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Saturday 2nd April - Burscough 2-1 Frickley Athletic

The Blues went down to their third consecutive Premier Division defeat at Burscough after being caught cold just 33 seconds into the game as the home side opened the scoring through Ian Johnson. Johnson added a second on 54 minutes before a late rally by the Blues led to substitute Adam Russell scoring a consolation goal on 89 minutes.

Gary Marrow opted to keep faith with the same starting line-up that lost at Wakefield-Emley on Easter Monday with the only change on the subs. bench being the recall of Calum Selby in place of Ashley Scothern.

On a warm and sunny afternoon Burscough took the lead almost immediately after the kick-off when Mark Byrne sent over a cross from the Burscough right which the defence failed to cut out, leaving the unmarked Johnson with the simple task of tapping in at the far post. Burscough went close again minutes later but the well struck shot went wide of the left hand post as the Blues' defence were struggling against a lively home attack. However, after weathering the early storm the Blues started to come back into the game and enjoyed the better of the final half hour of the first half. Steve Robinson tested David Newnes from 22 yards after 16 minutes but the 'keeper saved comfortably before Lee Pugh won the ball well in midfield before advancing towards goal and firing inches wide of the right hand post from 20 yards. The Blues ought to have equalised on 28 minutes when Simon Collins met Steve Woolford's free-kick with a powerful header from 12 yards but the ball flew agonisingly wide of the right hand post with Newnes rooted to the spot. Shortly afterwards Leroy Chambers held the ball up well down the left before playing the ball into the path of the advancing Pugh but his strong shot from just inside the box was deflected wide for a corner. Just before the break Burscough had a good chance to increase their lead when David Eaton found himself with time and space on the left hand edge of the Blues' box but he shot across the face of Gary Ingham's goal.

The Blues started the second half by forcing a couple of corners but the Blues suffered a blow on 49 minutes as Phil Lindley was forced off to be replaced by Calum Selby. Hopes were high of getting back into the game but these were dashed on 54 minutes as Ryan Bowen skipped away from Selby down the Burscough right and cut into the box along the goal line, evaded a tackle from Steve Kennedy before cutting the ball back for Johnson to pick his spot, firing into the top left hand corner. The Blues defence were then caught out several times in quick succession as Paul Gedman put an angled shot across the face of goal and Johnson shot straight at Ingham as he looked to get his hat-trick. Burscough were now bossing midfield with the Blues giving the ball away cheaply as Burscough created more opportunities. 

Gary Marrow made a double substitution on 65 minutes, bringing on Adam Russell for Simon Collins and Dean Foley for Neil Ashley. Foley dropped into the centre of the defence with Kennedy pushing into midfield and Russell joining Evans and Chambers up front. Kennedy's presence in midfield saw the Blues start to win the ball more and look more threatening as the Blues staged a late rally. First Chambers headed a Selby free-kick over the bar from 6 yards on 75 minutes before Kennedy saw his 18 yard shot tipped over the bar by Newnes on 81 minutes. More pressure from the Blues saw Burscough start making mistakes. Woolford was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet on 88 minutes when Burscough could only clear a Selby cross as far as the edge of the box where Woolford met it first time on the volley and his shot beat Newnes only for it to be deflected off the line by a defender. However, Pugh's corner reached the unmarked RUSSELL at the far post comfortably headed the ball past Newnes with 89 minutes gone.