the first half, Tommy Wright limped off injured.
Few could have envisaged what was to follow following a tepid opening period during which there was barely a noteworthy incident.
Richard Offiong, who replaced Wright, won Quakers’ penalty in first-half injurytime.
He had been dragged down by Phil Bolland, but the spotkick by Arnison, who scored two penalties in pre-season, was too central and Alan Martin saved with ease.
Having been sent out for the second half four minutes early by Cooper, Darlington upped the tempo after the break.
Martin had to dive fulllength to keep out Gary Smith’s curling free-kick and the keeper again denied the Darlington midfielder when he pushed away a low leftfooted effort from 20 yards, but the goal Quakers had been threatening came on 62 minutes with Terry scoring his second in three days and again Michael Smith set him up.
The teenage striker, like on Saturday against Gateshead, pulled ball back from the byline and Terry passed ball into bottom corner of Martin’s net.
But Barrow hit back and soon had a spot-kick of their own as Brown tangled with Simon Wiles.
Unlike Arnison, Jason Walker made no mistake.
However, Darlington were soon on the attack and Terry believed he had scored a second when Martin spilled his effort before grabbing the ball at the second attempt on the goalline.
Metcalfe waved away Quakers’ complaints and the drama continued when Barrow had a goal chalked off.
James Owen’s shot took a deflection past Sam Russell and, unaware it had been disallowed for offside, six Barrow players were busy celebrating by the corner flag.
Russell’s quick free-kick allowed Quakers to attack in numbers but, with Barrow desperately sprinting back into position, the golden opportunity came to nothing.
Typically the game ended with another debatable decision when was Jones sent off for decking Hone and it is understood that after the final whistle there were heated exchanges between both sets of players in the tunnel.
But Metcalfe, however, was not privy to the incident.
So incensed were Barrow supporters that they temporarily prevented him from returning to the dressing room which left the officials on the pitch for several minutes.
On Metcalfe, Barrow boss Dave Bayliss said: “I don’t think ours was a penalty if I’m totally honest.
“There were a number of decisions that were baffling, it’s not often you get both benches annoyed with the referee. He looked out of his depth to me.”
Goals: Terry (62, 0-1); Walker pen (73, 1-1)
Bookings: Owen (37, foul), Bolland (61, foul); G Smith (63, foul), Terry (73, dissent)
Sending-off: Jones (87, violent conduct)
Referee: Lee Metcalfe (Lancashire) 3
Attendance: 1,718
Entertainment: ****
BARROW (4-5-1): MARTIN 7; Spender 7, Jones 6, Bolland 6, Edwards 6; Forrest 5 (Cook 67, 6), Boyd 6 (M Pearson 90), Hulbert 7, Owen 6, Wiles 6; Walker 7. Subs (not used): S Pearson (gk), Sheridan, Nicholas
DARLINGTON (4-3-3): Russell 6; Arnison 6, Hone 7, Clarke 7, Brown 6; Chandler 6, TERRY 7, G Smith 7; M Smith 7, Senior 6 (Gray 71); Wright 5 (Offiong 23, 6). Subs (not used): Jack (gk), P Gray, Main
MAN OF THE MATCH
PAUL Terry – getting better with every game.
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