Abbey Hey 1 - 2 Barnoldswick Town

Date: Saturday 10th July 2010

Competition: Preseason Friendly

Venue: Abbey Stadium, Gorton, Manchester

Attendance: ???

Some photos from the preseason friendly match between Abbey Hey and Barnoldswick Town.

Bootle 3 - 2 Newcastle Town

Thursday 6th April 2010
Vodkat League Challenge Cup Quarter Final
Delta Taxis Stadium, Bootle, Merseyside
Attendance: 115

Cup football on a bright early summers evening, the good times are surely ahead as winter disappears. It’s still an extremely surreal feeling to be at an evening kick-off match in bright sunlight, as it always is at this time of year. But we’re up for the cup tonight as the League Challenge Cup reaches the quarter final stage, but extremely tough opposition block the progression route. Newcastle Town, runaway Premier Division leaders and almighty conquerors of most before them, come to the Delta Taxis Stadium looking for a semi-final place of their own, that is, when they eventually found the ground itself.

7:10pm and the phone rings, informing that Newcastle Town had somehow managed to get themselves lost somewhere in Birkenhead, Birkenhead of all places! Lord knows there were traffic problems outside the ground pre-kickoff due to the Grand National Meeting starting up, but whoever gave them those directions surely couldn’t have been a local. Somewhat understandably, kickoff was delayed 15 minutes to allow warm-ups to be completed, which just grew the sense of anticipation before the start of the game. Two very good teams going one on one in a cup scenario, this could be a night of cracking football entertainment.

So when everybody was finally ready and the two sides had made their way onto the field, referee Cropp called the two captains together to start the formalities. Bootle were in their home colours of all blur and Newcastle Town were in their third strip (I believe) of all yellow. On a perfect night weather wise, it would be “The Bucks” to get the match underway. The opening stages of the game were fairly even with both sides quickly settling into their rhythms, Bootle got forward a little more frequently than their visitors but the Newcastle Town defence stood up comfortably to what was thrown at them. The first real point of note in the match would be a significant one and it came in the 12th minute, Newcastle Town were reduced to ten men. Daniel O’Connor got the header on his defender Kelvin Mellor and the latter tugged O’Connor back and brought him to the floor when he was the last man. Referee Cropp awarded Bootle a free kick, but took the ultimate decision to show Mellor the red card, only after looking over at his linesman and mouthing the word “red” in his direction before giving a facial expression of acceptance. I’m not convinced he was entirely sure of his decision. O’Connor wasn’t in a position to have a clear goal scoring opportunity when he was fouled but the action had been taken and Newcastle Town now had the undesirable task of playing the rest of the match a man short. The resultant free kick was taken by Carl Dale but struck straight at the wall before being put wide of the goal.

Bootle looked to be spurred on by the sending off and began to apply pressure to the Newcastle Town goal, winning themselves a corner in the 14th minute after a shot from range was deflected behind goal by a Newcastle Town defender. The corner was taken into the danger area and Jamie Hay got his head to it, but the referee deemed he had climbed on a Newcastle defender in order to do so and he was penalised for this infringement, thus killing off the threat. Newcastle had a good effort on goal saved in the 19th minute when a cross from the wing was too strong for everybody waiting in the box but recovered by Matthew Platt. Platt was closed down by Mark Kilroy but managed to sidestep him and fire off a low shot at the near post, but keeper Mark Mawdsley got down well to make the required save. Another opportunity for the hosts came a minute later when some patient build-up play eventually saw a long range shot take a deflection on its route to goal, but Newcastle keeper Greg Smith managed to read it and get down low to make the save. Bootle had competed well to this point and looked the more likely to score, but it would be the visitors that would take the lead in the 26th minute after being awarded a free kick on the wing. Paul Donnelly delivered the set piece into the penalty area and Neville Thompson rose the highest to glance the ball towards goal with his head and beat the keeper to put Newcastle Town into the lead. Bootle didn’t let their heads drop though and were back on the attack in the 32nd minute when they won themselves a corner, the delivery of which was taken to the back of the penalty area where Jamie Hay met it with a header, but the Newcastle Town defence watched it all the way as it went wide of the left hand post. Another half chance for the hosts came in the 35th minute when a aerial ball into the penalty area was picked up by Daniel O’Connor but he was quickly closed down by Karl Espley and the ball deflected into the air. Jamie Hay came steaming in to try and get his head to it but took out Newcastle Town keeper Greg Smith in the process, which earned him a talking to from Referee Cropp. Newcastle Town had a chance to extend their lead in the 38th minute when a careless foul from Michael Carberry on Jonathan Sheldon saw the latter hit the floor. The free kick was in an attacking position and was taken by Paul Donnelly but was just too high and wide of the upright and the scores remained the same.

