Man Utd v Barnet - Daily Mail
Posted on: Thu 27 Oct 2005
United youngsters swat Bees
Barnet's Carling Cup trip to the Theatre of Dreams took just 100 seconds to turn into a chilling nightmare that ended in a 4-1 defeat.
Boss Paul Fairclough's plans for the League Two outfit's eagerly-awaited clash with Manchester United were so meticulous, he even had the crowd noise from Saturday's Premiership encounter with Tottenham piped across training on Monday.
What Fairclough could not account for in his preparations was a total brainstorm from his goalkeeper Ross Flitney who plucked a routine pass forward out of the air under no pressure at all outside his area to that saw his side reduced to ten men - giving the minnows no chance of causing an upset.
If ever there was a case for referees being allowed to use discretion in administering the game, this was it. Virtually to a man, the 43,673 crowd - the lowest at Old Trafford for six years - disapproved of Beeby's decision to reach into his pocket with a shrug and wave the red card in Flitney's face.
After spending so long looking forward to a day he should have been able to remember with fondness forever, Flitney was inconsolable as he headed to the dressing room. Spare a thought too for striker Louis Soares, the man sacrificed for the introduction of Flitney's replacement Scott Tynan, substituted without even kicking a ball.
To make matters worse, Liam Miller, a man who definitely had something to prove, exacted even further punishment by superbly curling the free-kick into the top corner.
After bringing a superb save from Tynan not long after Miller had opened United's account, Keiran Richardson went on to double United's lead.
By that time, a close-range Giuliano Grazioli effort had been ruled out for offside, so Fairclough and his side presumably knew it was not going to be their night.
Giuseppe Rossi made it three when Lee Martin cut a cross back five minutes after the break for him to fire into the corner with clinical efficiency.
Dean Sinclair did bring the visiting fans to life late on when he seized on Gerard Pique's blunder and fired home. But the final word went to United, and Ebanks-Blake, who nipped in after Rossi had knocked Miller's long ball into his path, swerved round Tynan and tapped into the empty net.
Barnet's Carling Cup trip to the Theatre of Dreams took just 100 seconds to turn into a chilling nightmare that ended in a 4-1 defeat.
Boss Paul Fairclough's plans for the League Two outfit's eagerly-awaited clash with Manchester United were so meticulous, he even had the crowd noise from Saturday's Premiership encounter with Tottenham piped across training on Monday.
What Fairclough could not account for in his preparations was a total brainstorm from his goalkeeper Ross Flitney who plucked a routine pass forward out of the air under no pressure at all outside his area to that saw his side reduced to ten men - giving the minnows no chance of causing an upset.
If ever there was a case for referees being allowed to use discretion in administering the game, this was it. Virtually to a man, the 43,673 crowd - the lowest at Old Trafford for six years - disapproved of Beeby's decision to reach into his pocket with a shrug and wave the red card in Flitney's face.
After spending so long looking forward to a day he should have been able to remember with fondness forever, Flitney was inconsolable as he headed to the dressing room. Spare a thought too for striker Louis Soares, the man sacrificed for the introduction of Flitney's replacement Scott Tynan, substituted without even kicking a ball.
To make matters worse, Liam Miller, a man who definitely had something to prove, exacted even further punishment by superbly curling the free-kick into the top corner.
After bringing a superb save from Tynan not long after Miller had opened United's account, Keiran Richardson went on to double United's lead.
By that time, a close-range Giuliano Grazioli effort had been ruled out for offside, so Fairclough and his side presumably knew it was not going to be their night.
Giuseppe Rossi made it three when Lee Martin cut a cross back five minutes after the break for him to fire into the corner with clinical efficiency.
Dean Sinclair did bring the visiting fans to life late on when he seized on Gerard Pique's blunder and fired home. But the final word went to United, and Ebanks-Blake, who nipped in after Rossi had knocked Miller's long ball into his path, swerved round Tynan and tapped into the empty net.
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