Brilliant Barton stun Stevenage in the FA Youth Cup

A brilliant injury-time free-kick from Mahmut Caglar saw Barton Rovers U18s upset Football League rivals Stevenage in the first round of the FA Youth Cup on Friday night and earn a tie against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the second round.

Manager Iain Rennie said: “The attitude, togetherness and desire in this set of lads is a credit to themselves and the club.

“They don’t care who they are playing, they have a belief in themselves and each other that makes them a very special group.”

It was Rovers’ fifth tie in the competition against a League One Boro side who had progressed all the way to the fourth round last season.

A tight first half saw chances at either end, but nothing to worry the keepers as both defences looked solid.

Boro pressed for 10 minutes before the break and continued to do so after the interval.

Stevenage proceeded to create more as the half wore on as the part-timers tired, but great defensive organisation and determination kept them out.

And it was Barton who pressed for a winner in the final 10 minutes and scored the winner deep into stoppage-time when Caglar, who had already had two ‘sighters’ fly over the bar, curled into the top corner top corner to snatch victory.

First team manager Dan Kennoy added: “The U18s have done extremely well and helping change people’s opinions of Barton Rovers along with the success of the first team.

“We work closely with the U18 management team and have integrated a large number of the U18s into the reserve team already this season, we are hoping that during the second half of the season we would have broken a few of the U18s through to the first team for a promotion push.”

Blues: Fulton, Condon, Norman, O’Neill, Reinsford (D’Souza), Sweeney, Dawudo (Gardner), Large (Woodcock), Burke, Johnson, Caglar. Substitutes not used: Buckle, Madziya

Attendance: 215.