Barraclough brace earns Buxton three points

The Bucks had already beaten Ransbottom, Nantwich and Grantham home and away this season and they added a fourth team to that list, despite playing the majority of the second half with ten men.

Martin McIntosh’s side were comfortably the better side in the first half and led 1-0 at the interval but understandably lost the initiative for a spell after the 50th-minute dismissal of Alastair Taylor, for a challenge on left-back Luto.

However, Barra’s’ purple patch from the 70th-minute swung the pendulum back in Buxton’s favour and the advantage was retained with little discomfort - even though ten minutes of added time were played.

Stamford proved difficult opponents.

Confident after three consecutive clear victories, which had lifted the Daniels out of the relegation places, their spoiling tactics were generally not well-policed by the match officials, as the Bucks sought to attack by building passing movements.

Nonetheless, the game was entertaining from its lively outset.

Barraclough headed narrowly wide from an inswinging Jamie Green free-kick, while young home ‘keeper Myles Wright - remarkably 27 years the junior of his admirable veteran counterpart, Paul Bastock - grasped a fierce Newman drive at the second attempt.

Then Taylor on the attack lost the ball, won it back and crossed low only to see a defender hack it away from the goal-line.

It was no surprise when Buxton took a 21st-minute lead as recent centre-back signing Chris Salt headed home powerfully from a Green corner-kick to record his first goal for the club on his fourth appearance.

The lead looked to be in little danger and Green’s 30-yard drive went closest to the next goal but veered wide.

However, events at the opening of the second half turned fortunes on their head. Newman’s close-range equaliser and Taylor’s sending-off handed the initiative to Stamford and it took Buxton time to re-group and stabilise the situation, though the return of the much-missed Tom Buckley helped considerably.

Then Barra’ intervened with arguably his best five minutes for the club since that superbly-executed individual winning goal versus FC United at Bury four years ago.

Spencer Harris’s excellent pass set up his first score.

His pace and control took him past the outside of centre-back Hill before pulling his low shot across Bastock from a narrow angle into the far corner of the net.

Then his determined run up the right forced a corner-kick before his second goal arrived, courtesy of a sumptuous through-ball from the newly-introduced Alex Wiles.

Barraclough, by now the lone striker, sprinted away from his markers to send his low, totally composed finishing shot past the oncoming Bastock to put the points beyond Stamford’s reach.

BUXTON: Wright; Bembo-Leta (J), Salt (Bembo-Leta(F) 90+6), Young, Green; Taylor, Ravenhill, Harris, Doran (Buckley 62); Barraclough, Worsfold (Wiles71). Subs not used: Grayson, Burbeary.