Despite early pressure Atherstone took an early lead only to be pegged back on the half hour by a Kevin Charley strike.
The second half saw the Canaries move up a gear and dominate scoring three more goals to underline their superiority.

Jimmy Ginnelly put his whole squad through their paces with only Lewis Dodd, Tom Giddings and James Ginnelly on the sidelines as they return from injury.

The game started well for the visitors as they pushed forward on a grassy surface that could be described as “a little uneven underneath”.

Although Atherstone are now in the Alliance, it must be remembered that their demotion was not due to relegation but to their resignation from the Zamaretto Midlands at the end of last season.

After five minutes of pressure from Barwell, the ball ended on the edge of the visitors’ box. Liam Castle advanced and Ricki Baines misheard his call resulting in a ball that flew loose across the edge of the area to the feet of Markus Medics. The Atherstone forward had the easiest of jobs to lob the ball goalwards and into the open net to give the home side the lead.

Barwell could have responded a minute later as a looping ball from the left was not dealt with by Ian Kimberley in the Atherstone goal. Jamie Towers helped the ball towards the line and with the attackers imploring the Assistant referee to agree that the ball had crossed the line, it was scrambled away for only a corner.

The Adders responded and with 12 minutes played Adam Hadley was able to head the ball against Liam Castle’s left post.

After 25 minutes, Castle again had to be at his sharpest as the impressive Tom Weale rifled in a throw under the Barwell stopper’s bar. He juggled the ball but gathered safely at the second attempt.

With 31 minutes played, Dale Farley pierced the Barwell defence and shot across Castle. Fortunately, he dived well and gathered the ball cleanly on his line.

A minute later, Barwell got back on level terms as Luke Barlone crossed an excellent ball from the left onto the six yard line where Kev Charley was waiting to head home.

Soon after, following an infringement just inside the Barwell half, Adam Hadley floated a telling free kick into the Barwell box and Weale, ever threatening, headed the ball which rebounded up against the visitors’ bar. However, despite continued pressure from the hosts as the half came towards an end, the Barwell defence stayed firm and kept out an enthusiastic home attack.

The last couple of minutes belonged to Barwell as they pushed for a lead before the break but Atherstone’s defence held firm and the sides went in at 1-1.

The Canaries made wholesale changes after the break to allow the rest of the squad to feature and Jimmy Ginnelly did not have to wait long to see his decisions bear fruit.

Within a minute of the restart the ball fell to Scott Hadland who unleashed a 25 yard thunderbolt that ricocheted off the bar and deflected over the line to give Barwell the lead.

Five minutes later, Towers made a searching run to the edge of the box where he was brought down. Towers himself took the kick and drew a decent stop from Kimberley of Atherstone.

With 61 minutes played, Farley again split the defence and tried to lob the advancing Castle. He struck a little too vigorously and the ball crept over the bar.

After 69 minutes, David Pearson showed a moment of class as he lobbed a defender and the Adders’ keeper only to see his effort drift wide.

The last quarter of the game belonged to Barwell as they increased their lead through Pearson on 73 minutes. Having received the ball from Hadland, he shot from 20 yards and the ball went over the line via the left post.

On 80 minutes, Barwell cemented the victory as Nigel Julien fed the ball the Jai Stanley two yards outside the box. His shot deflected off the underside of the bar and into the net to give Barwell an unassailable 4-1 lead.

Nigel Julien had a chance to increase the lead in the dying minutes as he shot across the goal only to find Matty Silvester on the line to clear the ball.

Another convincing performance from the Canaries as they continue their preseason build-up. Jimmy Ginnelly has a wealth of talent to call on and is now starting to identify the team who will mount his campaign. The first League match will be away against Chesham United on the 13th August.

Team: 1st half: Liam Castle, Scott Lower, Adam Wykes, Richard Letts, Ricki Baines, Jai Stanley, Jamie Towers, Scott Rickards, Luke Barlone, Kev Charley, Nigel Julien.

2nd half: Liam Castle (Leon Oswald 80), Scott Lower, Adam Wykes (Jai Stanley 74), Chris Hollist, Ricki Baines (Richard Letts 67), Scott Hadland (Kev Charley 74), Jamie Towers (Nigel Julien 63), Scott Rickards (Louis Hamilton 48), Matt Gardner, David Pearson, Harry Harris.

Goals: Charley 32 (assist Barlone), Hadland 46, Pearson 73 (assist Hadland), Stanley 80 (assist Julien)

Attendance 160.