A penalty stroke in either half from Harpreet Singh gave Barford Tigers a welcome home win over Chelmsford in their Division One clash.

The Barford Tigers set-piece maestro struck as early as the eighth minute of the game when Chelmsford captain Andrew Kennedy's forced error in front of his own goal exposed goalkeeper David Carter.

Although Carter prevented a goal, it was at the expense of a penalty as he fouled a Tigers forward in the process during the match on Sunday.

Then, in the 57th minute, a mistimed challenge from player/coach Craig Fulton presented Singh with another opportunity from the spot, with the same result.

While Alan Thorogood scored a spectacular solo effort for Chelmsford three minutes from time, it was too late to make a difference, as Barford clung on desperately to their lead.

The early indications were that Chelmsford would probably just shade the game. Time and again they pressed deep along the flanks and worked the ball along the Barford back line. Sadly, the finishing touch was not quite there.

As the game wore on, so Tigers became more of a force and Chelmsford struggled to move the ball around with any great pace.

A draw might have been seen as a fair result but, in the circumstances, the team who took their chances ran out as the winners, albeit by the slimmest of margins.

After the match, Fulton was understandably disappointed. He said: "This is a game we really should have won.

"It was very similar to last week in that we didn't seem to put in the effort necessary to win games at this level. We seemed to play well within our capabilities, and some of the players have to recognise that this is a problem that must be resolved."

Another area of concern for Fulton is certain to be Chelmsford's lacklustre penalty corners. After three games, they have still not managed to find the back of the net from a corner, and that is a huge handicap at this level. Five penalty corners were won in this game and all went begging.

Fortunately, Chelmsford now have a two-week break before their next match, away to much-improved Firebrands on October 26. The following day, Chelmsford travel to Bath to take on second division University of Bath Buccaneers.

Published Friday October 25, 2002