The half was to end in highly controversial circumstances though as in time added on, Daniel O’Connor made a rather reckless challenge on Newcastle’s Jonathan Sheldon. Referee Cropp then appeared to point to the penalty spot, before jogging over to where Sheldon lay stricken and then changing his mind to awarding a free kick right on the edge of the box. This did not please the Newcastle Town fans and somewhat understandably so, but after taking O’Connor’s name and producing the yellow card, Cropp then caused more controversy by blowing the half time whistle as Newcastle were lining up their set piece. Time on the half had run out before they were allowed to take it and the match officials left the pitch for the break receiving quite some stick from the supporters. Moments of controversy aside though, this has been an excellent game of football with some very good play, at least from my point of view. Bootle will possibly be the more frustrated of the two sides as they haven’t managed to take advantage of their extra man. But this cup tie is still very much in the balance and hopefully the entertainment value will continue in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Bootle 0 – 1 Newcastle Town

Bootle’s start to the second half was emphatic as in the 47th minute the scores were brought level. Daniel O’Connor latched onto an aerial through ball on the edge of the penalty area and executed a perfect lob shot that left the keeper stranded and entered the corner of the net, the celebrations began amongst the home supporters and Bootle were back on level terms. The game approached the hour mark with the scores still level but Bootle were looking the more composed team, they were getting forward frequently but found their efforts frustratingly ruled out for offside on four consecutive occasions. But their pressure and good play was eventually rewarded in the 65th minute when Bootle took the lead.

Liam Loughlin held the ball on the edge of the penalty area before finding himself half a yard of space in which to shoot, and his effort had a slight curl that beat keeper Smith and entered the top corner of the net in a fine finish to give the hosts the lead for the first time, nothing really shot of what they deserved. Jamie Hay then had his name taken by referee Cropp in the 72nd minute for persistent fouling, before Newcastle Town began to turn on the pressure looking for the equaliser. The visitors won themselves a corner in the 76th minute and the delivery of this was headed behind goal by Jamie Hay for another corner. The delivery of the second one was much the same as the first but this time it was Newcastle’s Chirrs Boast that got his head to it, but he couldn’t keep it on target and the ball sailed away from danger for a goal kick to Bootle. But the pressure would tell in the 81st minute when the game took another twist in the 81st minute, Newcastle Town equalised. A corner delivery was sent into the penalty area and Andrew Bourne lost his marker to have a free header into the net as Bootle were undone from another set piece. Just under ten minutes to go then and it was all square again with extra time looming on the horizon. Referee Cropp then found another opportunity to brandish the yellow card as, after being penalised for a challenge, Newcastle’s Jordan Johnson said a little too much to the match official and his name was taken into the book. But as all cup ties have, the memorable moment from this one came in the 87th minute, when Bootle scored what turned out to be the winning goal. The ball was worked down the wing before coming to Jamie Hay on the edge of the penalty box, Hay struck a shot that took a slight deflection before hitting the back of the net to spark more celebrations amongst the home supporters, the realisation hitting home that Bootle might just very well have won the match. But even with all this action going on, there was still time for one last moment of controversy and one that could have seen the visitors draw level.

