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.+Pic1.jpg)
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.+Pic2.jpg)
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. +Pic3.jpg)
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.+Pic5.jpg)
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. +Pic6.jpg)
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.+Pic7.jpg)
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.
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.
+Pic1.jpg)
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.
+Pic2.jpg)
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. +Pic3.jpg)
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.
+Pic5.jpg)
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. +Pic6.jpg)
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.
+Pic7.jpg)
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.
