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.


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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.