A flicked on header from an aerial ball struck a Bootle defender on the arm in the penalty area before being cleared by another defender and the Newcastle Town appeals amongst players and supporters went up to a man. My gut feeling was penalty, but referee Cropp waved away the appeals and Bootle survived the scare, much to the displeasure of everybody associated with Newcastle Town. But the full time whistle followed not long after and Bootle had done it, Newcastle Town had been defeated and The Bucks will advance into the semi-finals of the competition.

What an exceptional cup tie that was, if ever there was an advert for NWCFL football then this was it. Sending offs, penalty appeals, cards left right and centre, 5 goals and an absolutely cracking match that swung one way and then the other and back again. Referee Cropp failed to shadow himself in much glory and Newcastle Town are not a happy side because of this, but Bootle more than matched their shorthanded opponents for much of the game and are worthy winners of the contest, certainly not the result I was expecting before kickoff. Not that it needed it, but my faith in cup football has been well and truly bolstered tonight after witnessing a fantastic contest between two very good sides indeed. A trip to Manchester and Abbey Hey awaits in the semi-final, but its beck to league action before thoughts can be turned to that. A great game that I was glad I was there to see.

Full Time:
Bootle 3 – 2 Newcastle Town

Formby 1-0 Bootle

Date: Monday 5th April 2010
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Premier Div
Venue: Altcar Road, Formby, Merseyside
Attendance: ???

Derby day on Merseyside, no no, forget your reds and blues of Liverpool and Everton, it’s the NWCFL fixture between Formby and Bootle. And whilst this match may not have the coverage and glamour of the other mentioned fixture, both sides will be desperate to get the bragging rights over each other and more importantly, another three points on their league totals. Bootle will almost certainly be favourites in their current form and with Formby coming into this match off the back of a stinging 2-6 defeat against Congleton Town at the weekend. The pitch looks difficult, long untendered grass and boggy in the centre, it could be a tough and tiring encounter for the players this afternoon. The other notable weather condition here is the very strong wind that’s blowing from one end of the ground to the other, a definite advantage to the team with this at their backs.

