Saturday, 1st March 2008

Runcorn Linnets 1-0 Ramsbottom United

VodKat League, First Division

 

Runcorn Linnets gained revenge for their 4-0 drubbing at the Riverside two weeks ago, and in so doing, put an end to the Rams recent revival.

At a cold and wind-swept Wincham Park, the conditions were hardly conducive to flowing football, and so it proved.

Both sides struggled to create fluent moves, and poor control and misplaced passes were the order of the day.

Not that there was much wrong with the effort and application. Despite the lack of quality, the game proved to be an end-to-end contest which could have gone either way.

As it was, it took a strike in the 74th minute by man-of-the-match Vinnie Brain to earn the three points for the home side. The Rams lost possession on their left-hand side, and the resultant cross found Adie Orr in acres of space in the penalty area. The ball broke for Braine who fired home an unstoppable shot from ten yards out.

Worse could have followed within seconds, when straight from the kick-off the Linnets split the visitor’s defence, but this time, Thompson fired wide.

With the wind at their backs in the first half, the Rams pushed the home side back, and Jamie Lester saw his long range effort sail wide of the post. The Rams had a goal struck off after 17 minutes when Anthony Johnson was adjudged to have fouled the home keeper as he landed in the back of the net with the ball.

Runcorn slowly came back into the game and on 27 minutes the impressive Braine saw his header sail over the bar from a corner. The Rams had Lester to thank for keeping the scores level at half-time as he cleared an effort off the line, before Orr had an effort blocked as the whistle was about to go.

The Rams again had the early chances in the second half as McLellan headed wide from a corner, and Thurston hit one wide from the edge of the box.

Roberts headed inches over from a Runcorn free-kick before the action returned to the other end, as McLellan almost repeated his successful free-kick routine from a fortnight ago. This time it sailed inches wide with the home keeper beaten.

Runcorn took the lead in a game where one goal was always likely to be the decider, although the Rams went agonisingly close to snatching an equaliser well into time added on. The ball broke down the right of the penalty area, and substitute Sensale fired in a drive that rebounded behind off the post.

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Ogden, Williams, Eckersley, Lester, McLellan, O’Shaughnessy, Pearson, Pulvino(McAllister 71mins), Johnson, Thurston(Crank 82mins), Vaughan(Sensale 82mins). Subs not used: Blackley, Aston

TONY CUNNINGHAM