Men's 1st XI Vs Barton 2

South Nottingham 1s delivered an impressive second-half performance to seal a comprehensive 6-2 victory over Barton 2s. After a competitive first half, the home side found their rhythm and dominated after the break.

The match began with South coming out of the blocks strongly. Inside the first ten minutes, Carlos opened the scoring with a clinical reverse stick finish from the left side of the D, slamming the ball into the bottom right corner to give the hosts the lead.

However, Barton quickly responded, equalising just ten minutes later to make it 1-1. Despite continued pressure from South, including a handful of chances that went unconverted, the first half ended level, with the home side left frustrated by their inability (Finn and Tom B) to take the lead.

A motivational team talk at half-time seemed to invigorate South, as they came out with renewed energy after the break. The second goal came swiftly, with Hamza and Carlos linking up beautifully down the left wing. Hamza finished off the move with a composed strike inside the near post, putting South back in front at 2-1.

Just five minutes later, Robbie added a third for South, driving into the D and setting up Carlos to take it around the keeper and slot it home for 3-1. The momentum was firmly with South, and the match was effectively sealed when Carlos completed his hat-trick with a well-executed flick from a short corner into the bottom right corner to make it 4-1.

Barton did pull one back to reduce the deficit to 4-2, but South responded in style. Tom B and Robbie combined in a swift counterattack, with Tom squaring the ball across goal for Robbie to finish at the back post, restoring South’s three-goal advantage at 5-2.

The final goal came courtesy of Toby’s skillful work down the right, where he evaded the Barton defence and fed a simple tap-in to Carlos at the back post, completing the 6-2 scoreline.

This dominant second-half performance demonstrates the potential of this South Nottingham side, and the team will look to build on this momentum heading into next week’s fixture. With a solid team performance and a clinical edge, there is much to be optimistic about moving forward.