08/08/2026
AFC Mallard 3–1 Barnbrough Club
Boys are back!
The boys are back — despite a few late dropouts and a manager currently living his best life in Marbella!
With the gaffer away, Harvey and Robbie stepped up to take charge of the team, and they certainly won’t be complaining about the result
It was a slow start for both sides, with the pitch not exactly helping matters. But after around 10 minutes, AFC Mallard started to find their rhythm, playing football like they’d never had a break.
The ball was kept on the floor, moved around nicely, and there were plenty of signs that the hard work at goals is starting to pay off. Barnbrough, meanwhile, opted for a more direct approach, often going straight from defence to attack and completely bypassing their midfield. Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t working, as the Mallard defence stood firm.
Rak was getting stuck into everything, while Coist and Adam remained calm under pressure. Paul was also showing his class before being forced off with an injury.
In midfield, Joe and Callum were showing plenty of physicality whenever Barnbrough tried to play through the middle. Josh was picking out some incisive passes, while Carl Norman was being a nuisance as always.
Up top, Rog and Joe Watts were keeping the Barnbrough defenders under pressure and looking dangerous.
The first change saw Dom drop into the number 10 role, with Oggy moving up top. It didn’t take long for the change to pay off. Some great football through the middle saw Dom receive the ball on the edge of the box. He took his chance…
He shoots. He scores. 1–0 Mallard.
The second goal was another beauty. A deep corner from Oggy found the head of Carl Norman, who made absolutely no mistake. What a goal it was.
2–0 Mallard.
The third was arguably the pick of the bunch. New signing Joe Watts unleashed a thunderous volley that took a deflection, leaving the Barnbrough keeper stranded in no man’s land.
3–0 Mallard.
Barnbrough did manage to pull one back through James Kellock. He claims he shot…
We’ll call it a cross.
3–1.
And that was how it finished.
A really positive run-out for the Mallard, with plenty of good football on show, some great individual performances and, most importantly, valuable minutes in the legs ahead of the season getting underway on 6th September.
The break is over.
The Mallard are back.