BarryLFC

22.

A 0-0 draw at home to Partick and a 2-0 loss at Clyde made it five games without a goal since Gary Fraser's double brace against Falkirk. These were dire straits, and not the perfect preparation for a trip to Somerset Park. Once again we looked in big trouble as United struck first, but a superb effort from Paul King drew us level, and another bad run was killed dead. Martin Hardie restored the home team's lead though, and before even half an hour had been played we were 3-1 down, and forgetting taking anything from this one. A fourth Ayr goal on the hour mark and a fifth in the closing minutes sealed the points, and we had to hope this was us bottoming out.

We were dealt a devastating blow in midweek as Stephen Lynch made a £30,000 move to Sheffield United. Just two days later we welcomed Ross County, and the support were far from confident. Still we had some character, and took the lead after 29 minutes through Craig McGowan. How we celebrated! Infact we were still celebrating as Scott Allan equalised 34 seconds later. The 1-1 score held to half time and the second period was mercifully scoreless. The point kept us in eighth place, but only goal difference held us out of the relegation places.

Our last game of the month was in Inverness and anything we gained from that would be a bonus. Brian Byrne continued at right back, and the coaching staff are working to make him proficient in that role, but we had little hope of success. Byrne though was involved in the build-up to Paul King's 37th minute opener, a fine goal that stunned our hosts and sent us in ahead at the break. We had little doubt that we would spend much of the second half on the back foot, but as time wore on we felt more and more as if we had a chance to win the game. Paul Craig in goals was making saves, but with 20 minutes to go he was beaten by Keith Duncan and Caley were level. Three minutes later we led again, almost unbelievably, as King stabbed home a loose ball from eight yards out. From that moment we were charged with a huge defensive task, but Craig's form made it that much easier, and we held on to win and move up to sixth place with fourteen games gone.

BarryLFC

23.

A 2-0 win at home to Raith followed, and December was full of festive cheer as we won 3-1 at Falkirk and took a point from a 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone, the first of three consecutive home games, to extend our run to five games unbeaten, lifting us to fifth place, just three points from Ayr in second, though thirteen from leaders Ross County.

We have three games left this year, and one next, before our Scottish Cup participation begins at home to Montrose, but focus has to be directed to ensuring our First Division survival at this point. Queen of the South are no mugs, and with Davidson, Johnstone and Russell out we were starting our only two forwards with first team experience, and young David Fraser was on the bench. Not ideal by any manner of means. First half goals from Craig McGowan and Gareth Jones though had us in command, and we were piling on the pressure as the second half ticked past. With Queens failing to pose a threat we even sent on David Fraser for a run out, and our streak continued.

An early 2-0 lead over Clyde was promising, and our run looked set to continue, but Kevin McGlinchey halved the lead before the break and it was game on once again. We are arguably the division's form side, and we looked to move to seven games unbeaten here, but Clyde are no mugs and they too had ambitions of climbing the table - ambitions though that were put firmly on hold by a fine display of possession football from our boys sealing the three points. We ended the year at Partick, a side against whom we've shared 180 scoreless minutes this season already, so expectations were low. It took just 11 minutes though for Brian Byrne to nod us ahead from a free kick and three more for Partick to level as Manu Panther's deflected free kick beat Craig. The draw took us to eight undefeated, third in the table, and on a high as we bade farewell to 2006.

retired_pahuja_satish

good stuff here HD

BarryLFC

thanks

24.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts 1st Ross County 20 13 4 3 46 20 +26 43 2nd Ayr 20 10 6 4 41 18 +23 36 </pre><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">3rd Morton 20 8 7 5 25 18 +7 31 </pre><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">4th Clyde 20 9 4 7 28 30 -2 31 5th Inverness C. Thistle 20 9 3 8 30 35 -5 30 6th Raith Rovers 20 7 4 9 32 33 -1 25 7th Falkirk 20 7 3 10 33 40 -7 24 8th Partick Thistle 20 5 7 8 23 26 -3 22 9th St. Johnstone 20 5 4 11 23 39 -16 19 10th Queen of Sth. 20 5 2 13 21 43 -22 17</pre>

retired_mellnet

16 matches left and you have 12 points to make up. Good Luck.

retired_marcias

Ross County

BarryLFC

We've lost three of our best players this season, I don't think promotion is realistic!

BarryLFC

25.

A 0-0 draw at home to Ayr got league business out of the way before we beat up on Montrose, King and Wilson each helping themselves to hat-tricks against the Third Division side who lost Jacques Williams to a red card in the last minute of their 6-0 defeat. The draw for Round four would see us entertain SPL side Kilmarnock at Cappielow. A 3-0 loss at Ross County killed any lingering title dreams before we welcomed Inverness for our last home game of the month.

