Date: Saturday 21st March 2009
Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Division One
Venue: The New Bucks Head, Bootle, Merseyside
Attendance: 067Ticket In: £3.00
Programme: £1.00---------------------
Total: £4.00A match of contrasts this afternoon, and one that a while back looked unlikely to happen. After the impressive midweek victory over AFC Liverpool, Bootle closed the gap to three points at the top of the division and return to their home ground of The New Bucks Head to take on a Darwen side that many thought wouldn’t be playing football at this point. Back in early February, Darwen were facing a winding up order from the courts for the unpaid debts the club had accrued under previous management, publicly saying they were not going to contest it. However at the 11th hour, the decision was made to step in and the club survived after being awarded an extension. I have never seen Darwen play before yet bizarrely I have visited their home ground. They groundshare with the East Lancashire Lions rugby league side and I witnessed the match between themselves and the Liverpool Buccaneers last season. 
I know very little about Darwen FC other than they were founder members of the football league and did quite well in the FA Cup in 1890-something, so I hope to learn a little more about them this afternoon. The New Bucks Head is one of those typical non league grounds where you can get right up close to the action no matter where you choose to view it from. A short covered seating stand features down one side of the ground with a small covered hut behind one of the goals, the rest of the ground is open air and in semi good nick. The pitch looks a little bit cut up but easily playable. The clubhouse is spacious but incredibly barren, most of it still having that untreated wood finish. The selection of drinks is incredibly limited and little is stocked. Fans are able to enjoy the Portsmouth Vs Everton game pre-match, but only on the radio as the television is turned off. A strange pre-match environment, but still, it’s better than the cold outside.
The blue of Bootle and the red of Darwen make their way onto the pitch from the dressing rooms just before 3pm with Bootle knowing that a healthy win this afternoon would put them top of the league with AFC Liverpool in cup action. The match was to start in an even fashion as the opening quarter of an hour would see little between the two sides, except for a few wasted chances by Bootle. The 23rd minute saw a half chance for the home side when a long throw into the penalty area eventually fell to the feet of a Bootle forward who slammed his shot against a defender and it deflected for a corner kick. Continuing from their midweek success from the tactic, Bootle played a short corner and worked a good opportunity for a cross, but the Darwen keeper was alert at his near post to pluck the cross out of the air and relieve the danger. A reckless challenge from a Bootle defender gave Darwen an opportunity when they were awarded a free kick some 30 yards out from goal in the 25th minute.
The initial delivery was hit low and easily cleared by the Bootle defence and although recovered by Darwen, their efforts to create another opening on goal were stifled and Bootle won themselves a free kick in the process. The delivery of the free kick was just an inch too high for the waiting forward in the penalty area as it sailed over his head and harmlessly out for a goal kick to Darwen. To this point the half hadn’t looked like producing a goal, Darwen’s efforts to get an opening to shoot were proving fruitless and Bootle were not hitting the target with the few chances they were creating. But the last 10 minutes of the half would see the floodgates open for the home side as they would put three in the net before half time. The first of which came in the 35th minute when a free kick from right out on the touchline was met by the head of Neil McQueen at the back post and he headed home from close range for Bootle’s somewhat deserved lead. Seven minutes later the lead was doubled when the Darwen defence went absent without leave and a low square cross was allowed to pass through the penalty area unhindered and new signing Tom Obasi tapped the ball home unchallenged to double the home sides advantage. Two minutes later in the 44th, Bootle were awarded a free kick from some distance out, but the delivery was weighted perfectly for Bootle’s Jamie Hay who rose the highest in the box to loop the ball over the keeper and into the net. Two goals in three minutes and Bootle now led by three. 
Half time soon followed and the match as a contest looked pretty much done and dusted. A half that didn’t look like producing a goal from either side had produced three in the closing stages and Bootle will be very satisfied with the outcome. The referee hadn’t really allowed the game to flow and the stop start whistle happy nature of said official wasn’t making for a game of football that was pleasing on the eye. But the goals for Bootle had made the match pretty much safe and it would now be time for Darwen to respond in the 2nd half.
Half Time:
Bootle 3 – 0 Darwen
The 2nd half was pretty much business as usual from the home side as the first real chance fell to them in the 50th minute.
Darwen’s keeper came to punch clear a long ball into the penalty area and subsequently got nowhere near it as a Bootle forward beat him to it. Falling to the feet of another Bootle forward on the edge of the penalty area, his first time powerful volley missed its intended and open target when a glorious opportunity to score was presented. The next chance would fall to Darwen in the 56th minute when they picked up the ball from a goal kick and some neat interplay gave a striker half a chance from range, but his effort was nearer to the corner flag than the goal as Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley’s afternoon showed no signs of becoming uncomfortable. Bootle added another goal in the 65th minute when some slack defending by Darwen gave the ball away and the Bootle striker was brought down right on the edge of the penalty area. The referee awarded Bootle a penalty kick, despite the fact that the initial challenge took place outside the box. Carl Dale was tasked with scoring the penalty and he obliged by sending the keeper the wrong way and increasing Bootle’s lead to four goals. Bootle took their foot off the pedal for the remainder of the game as the match was safe and Darwen’s forward efforts were absorbed without too much trouble by the defence. 
Keeper Mark Mawdsley had to be alert in the 85th minute to make a solid low save at his near post to preserve Bootle’s clean sheet, but little other threat was posed by the visiting side and the full time whistle blew to a sound job well done by the home side.