So under sunny skies but blustery conditions, the two sides made their way out of the changing rooms and onto the pitch, Formby in their home colours of dark blue and fluorescent green whilst Bootle are in their away strip of yellow shirts and black shorts. The referee’s coin toss sees the two teams switch ends before kickoff, it would be Formby that would have the wind at their back for the first half. The gathered crowd didn’t have to wait too long for the scoring to be opened as the 4th minute produced the goal. Formby won themselves a free kick in an attacking position and Jon Lawless was tasked with taking the set piece, and he struck a curling effort with his left foot that bent around the wall and past the dive of keeper Mawdsley to hit the back of the net. Formby had the early impetus in the derby fixture then and were using the conditions well. Bootle got their first chance to threaten in the 8th minute when they were awarded a free kick on the corner of the penalty area when Kieran Dolan brought down Jamie Hay. Mark Kilroy’s delivery of the set piece into the box was met by the head of Jamie Hay unmarked, but the Bootle forward couldn’t keep the effort on target and the ball sailed wide of the post when he should perhaps have done a little better. Bootle captain Neil McQueen was then substituted in the 11th minute after picking up an injury and limping and Ian Johnson came on in his place, safe to say this wasn’t the best start to a match Bootle could have hoped for. And it should have gotten worse in the 15th minute when Formby’s William Williamson (I kid you not) headed a great cross over the crossbar from three yards out in what was a calamitous miss for the home side. Two minutes later, Formby went closer still to doubling their lead courtesy of Bootle defender Sean Coulton. A long ball forward from Liam Lane was headed backwards by Coulton and completely stranded his goalkeeper, the ball approached the goal in seemingly slow motion before hitting the post and rebounding back into play, allowing keeper Mawdsley to scramble back and recover it. Bootle were living slightly dangerously in these opening stages of the match, despite this though, they should really have equalised in the 19th minute when a header forward by Jamie Hay was picked up by David O’Connor and he only had the keeper to beat. O’Connor hit a shot that Formby keeper Adam Judge saved well, before the rebound fell to Ian Johnson with an open net and the forward couldn’t find the net with his effort. A great chance for Bootle then that they couldn’t take but they were now seemingly beginning to find their stride a little. The next chance would fall to Formby in the 23rd minute when they worked the ball to Paul Hopkins on the edge of the box and he struck an effort with his left foot, but unfortunately for him it went nowhere near the target and a long way wide. Both sides were finding the conditions tricky at this stage and a lot of the match was played out in the midfield where the passing game was being thwarted a little by the bog of a pitch, but Formby were the next to create a half chance when they won themselves a corner in the 31st minute. The corner delivery was recovered by the Bootle defence and they began to formulate their attack down the field, but this was cut short by a very nasty challenge from Joe Evans on Liam Loughlin and the referee promptly presented Evans with a yellow card. Bootle managed to get the ball into the net in the 33rd minute when Andrew Bailey played a through ball for Liam Loughlin and the latter beat keeper Judge at his near post, but the linesman’s flag had been raised and the goal wouldn’t stand due to an offside infringement. Neither side could create a killer opportunity in the remainder of the half and Bootle would enter the half time break trailing by a single goal, but I’m not sure they have too much to worry about at this stage as they have done as well as they can in the circumstances. They’ve been against the wind where long balls just hang in the air, on a pitch where players have been struggling to keep their feet. So both long ball and ground football have been difficult ventures. But with the conditions favouring Bootle in the 2nd half I can see the deficit they currently face being pegged back and I can’t see Formby coping with the conditions as well as Bootle have. Time will tell, but I suspect this match is a long way from over yet.

