11:30am Friday 19th February 2010
Runcorn Linnets 2 Bacup Borough 3
A CLINICAL late strike from Paul Fildes was not enough to prevent Runcorn crashing to their second defeat of the week.
Another lacklustre performance from the Linnets after taking a first half lead.
The first half was scrappy with neither side achieving any level of fluency in their play. Paul Fildes made a lively start after his bit part involvement in midweek.
-David Sherlock always looked capable of creating something down the right and he and Rob Whyte delivered good quality in to the box from corners.
It was on 38 minutes that Whyte and Ellis were involved in some clever interplay leading to the opening goal.
Ellis curled in a tempting ball to Whyte, who controlled a first time volley in to the bottom corner past Bacup ‘keeper Dryden. It was enough for a half time lead.
Runcorn’s chief threat in the opening stages, Sherlock, appeared to have been pulled back in the area but, perhaps slightly naively, stayed on his feet to deliver a ball right across the face of goal. Half way through the half Bacup drew level. A simple long ball immediately put Myerscough and Bain in trouble. Both central defenders allowed their opponents to get goal side and while it was Myerscough who was penalised, it could just as easily have been Bain.
Substitute Falco Laurenzo hit a poor penalty low to Phil Priestley’s left and despite a big touch from the Runcorn ‘keeper the ball found its way in to the corner.
Priestly will be disappointed not to have kept it out.
Runcorn heads dropped and Bacup sensed victory. They took the lead on 83 minutes when a free kick was floated in to the area with Lee Oldham nodding home unchallenged.
Oldham put the game out of reach five minutes later when Laurenzo turned Ross Bain in the area and provided a simple tap in.
Two minutes in to injury time Lloyd Balazs chipped a ball in to the path of Paul Fildes whose thunderbolt from twenty yards was scant consolation. It was too little, too late.
David Sherlock stood out for Runcorn but Bacup’s Davey Luker was by far and away the best player on the field and ran the game for large parts.
Runcorn: Priestley, Wood (Atherton, 90), Ashcroft, Balazs, Bain, Myerscough, Sherlock (Dempsey, 79), Blundell, Ellis, Whyte (C), Fildes. Subs not used: Howard, Clarkson, Hampson.
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