Bootle had the job done at half time and clearly took their foot off the pedal for the 2nd half. Darwen never really proved to be too much of a threat to Bootle and the game looked just a little bit too easy after the stern midweek examination that they passed. The victory was sizable enough that Bootle now go top of the league on goal difference and have three games in hand on 2nd placed AFC Liverpool. It’s looking very rosy around these parts, once again congratulations to Bootle!
Full Time:
Bootle 4 – 0 Darwen
I know very little about Darwen FC other than they were founder members of the football league and did quite well in the FA Cup in 1890-something, so I hope to learn a little more about them this afternoon. The New Bucks Head is one of those typical non league grounds where you can get right up close to the action no matter where you choose to view it from. A short covered seating stand features down one side of the ground with a small covered hut behind one of the goals, the rest of the ground is open air and in semi good nick. The pitch looks a little bit cut up but easily playable. The clubhouse is spacious but incredibly barren, most of it still having that untreated wood finish. The selection of drinks is incredibly limited and little is stocked. Fans are able to enjoy the Portsmouth Vs Everton game pre-match, but only on the radio as the television is turned off. A strange pre-match environment, but still, it’s better than the cold outside.The blue of Bootle and the red of Darwen make their way onto the pitch from the dressing rooms just before 3pm with Bootle knowing that a healthy win this afternoon would put them top of the league with AFC Liverpool in cup action. The match was to start in an even fashion as the opening quarter of an hour would see little between the two sides, except for a few wasted chances by Bootle. The 23rd minute saw a half chance for the home side when a long throw into the penalty area eventually fell to the feet of a Bootle forward who slammed his shot against a defender and it deflected for a corner kick. Continuing from their midweek success from the tactic, Bootle played a short corner and worked a good opportunity for a cross, but the Darwen keeper was alert at his near post to pluck the cross out of the air and relieve the danger. A reckless challenge from a Bootle defender gave Darwen an opportunity when they were awarded a free kick some 30 yards out from goal in the 25th minute.
The initial delivery was hit low and easily cleared by the Bootle defence and although recovered by Darwen, their efforts to create another opening on goal were stifled and Bootle won themselves a free kick in the process. The delivery of the free kick was just an inch too high for the waiting forward in the penalty area as it sailed over his head and harmlessly out for a goal kick to Darwen. To this point the half hadn’t looked like producing a goal, Darwen’s efforts to get an opening to shoot were proving fruitless and Bootle were not hitting the target with the few chances they were creating. But the last 10 minutes of the half would see the floodgates open for the home side as they would put three in the net before half time. The first of which came in the 35th minute when a free kick from right out on the touchline was met by the head of Neil McQueen at the back post and he headed home from close range for Bootle’s somewhat deserved lead. Seven minutes later the lead was doubled when the Darwen defence went absent without leave and a low square cross was allowed to pass through the penalty area unhindered and new signing Tom Obasi tapped the ball home unchallenged to double the home sides advantage. Two minutes later in the 44th, Bootle were awarded a free kick from some distance out, but the delivery was weighted perfectly for Bootle’s Jamie Hay who rose the highest in the box to loop the ball over the keeper and into the net. Two goals in three minutes and Bootle now led by three. Half time soon followed and the match as a contest looked pretty much done and dusted. A half that didn’t look like producing a goal from either side had produced three in the closing stages and Bootle will be very satisfied with the outcome. The referee hadn’t really allowed the game to flow and the stop start whistle happy nature of said official wasn’t making for a game of football that was pleasing on the eye. But the goals for Bootle had made the match pretty much safe and it would now be time for Darwen to respond in the 2nd half.Half Time:
Bootle 3 – 0 Darwen
The 2nd half was pretty much business as usual from the home side as the first real chance fell to them in the 50th minute.
Darwen’s keeper came to punch clear a long ball into the penalty area and subsequently got nowhere near it as a Bootle forward beat him to it. Falling to the feet of another Bootle forward on the edge of the penalty area, his first time powerful volley missed its intended and open target when a glorious opportunity to score was presented. The next chance would fall to Darwen in the 56th minute when they picked up the ball from a goal kick and some neat interplay gave a striker half a chance from range, but his effort was nearer to the corner flag than the goal as Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley’s afternoon showed no signs of becoming uncomfortable. Bootle added another goal in the 65th minute when some slack defending by Darwen gave the ball away and the Bootle striker was brought down right on the edge of the penalty area. The referee awarded Bootle a penalty kick, despite the fact that the initial challenge took place outside the box. Carl Dale was tasked with scoring the penalty and he obliged by sending the keeper the wrong way and increasing Bootle’s lead to four goals. Bootle took their foot off the pedal for the remainder of the game as the match was safe and Darwen’s forward efforts were absorbed without too much trouble by the defence. Keeper Mark Mawdsley had to be alert in the 85th minute to make a solid low save at his near post to preserve Bootle’s clean sheet, but little other threat was posed by the visiting side and the full time whistle blew to a sound job well done by the home side.Bootle had the job done at half time and clearly took their foot off the pedal for the 2nd half. Darwen never really proved to be too much of a threat to Bootle and the game looked just a little bit too easy after the stern midweek examination that they passed. The victory was sizable enough that Bootle now go top of the league on goal difference and have three games in hand on 2nd placed AFC Liverpool. It’s looking very rosy around these parts, once again congratulations to Bootle!
Full Time:
Bootle 4 – 0 Darwen
View more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Bootle%20Vs%20Darwen/