Half Time:
Formby 1 – 0 Bootle

Bootle got off to a good start in the 2nd half and were awarded a free kick in an attacking position when Jamie Hay was fouled by Joe Evans, however the delivery of the set piece was just too high and it went over the crossbar. Bootle continued their pressure in the 54th minute when a shot from range was parried in a good save from keeper Judge, before Kevin Black won Bootle a corner by clearing the ball against Danny Lyon. The delivery of this corner didn’t beat the first man at the near post though and Formby were able to clear their lines. Formby were the next to threaten in the 56th minute when Paul Hopkins recovered the ball from a Joe Evans pass and sent a low cross into the penalty area. Paul Jackson received the ball and shot on the turn but his effort was only just wide of the post and the score remained the same. Another half chance for Bootle came in the 62nd minute when they won themselves a throw in, the long throw into the box saw keeper Judge come to collect it but not gather it safely and it fell to the feet of Jamie Hay. Hay stabbed at it and his effort rolled not more than a foot wide of the post as Bootle came close again but failed to get level. The 68th minute saw Formby presented with another opportunity to further their lead in the 68th minute when Ian Johnson was penalised for a high foot on William Williamson, the shot from the free kick was taken by John Lawless but this time it was straight at keeper Mawdsley and he made the comfortable looking save. A minute later, Bootle should have levelled the match and Ian Johnson will still be wondering to this moment how he failed to score from such a fine opportunity. Liam Loughlin pressurised Formby defender Tom Bowden into rushing his clearance and he miss-kicked it straight into the path of Johnson six yards out from goal with the keeper stranded. Johnson struck the ball straight onto the underside of the crossbar and it bounced back into play off the line and keeper Judge gathered it. Bootle’s appeals to the linesman and referee that the ball had crossed the line fell on deaf ears and the match officials had got the decision spot on. But then an even more bizarre moment occurred in the 73rd minute when Bootle were denied the most stonewall of all stonewall penalties and the match officiating went from excellent to downright outrageous in the space of four minutes. Formby’s Tom Bowden was down injured off the pitch behind the goal line when Liam Loughlin crossed a ball into the penalty area and keeper Judge gathered it in. Kieran Dolan then verbally instructed his keeper to “put it out” behind the goal, but before he could, Dolan had taken hold of the ball in his hands from his keeper and thrown it behind the goal, the ball was never dead. Whilst treatment was being administered to Bowden, it began to dawn on everyone exactly what Dolan had done and Bootle insisted a penalty should be awarded for handball, quite correctly in my view. The referee consulted with his linesman and it was clearly heard that the linesman correctly explained to the referee exactly what had happened, the referee responded with the phrase “fair enough” and jogged back into his position, before restarting play with a corner kick. The utter bemusement surrounding the decision was compelled by the fact Bootle couldn’t create an opportunity form the corner they had been awarded, when there has never been a more clear cut case of handball ever seen in football. This bemusement was further compounded as the referee had everything explained to him correctly by his assistant and he still somehow managed to come to the conclusion that a corner was the correct decision. And if Bootle were not going to get a penalty awarded for that particular incident, they stood no chance in the 80th minute when it could be argued they should have had two. A headed flick on by Ross McDowell saw Liam Loughlin and Graham Tattershall chase it into the corner. Tattershall fluffed his clearance of the ball and Loughlin took possession and entered the penalty area. Skipping past a couple of players, Loughin was brought down from behind by Danny Lyon and the ball broke to Daniel O’Connor. Lyon then charged into the back of O’Connor elbow first and floored the Bootle forward, the referee waved away both appeals and play continued. Formby should have put the game to bed in the 81st minute when Craig Marley picked up the ball and crossed it into the penalty area, Paul Hopkins was unmarked but his attempted header made no contact with the ball and the Bootle defence was able to clear the threat. And as the match entered injury time, the hosts had another opportunity to kill the game when a free kick delivery was taken to Paul Hopkins, but his effort on the turn from close range was just over the crossbar. There was still enough time left in the match for the referee to look foolish though as Sean Coulton brought down Joe Evans in the penalty area and the whistle sounded immediately. It looked a foul and a penalty, but then the referee awarded Bootle a free kick suggesting that Evans had dived. No card was produced for the Formby player and the game should have been allowed to continue as Coulton was in possession of the ball at the time, just another inexplicable decision that I cannot for the life of me work out. The full time whistle sounded not long after and Bootle were left to reflect on a match that got away and a defeat to their derby rivals.

Well, I don’t know where to begin. Bootle had their chances, missed a couple of sitters and were denied further opportunities by the officials. The performance was poor on the whole though and they never really adapted to the 2nd half conditions well enough to use them in their favour. It’s a shock result for Formby who will be more than happy with the three points they have acquired from this contest, but after a bemusing contest, it will surely be Bootle that will be looking at the fixture and wondering where it all went wrong. Mad game, utterly mad game, but very enjoyable none the less.

Full Time:
Formby 1 – 0 Bootle.

Bootle 1 - 0 Maine Road

Date: Saturday 20th March 2010
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Premier Div

Venue: Delta Taxis Stadium
Attendance: 103

Cloudy skies, wet weather and a bitter cold greet the gathering that converge upon the Delta Taxis Stadium for this top of the table six pointer, some might argue that these are seasonal conditions for the time of year and region, others just wish it was warmer. Visiting Maine Road are currently having a fine season and occupy fourth spot in the league, two places above The Bucks before this afternoons games, a tough examination then is surely ahead. The two sides are not strangers to each other as they contested the 2007/08 League Challenge Cup final when Bootle were a First Division side, forcing their Premier Division opponents all the way to penalties before succumbing in the spot kick competition. A chance this afternoon to put this even further behind them perhaps?

