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Saturday 7th December - Burscough 1-0 Frickley Athletic

With a little more luck in front of goal the Blues could easily have had this game sewn up before half time but efforts from both Chris Gowen and Curtis Bernard both rebounded to safety off the right hand post. Several other opportunities also went begging whilst the referee insisted on disrupting play all too regularly in order to award the home side a free-kick.

With the Blues again struggling for available players, Phil Sharpe brought in two new faces. Kieran O'Brien, a left sided player from Ossett Town, came in at left full-back, which allowed Gowen to move further forward, and Steve Woolford was named on the subs bench.

The Blues started the game strongly and had a decent opportunity after just 6 minutes when Bernard got clear down the left wing but he was held up as he cut into the box and the chance was gone. Two minutes later Gowen hit a powerful 25 yard shot which left goalkeeper Matt Taylor rooted to the spot but it came back off the right hand post and was scrambled clear. Bernard was causing the Burscough defence problems and it was he who had the next chance on 21 minutes. Lee Morris flicked on a pass from Antony Jackson which saw Bernard break half a yard clear of the defence into the box but his first time shot from around 16 yards came back off the right hand post with Taylor again motionless on his line. It took the home side half an hour to create their first decent chance when John Norman played the ball inside Jackson for Peter Wright to run on to but Wright went down as Samways came out with neither player getting a touch on the ball. The referee waved away Wright's claim for a penalty. On 36 minutes Andy Evans intercepted a pass just inside the Burscough half and immediately  sent Bernard clear down the right of the box. His chipped cross went across the face of goal with no-one to apply the finishing touch but Evans returned it to the box where Bernard teed up Craig Elkin but the midfielder's 20 yard shot went inches over the bar. Just before half time the home side forced some pressure but the best they could manage was a looping header from John Lawless that dropped just wide.

Nigel Henstock replaced Chris Newton at half time after Newton had picked up an injury. Evans had a good chance on 54 minutes when he flicked on a long ball down the left for Bernard to run on to and cut into the box before laying it into the path of the on-running Evans but his angled shot from 18 yards was saved by Taylor's legs. Four minutes later Morris fed Bernard who went past the last defender and shot past Taylor only for a defender to clear off the line. Bernard then thought (along with most other people in the ground) that he had won a corner just a yard in front of the assistant referee who indicated he had done so only for the referee, who was some 25 yards away, to award a goalkick!! On 61 minutes Jackson put a powerful header inches wide of the left hand post following a free-kick whilst on 73 minutes Evans saw his flick header from another free-kick well held under the bar by Taylor. A minute later Samways, who had had little to do, got down well to save a deflected Lawless shot from 20 yards following a quick Burscough break down the left. Then, on 81 minutes came the killer goal. A quick break down the Burscough right saw the ball played across the Blues' box. Marquis and Jackson failed to cut it out, allowing Burscough sub Kris McHale to help the ball on to Carl Macauley who slotted an angled shot past Samways from 15 yards. Paul Marquis headed a Henstock corner narrowly over the bar on 88 minutes but the Blues couldn't salvage the point that they richly deserved. 

Frickley Athletic : Samways, Richards, O'Brien, Elkin, Jackson, Marquis, Morris, Bernard, Evans, Newton (Henstock 45), Gowen (Woolford 86). Unused sub. Sharpe

Attendance : 132 

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