Barnton 1 Rylands 0

RYLANDS suffered injury time heartbreak for the second successive weekwhen they lost to high flyers Barnton on Saturday, after dominating the opening half and seemingly set to take a point from a difficult away fixture.

A stunning long-range strike from Quirk deep into injury time gave the home side all three points after Rylands has squandered several chances to take the lead in an impressive display.

The game started with Rylands kicking downhill on Barnton’s infamous sloping pitch and they quickly settled into their stride with some good possession allowing the home side little opportunity to threaten.

The first real chance of the game came after 16 minutes when a superb passing move involving Alex Lowe and Lee Deakin resulted in Kris Bell volleying a close range effort which was well saved by Judge in the Barnton goal.

Moments later, Deakin headed straight at the keeper when well-placed, eight yards from goal and then a Jonathon Priest free kick drifted inches wide of the goal.

Little had been seen of the home side in an attacking sense but Andy Moor saved well after 25 minutes from Williams.

A Barnton corner kick caused problems for Rylands and Rothwell should have done better with an unchallenged header which flew over the crossbar.

The second period saw the home side enjoy their best spell of the game early on as Rylands struggled to adjust to playing upward on the sloping pitch.

Webb tested Moor with a drive and Quirk fired well wide from inside the penalty area.

On the hour, Rylands lost top scorer James Daniels with an injury but his replacement Lee Dermody had a difficult chance shortly after coming on which he fired wide of the goal.

Deakin then volleyed a great effort wide and Page forced Moor into a great save as the game drew seemingly to a goal-less conclusion.

In the final minute of injury time, Rylands were cruelly denied when Bell lost possession 25 yards from goal and Quirk fired a crashing drive beyond Moor to give Barnton the spoils.

It was particularly cruel on Rylands who had produced a performance deserving of at least a point.

Dave Parr said: “It is difficult to know what to say when we have played so well, especially in the first half, and to have come away with nothing.

“The lads couldn’t really have given any more in terms of performance, although it is perhaps a lesson that we didn’t make the most of our opportunities when we were on top so much in the first half.

“If we keep playing as well as we did today then we will be okay and somebody soon will be on the receiving end I am sure.”

Rylands Moor, Brown, Duffy, Prescott, Brown, Lowe, Priest, Slater (J. Sinker), Bell, Daniels (Dermody), Deakin (Smith).