Still struggling with some injury problems, the opening stages of the game were frustrating ones for The Bucks as a lot of close decisions were seeming to go against them from the match officials, their first real moment of threat not coming until the tenth minute of the match. A ball into the box from Daniel O’Connor took a deflection off a Maine Road defender and looped up into the air before defender Stephen Mason headed behind his own goal for a corner kick to the hosts. This corner was taken into the area where Bootle’s Daniel O’Connor and Maine Road’s Chris Crooks both went up for a header and missed it completely, before Anthony Miley attempted a shot that took a deflection off a defender for another Bootle corner. Mark Kilroy took this corner to the back post where Anthony Miley returned it into the middle via a header, but Maine Road keeper Andrew Jones read it well and was able to gather it rather comfortably. The 14th and 15th minutes of the contest would see both sides go equally close to opening the scoring but neither would accomplish it, Maine Road went first in the 14th minute when a cross into the box from Chris Crooks was headed onto the crossbar from close range with keeper Mark Mawdsley completely beaten. The 15th minute saw Bootle awarded a free kick in an attacking position when the referee adjudged that Stephen Cheetham had fouled Mark Kilroy. Chris Tyson stepped up to take the set piece and managed to beat the Maine Road defensive wall and keeper, but he couldn’t beat the frame of the goal as the ball rebounded back into play from the crossbar and the Maine Road defence cleared the danger. Bootle was then awarded another free kick in the 15th minute when Chris Hirst was rather harshly adjudged to have handled the ball. This free kick was taken to the edge of the penalty area where Andy Fowler attempted to lob Jones in the Maine Road goal but couldn’t keep his effort on target. The opening 20 minutes of the match had been a very even affair with both teams matching each other well and cancelling each other out, work rates were high on both sides and the defensive play was of a high standard. It would be Maine Road though that would go close next in the 23rd minute, a ball from captain Alex Jay found Edward Moran and he stranded the Bootle defence with a neat touch before advancing to cross the ball into the penalty area. His cross was met by a diving header from a Maine Road forward but it was glanced wide of the goal, a bit more direction would almost certainly have seen the visitors take the lead, Bootle could breathe a sigh of relief. Maine Road kept up their pressure though and won themselves another free kick in the 36th minute, James Rothel struck the ball powerfully but Carl Dale got a foot in the way to deflect it towards the edge of the penalty area. Stephen Cheetham recovered the ball from this block and struck a powerful effort towards goal that looked on target that was until Kevin Black jumped in front of the ball and appeared to block it with his arm. The Maine Road players to a man appealed for a penalty but the referee waved away their claim; this must have been frustrating for the visitors as they had a much softer looking handball decision go against them earlier in the match. Another chance for the visitors came in the 38th minute when a pass from Daniel Self found Chris Crooks on the wing, Crooks then sent in a low square cross that Mark Mawdsley got down well to block. However, the keeper couldn’t hold the ball and Daniel Self was poised to pounce on the spills, but Michael Carberry made a vital challenge on the ball and allowed Carl Dale to clear the ball away from danger. Neil McQueen then had his name taken by the referee in the 39th minute after a slightly late challenge and from the resultant free kick Maine Road won themselves a corner which was taken short but the eventual cross into the box hit the side netting and created no danger. Bootle got back onto the offensive themselves in the 42nd minute and after a shot had been cleared off the line, a cross into the box was picked up by Josh Inyang and after taking a touch to control it, struck a powerful volley with his right foot but couldn’t keep it down and it sailed over the crossbar. Half time followed not long after and there it very little to choose between the two sides at the break, it’s a very even contest indeed. You can’t even split the sides in the hit woodwork statistic. The match is anybodies for the taking in the 2nd half and it might only take a moment of brilliance or calamity to decide it.

