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Saturday 9th April - Frickley Athletic  2-3  Radcliffe Borough

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The Blues had only themselves to blame after missing numerous chances to score as they went down 2-3 to a lively Radcliffe Borough side this afternoon.

Already without the suspended Steve Kennedy and the injured Phil Lindley Gary Marrow had to draft Luke Smith in at left back after Calum Selby pulled out through illness.

Not for the first time in recent weeks then Blues defence was caught cold almost straight away when Ciaran Kilheeney reacted the quickest to score from close range after Gary Ingham had parried Darren Royle's header following a free-kick. Five minutes later the Blues had a great chance to draw level when Leroy Chambers' high cross from the left came off Martyn Forrest and fell kindly for Andy Evans but Evans screwed his shot wide from 6 yards when it looked easier to score. Minutes later good play between Steve Foster and Scott Wilson opened the Blues defence up with Wilson bursting into the box but he lifted his shot over the bar as Ingham came out to meet him. Next Gary Sampson sent Foster away down the left but he shot tamely at Ingham as he cut into the box. On 23 minutes Wael Nazha did well down the left of the box before sending over a low cross which Evans met at the near post but Andy Johnston reacted quickly to clear off the line at the foot of the post. A minute later Chambers put an angled shot agonisingly across the face of goal whilst, at the other end, Kilheeney sent Foster sprinting clear but he sliced his shot well wide of goal. However, Foster got his reward on 35 minutes when he turned Dean Foley inside the box to fire into the roof of the net past Ingham. The Blues were presented with a chance to get back into the game on 43 minutes when a miss-placed clearance well to Chambers on the edge of the box. He did well to turn his marker before being repeatedly pulled back as he tried to shoot at goal. The referee awarded the penalty which Nazha stepped up to take. However, Johnston dived to his right to save the spot-kick but the assistant referee signaled he had moved forward off his line before the kick was taken, with the referee ordering the kick to be re-taken. Amazingly Nazha again saw his kick saved.

The Blues started the second half positively but again finishing was their problem as Chambers saw his sliced shot ricochet just wide off Nazha and Collins volleyed wide from 25 yards, whilst Evans failed to get a vital touch in front of goal on a good cross from the left by Smith. The Blues did get some reward on 58 minutes when Steve Robinson's persistence won a corner which was taken by Lee Pugh. MATT DALY met it with a looping header back across goal which went in off the underside of the crossbar to pull a goal back. However, 40 seconds later Foster was given space to get goal-side of Daly as he fed off a pass from Kilheeney and volleyed past Ingham from 20 yards to restore Radcliffe's 2 goal lead. But, the Blues kept plugging away. A few minutes later Daly met Pugh's free-kick at the far post with a header that Johnston pushed around the post. With 16 minutes left Gary marrow replaced Nazha and Evans with Ashley Scothern and Adam Russell and as time started to run out Pugh curled a 25 yard free-kick just over the bar. The Blues were given a lifeline on 86 minutes when Paul McGuire's miss-placed back-pass let in CHAMBERS who confidently beat Johnston to set Radcliffe's nerves jangling. But Johnston came to Radcliffe's rescue yet again as the game entered stoppage time when he brilliantly turned Collins' close range header around the post following Robinson's chipped ball in.