Burscough 4 - 1 Everton

Date: Tuesday 2nd December 2008
Competition: Liverpool Senior Cup Quarter Final
Venue: Victoria Park, Burscough, Lancashire
Attendance: 250

Ticket In: £9.00
Programme: £2.00
Golden Goal: £1.00
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Total: £12.00

The North West’s weather is at it again, snow and freezing temperatures closing schools across the region, but that’s alright because football goes ahead! With the old man being an Evertonian, persuading him for a lift to see them didn’t prove to be too difficult of a task to complete. Burscough FC are my sort of 2nd team so there will be a family difference in support this evening, but my pre-match thoughts are that its my father that will have the bragging rights come the end of the match. Burscough ply their trade in the Blue Square North, not bad for a team in a village the size of Burscough. The club can boast a lot of recent success as in the 2006/07 season they won a treble of trophies. They picked up the Unibond Premier Division title on the last day in a deciding match against AFC Telford United, along with the Co-Operative Lancashire Trophy and the Jack Kirkland Trophy, more impressively though, all these trophies were picked up in the space of just 10 days. But the clubs finest day came back in 2003 when they defeated Tamworth against the odds to lift the FA Trophy in front of a packed Villa Park. Onto their visitors tonight and in the Liverpool Senior Cup, Everton have been the most successful team in the competition having lifted the trophy 45 times in the 113 completed competitions, 7 successes clear of 2nd most successful team and arch rivals Liverpool. The team news read over the tannoy suggests that the Everton squad on display this evening is largely comprised of their under 18’s, so they will be in for gaining some good experience. Burscough’s ground is Victoria Park and various signs around the place inform you of the fact that it is celebrating 100 years of football being played on its turf. It’s a compact little ground and due to Burscough’s rise up the footballing non-league pyramid, the ground has had to face some minor changes. The age old main stand still sits proudly down one side, whilst most of the rest of the ground has erected temporary stands to ensure the ground can hold enough people for Conference North standards. A small amount of cover is provided behind one goal and down one side of the pitch, and on a cold and wet night like tonight it will probably be in demand! The weather just before kickoff is on and off rain with occasional hail and its bloody cold too!

As kickoff time approached, the crowd I had expected to turn up simply failed to materialise. Having been to the semi final of this competition last season between Prescot Cables and Liverpool where the kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes to ensure that everybody got in and the crowd figure eventually reached over a thousand, only 250 wandered their way in through the Victoria Park turnstiles. This couldn’t be an excuse used to explain the slight delay to kickoff that the match suffered, but before long the teams emerged onto the pitch to the 633 squadron anthem looking to fly their way into the next round. Burscough in their traditional green shirts with white shorts and Everton in their all royal blue. The referee was finally stratified everything was in place and it would be Everton to get the quarter final underway. The first 5 minutes saw both sides signal their intentions towards the game as they set about getting forward and putting pressure on their opponents early, the weather conditions at this point were perfect. Burscough won themselves a free kick in the 6th minute but the delivery from out wide on the wing was taken well by Everton goalkeeper Stubhaug under pressure. Not long after, Burscough nearly took the lead when in the 9th minute, the Everton defence failed to deal with the winger and he sent in a pinpoint cross which was met powerfully by the head of the Burscough forward and was turned away for a corner by Stubhaug in a fantastic close range save. The resultant corner though would bring Burscough a deserved lead as Craig Davies delivered the ball to the near post it hit an Everton defender before striking the goalkeeper on the legs and entering the net. Davies was accredited with the goal straight from the corner kick. The goal seemed to spur Burscough on and they came forward with intent once again in the 13th minute and another powerful shot was deflected for another corner. This one though was half cleared by the Everton defence before a long range Burscough effort was sent considerably wide of the right hand post. The Burscough fans down the side of the pitch were clearly enjoying themselves as they were making all the noise in the ground and creating an atmosphere I had not experienced at Victoria Park before, imagine the atmosphere that was created 1 minute later in the 16th minute then, when Burscough doubled their lead. More good play in midfield saw another through ball played to the wing and the Everton defence was slow to respond. The cross into the box was cleared as far as the edge of the penalty area where Jonathan Goulding met it with a bullet drive that beat the keeper to his left and Burscough were two goals to the good. Now the place was bouncing as the Burscough fans were witnessing a rampant performance from their side. 20 minutes in and the rain began to fall again, not that it was going to dampen that atmosphere in the ground. Come the 28th minute, Burscough were still looking the better side as Everton were still content to sit off their attackers and not apply much pressure. This cost them on the half hour as Burscough scored another, a wing ball was played in low to Jordan Stepian who could have shot but instead passed to Peter Heler which stranded all the defenders and the goalkeeper. With an empty net at his mercy from 6 yards out, Heler made no mistake and the party really started in the stands amongst the gathered “green army”. Chants of “Premier League, you’re ‘avin a laugh” ring around the stadium. Everton worked themselves a chance in the 37th minute when some great running by Lewis Codling found his teammate on the wing. He then squared the ball back to his defender, who turned one Burscough player before working himself some space to shoot, but his effort was skied over the crossbar when he perhaps should have done a little bit better. Then immediately down the other end, Burscough were unlucky not to extend their lead further when a long free kick was delivered to the edge of the penalty area and headed on to the feet of Jordan Stepian, and this time he had an effort on goal himself. His effort beat the keeper but couldn’t beat the far post and as the ball rebounded back into the penalty area it was put over the bar from close range by another Burscough forward. This action would be the last meaningful action of the half and Burscough were worthy of their lead having dominated the game, the full time gloating rights may unexpectedly be mine come full time. Everton just didn’t show up in that half a team largely consisting of youth must grow up quickly in the 2nd half or they will end up crashing out of the competition.

