Daventry Town Manager Darran Foster was a relieved man, `At last a game of league football, but it clearly showed we had not played for a month! `The first thirty five minutes was the sloppiest we have played all year, having not played for a month, it was expected to a degree, but we were so far off our game, it was unbelievable! We had our moments when Robinson hit the post and Luke Keen`s header going so close, but all over the field we looked five yards slower, than I would have expected!
Winger Mykel Beckley started a game for the first time since the FA Cup defeat at Chesterfield and centre back Marcel Simpson was missing due to a knee injury sustained in a domestic accident! The two new signings Jimmy Husband and Will Green, started watching the action from the substitute’s bench!
The Daventry midfield struggled to get into the match in the first twenty minutes, wide men Josh O`Grady and Mykel Beckley seeing very little of the ball! Rovers enjoyed far more possession early in the game, creating several good efforts on goal. Striker Joe Reynolds hit a shot over the bar and then he forced an excellent fingertip save, around the post from Daventry keeper Richard Morris.
Ashley Robinson beat Rovers keeper Kyle Forster, but his shot bounced off the post to safety, minutes before Josh O`Grady forced a save from the Rovers keeper Forster low to his right.
Rovers went ahead after twenty two minutes, centre forward Jermaine Hall stroking his shot to the left of Morris, the home side making the most of a strong wind blowing to their advantage!
Luke Keen had a couple of chances to get Daventry back in the game, heading narrowly wide from a Ross Oulton free kick and was desperately unlucky, when narrowly failing to get on the end of a Robinson shot in front of goal!
The match appeared to swing in Daventry`s favour after Rovers defender Liam McDevittt was shown a straight red card, when he inexplicably caught the ball in his own penalty area, denying Luke Keen a goal scoring opportunity. Unfortunately for Daventry, Rovers keeper Kyle Forster pulled off a brilliant one handed save, to deny Keen a goal scoring celebration!
Foster agreed it was a crucial incident in the match, ``The turning point was the moment of madness from their full back, which gifted us the penalty and the man advantage, because from then on we dominated the game. The substitutions introduced some much needed quality into our game, Jimmy Husband, Tom James and Will Green really sparked us into life.
Rovers did everything to slow the game down, taking an age to put the ball back in to play from goal kicks and throw – ins, frustrating the Daventry players and small contingent of `Purple Army` supporters.
Daventry were struggling to find any kind of rhythm, until a double substitution from Manager Darran Foster, bringing on new signings Jimmy Husband and Will Green appeared to rejuvenate the team! Will Green had a shot saved by the keepers boot and Jimmy Husband got on the far end of a cross, to thump the ball beyond a sprawling Kyle Forster, to put Daventry level. Unfairly Ashley Robinson was booked for trying to retrieve the ball from the net!
Once that goal had gone in, there was only going to be one winner, Ashley Robinson having a header cleared off the line and several other goal scoring chances threatening the Rovers net.
It was left to top goal scorer Ashley Robinson to fire in the winning goal, getting on the end of a smart cross to turn and fire his shot high past the desperate Rovers keeper. For a good percentage of the match, Daventry had struggled to impose themselves on a resolute and determined Rovers team. The players were obviously not `match perfect`, having not played a league match for so long, but they had come back from being a goal behind at half – time, to beat one of their play – off rivals, in their own back yard!
Foster had been a worried man, up until that point! ``The game had been creeping away from us and the constant time wasting was becoming a real frustration, made worse by the officials appearing to do nothing about it, although he did add nine minutes on at the end, which we didn’t want! Husbands finish was of such high quality and Robinson continues to score some very important goals!
`We had the rub of the green, but it’s about time something went in our favour! Our second half performance was full of life and character that was pre Chesterfield! `Marcel Simpson is out with a swollen knee, but I expect to see him back next week. I now have a very good squad of players, which I shall be looking to rotate to keep everyone fit and healthy. We have a huge task in hand, if we are to stay in touch with the leaders, we will need to put in some massive performances, if we are to win those seven games and keep pace with Rugby Town. If we can find our sharpness quickly and start a good run of results, I am sure it will be close come the end of the season !
Two goals in the last fourteen minutes had secured all three points for Town, the two new signings Jimmy Husband and Will Green, coming on as substitutes, helping to turn the game in Daventry`s favour!
On Saturday Daventry play their first game at Communications Park for six weeks, when they host AFC Hayes! A big crowd is expected to welcome back Southern league football to, `The Park!
Next Wednesday Daventry Town travel down the M1 to Leighton Buzzard to play Aylesbury United, who ground share with Leighton Town!
Jim Davis
Sports Writer

Match Facts:
Barton Rovers 1 Daventry Town 2
Saturday 22nd February 2014
Competition: Calor League Central Division One
Location: Sharpenhoe Road, Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire
Daventry: Richard Morris, Ollie Wilkinson, Josh Blake (Tom James 67mins), Liam Dolman, Ashley Deeney, Adam Confue, Ross Oulton, Ashley Robinson, Luke Keen, Josh O`Grady (Jimmy Husband 63mins), Mykel Beckley (Will Green 63mins)
Goal scorers: Daventry: Jimmy Husband 76mins, Ashley Robinson 83mins. Barton Rovers: Jermaine Hall 22mins
Man of the Match: Ashley Robinson
In the book: Yellows – Ashley Robinson (76mins), Luke Keen (87mins) Ross Oulton (89mins)
Attendance: 100