Half Time:
Bootle 0 – 0 Maine Road

The 2nd half got underway with Maine Road having another appeal for a handball in the penalty area waved away by the referee. Daniel Self drilled the ball towards goal and it hit Michael Carberry in the chest from point blank range and the ball deflected away. The Maine Road appeals went up again and again the referee waved them away, probably more rightly in this case than the last one. In the ‘how many yellow cards can one referee administer in one match competition’, this afternoons official made another stride towards the title in the 56th minute, when Maine Road’s Daniel Self had his name taken when he floored Carl Dale with a late challenge, the card count was rising steadily. Maine Road was then penalised for another soft handball on the hour mark that gave Bootle a free kick in an attacking position, much to the understandable frustrations of their players. Andy Fowler drilled a low effort from the set piece that evaded the Maine Road defensive wall and had keeper Jones scrambling to his left, but the shot was just wide of the right hand post and went agonisingly wide. But Bootle forged another good opportunity in the 64th minute when Daniel O’Connor found a teammate on the wing and he crossed it into the penalty area. The ball was allowed to travel to the other side of the penalty area untouched and Andy Fowler picked it up and in an attempt to side-foot it into the top corner of the net, sent it over the bar and Maine Road survived again. Another chance for the home side came a minute later when a square pass from the wing was picked up by Jamie Hay. Hay took a neat touch to strand his marker and hit a powerful left footed shot on target, but keeper Jones saw it all the way and made a fine save to cling on to the ball and prevent the deadlock being broken. Both sides then had chances to take the lead in the 70th minute, Maine Road’s opportunity coming from a Chris Crooks shot from the edge of the penalty area that keeper Mark Mawdsley got down well to his left to save. Bootle’s chance came when Andy Fowler picked the ball up on the wing and turned infield before finding Ian Johnson with a pass to the edge of the penalty area. Johnson tried a shot on goal that took a deflection off a Maine Road defender and into the path of Kevin Black. Black hit a first time shot with the goal at his mercy but skied it over the crossbar and still the deadlock remained. But the inevitable happened in the 74th minute when the referee’s card habit caught up with Steven Cheetham, he cynically brought down Kevin Black on the wing and having been booked earlier in the game, the referee dismissed him from the field and Maine Road would have to see out the rest of the game with ten men. The resultant free kick was delivered into the penalty area but it was headed clear by Chris Crooks. Bootle were using their man advantage well and created another opportunity to take the lead in the 79th minute, Josh Inyang inadvertently played the ball to Daniel O’Connor and he hit a shot that was deflected behind goal by defender Edward Moran, the Maine Road defence dealt well with the resultant corner. Bootle then had a handball appeal of their own turned down in the 82nd minute when Tom Obasi managed to shake off his defenders and cut the ball back from the goal line. Jamie Hay received the ball and struck a shot towards goal that hit the hand of Richard Gresty before keeper Jones gathered it in, the appeals were waved away by the referee once again despite the fact that very similar offences were being penalised when they were being committed outside of the penalty area. But Bootle would soon forget this as a minute later; they would take the lead in the match and score what would prove to be the decisive goal. Jamie Hay flicked on a deflection to Ian Johnson in the penalty area, who in turn flicked the ball centrally for Daniel O’Connor who’s first time volley beat the keeper and hit the back of the net to give The Bucks the lead with only seven minutes remaining on the clock. There was still time enough though for the referee to award yet another yellow card, this time to Maine Road’s Edward Moran for flooring Daniel O’Connor. Bootle were able to hold on for the remaining time though and collect a very hard earned three points to close the gap on Maine Road in the league standings.

I suppose a draw would probably have been a fair result, Maine Road were far from outdone in the contest and the game was very even on the whole. However, Bootle took the chance when it was presented to them and this turned out to be the only deciding factor. Not the most exciting game ever seen, but a good contest played by two teams that showed a high level of technical football.

Full Time:
Bootle 1 – 0 Maine Road

AFC Blackpool 1-0 Irlam

Rhyl FC 1-1 Prestatyn Town

Lancaster City 3-1 Bamber Bridge