Half Time:
Burscough 3 – 0 Everton

The 2nd half started with Burscough turning up the heat again as they won themselves a free kick in a dangerous attacking position. The delivery was sent towards goal but it just faded away from the top left corner of the net, missing the post by what must have been an inch. Burscough nearly added to their lead again in the 50th minute when a long range shot was saved well low down to his right by Stubhaug in the Everton goal. But it would be Everton that would get the next goal in the game and it came in the 59th minute. A Burscough clearance was met in the midfield and a superbly weighted aerial ball was played over the heads of the Burscough defence and into the penalty area. The Everton winger squared the ball to the centre where it was met by Lewis Codling on the edge of the 6 yard box and he turned it into the net to keep the hope of a revival alive. 2 minutes later and Everton very nearly got another goal back in similar circumstances. Everton made a quick break away down field after clearing a Burscough corner, after working a good position down the wing a neatly played ball was then squared in front of goal but this time the ball hit the Everton forward and deflected over the bar. Had that gone in the game would have looked a very different prospect indeed. But the game did change in the 63rd minute when Burscough would round off the games scoring when a corner was floated into the Everton penalty area and half cleared. Falling to the feet of a Burscough player, a pass was executed that found Craig Davis and had the entire Everton defence stop and appeal for offside, the linesman’s flag stayed down. This left Davies the simple task of beating the keeper from 6 yards out and in the process giving Burscough an unassailable lead as the momentum swung back in the direction of the home team. The 66th minute saw Everton have a chance as a long ball from a free kick was delivered into the penalty area, headed back across the box to a waiting striker, but his effort went wide of the post from close range. Burscough went close in the 70th minute after the Everton defence were powerless to stop the Burscough forward as he drew in 4 defenders leaving his teammate unmarked on the edge of the box. After receiving the pass though, the unmarked teammate’s chipped effort beat the keeper but also beat the crossbar and the opportunity passed. By the 77th minute the game had settled down and the chances were becoming fewer and fewer, both teams seemingly settling for the inevitable result, though Burscough were still looking dangerous and still causing Everton problems down the wings. Everton had a free kick in the 86th minute which was delivered into the penalty area and headed on towards goal. Under pressure from an Everton forward, Steve Dickinson in the Burscough goal gathered it at the 3rd attempt. Another free kick a minute later for the blues but this one was cleared by Burscough, falling to an Everton player some way out, he tried his luck from range and his effort took a deflection and went out of play for a corner. The resultant corner though was headed over the bar. Soon after the final whistle blew and it was Burscough that would be going on to the semi finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup and Everton that would bow out at their first hurdle.

Before the season started, if you’d have told any Burscough fan that the first team they would beat on their own ground this season would be Everton, you’d have been laughed all the way to Hoscar. But Burscough deserved it, they were more physically able that Everton’s youngsters and battled them out of the game. For the money paid out it was fantastic entertainment and worth every penny. The weather threatened to ruin the encounter but the players on the pitch kept the fans warm with some very entertaining football. Burscough go through to the semi-final as the youngsters of Everton will have learned a lot from this encounter. Cup football eh, nothing quite like it! I came expecting Burscough to be beaten and was surprised that they won so easily, hopefully this result will kick-start their league campaign and see them rise from the foot of the Blue Square North. Congratulations to Burscough.

Full Time:
Burscough 4 – 1 Everton





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