With Fulham and Livingston sniffing around misfit Scott Campbell we were somewhat surprised. Campbell hasn't featured this season, despite all our injuries, and with Andy Hamilton due back any day we'll take our chances without him. Inverness had no interest in any of this, but neither did we when Scott McGowan's wonder strike from fully 35 yards burst the Caley Thistle net, and Jones made it two within a minute. 2-0 after 8 minutes, and it got worse for Caley after 14 as they were reduced to 10 men when Stuart McCaffrey was dismissed. We looked to move in for the kill, but Inverness held firm to half time. After the break we started to take our foot off the pedal somewhat, and we were punished when Billy Mehmet halved our lead. Time though ran out on the Inverness revival and we walked away with the three points safely secured.

Scott Campbell moved to Fulham for £10,000 in the week, and before we even counted that cash we had to deal with offers for Paul King. Bradford were keen, but were insisting in a swap deal which was of no interest to us, but Cardiff came up with the cash we wanted - £20,000 - as did Bournemouth, and we waited on his decision. He took his time to decide, but eventually Paul King was a Cardiff player.

With Scott McGowan suspended Andy Hamilton made his comeback at St Johnstone in our final game of January, and David Davidson started in King's place. It was Davidson who opened the scoring after half an hour, but just before the break Saints levelled on a counter attack, and it was as you were for the second half. Saints took the lead with fifteen minutes to go, but a stunning last minute effort from Robert Dunn, on for Johnston, gave us a good away point, and left us a creditable fourth in the table.

BarryLFC

26.

We won the game at Raith twice. By half time we led 2-0, but with 12 minutes to go we were level, and had just missed a penalty. John Johnston atoned by tucking away the rebound however, and Mark Wilson's second of the game secured us three lovely, lovely points. We next welcomed Kilmarnock on cup duty, and with the pressure off we put on a decent show, rebounding from Scott Johnstone's opener to level through Gareth Jones, and earn a lucrative replay at Rugby Park.

David Davidson scored a goal at home to Falkirk, clearly aware of Brian Johnstone's return to fitness and to the bench, and in the process handed us a lead we doubled just before half time when he grabbed another. With the game won i sent Johnstone on for half an hour, and almost immediately Ian MacSween halved the defecit. It didn't matter in the end - we won and moved past our pre-season target of 40 points. Whilst we waited anxiously for our cup replay we were forced to travel to Dumfries for the latest league fixture, settled in the end by a late Quinn goal for the home team.

The cup tie had a cash-bonanza as its prize, with the winner drawn to face Rangers in the Quarter Finals, but it got off to an horrific start as Killie took an early lead, and quickly made it 2-0. Brian Byrne pulled one back, but a third Killie goal on the stroke of half time killed off our hopes. We put in a decent shift after the break, and Johnstone looked lively, but we were out of our depth and the cup run, and effectively our season, ended here. We ended February at Clyde where two second half goals from Mark Wilson handed us three points that moved us five points clear in third, an academic eight behind Ayr in second, themselves nine behind County.

BarryLFC

27.

We welcomed Partick for the final time this season on March 3rd, and both sides were keen to avoid a fourth successive draw. The visitors led at half time, but Brian Johnstone's first goal since coming back from injury tied it up 15 minutes from time. Still there was a chance for Partick to win it, and they led again with three minutes left as a corner was headed home, but these sides are not to be seperated, and Gary Murphy's first goal of the season, of his career, on his debut, tied it up in the last minute.

A free week followed with our scheduled opponents playing in the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals, a replay which ended Ayr 1-3 Inverness, but we were soon back in action, welcoming Ross County to Cappielow for our final meeting of the campaign. A nineteenth minute own goal gave us the advantage, and Brian Johnstone made it 2-0 fifteen minutes before half time. After the break we looked to keep it tight, and our task was made easier by Johnstone's second five minutes in. A second own goal by the same guy sho scored the first sealed the points, and the race was on to see who would complete their hat-trick first, the County defender or Johnstone. In the meantime Gareth Jones made it 5-0, and that was how the game ended as we beat up on the champions-elect.

We travelled to Ayr on Wednesday night for our rearranged game with some fans talking of closing the gap to second place. For me it was pretty irrelevant - second, third, eighth all count for the same in this league. Stewart Kean put Ayr ahead early on, but by the 17th minute we led 2-1 through Wilson and Jones, and that held until the first 66 seconds of the second half when Mark McColl levelled for the home side. Kean grabbed the winner with twenty minutes to go and we fell eleven points behind Ayr, who closed to within five of County who are slumping.

Inverness are closing in on our third place now, and scored early on as we visited, but a Wilson goal tied it up fairly quickly. Caley though were looking impressive and netted a penalty rebound before Brian Johnstone scrambled one in from 2 inches to tie it up a second time. A controversial offside flag prevented us going ahead on the hour, and moments later Johnstone contrived to head over from less than 2 yards out. Within seconds though we did lead, Johnstone scrambled free on the left and squared for Wilson to tap into the gaping net. Johnstone made it four soon after, but i cruelly denied both strikers a hat-trick by subbing them soon after. The three points moved us eight points clear in third, and with four games to go that seems likely to be our final position.