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Saturday 16th August - Frickley Athletic 1-2 Runcorn FC Halton

The Blues found themselves a goal behind within five minutes of the kick off of the new campaign as Runcorn's Chris Price picked up a loose ball some 35 yards from goal, controlled it, looked up and fired a great shot past Mark Samways who was some 10 yards off his line. After creating a couple of half chances, the Blues drew level on 22 minutes. Chris Kamara played the ball back to Duncan Richards on the right wing who sent over a deep cross. Phil Lindley headed it back across goal for MARQUIS whose header from 6 yards crept inside the left hand post. Runcorn had a chance to retake the lead on 28 minutes but Steve Daly fired well over from 15 yards. The Blues were then dealt a blow by the loss of Marquis through injury and he was replaced by Remo Nesa. both Gary Hatto and Lindley dropped back into central defence to play with 5 at the back. On 41 minutes a Runcorn corner saw the ball fall to Daly whose powerful first time shot from 15 yards was cleared off the line by Hatto but the ball was returned to the danger area where Price shot goalwards with Hatto again kicking the ball clear but this time the referee adjudged the ball had crossed the line. Right on half time Kevin Leadbetter cut in from the left and shot from 18 yards but his shot drifted wide of Samways' right hand post.

Half time saw Adam Russell replace Lee Pugh with Lee Morris dropping back into midfield whilst Russell partnered Curtis Bernard up front. It was almost the visitors who struck again as on 58 minutes Antony Jackson gave the ball away on the edge of his own box, leaving Daly to feed Chris Lightfoot but the striker sidefooted his shot into the side netting from 6 yards. Two minutes later the Blues went agonisingly close to an equaliser when Kieran O'Brien's pass down the left saw Bernard break into the box abut his hooked cross was just missed by Richards who came charging in at the far post. On 62 minutes the scores should have been levelled when Morris met Richards' right wing cross with a powerful header from 8 yards but it clipped the outside of the right hand post. Paul Hurrell then replaced O'Brien as Phil Sharpe threw caution to the wind to try and salvage a point. On 73 minutes Hurrell's quick throw-in to Bernard saw saw the ball pulled back across the box to Jackson but his shot was blocked in front of goal.  

Frickley Athletic : Samways, Richards, Hatto, Kamara, Jackson, Marquis (Nesa 32), Pugh (Russell 45), Lindley, Morris, Bernard, O'Brien (Hurrell 70)

Runcron FC Halton : McMillan, Salt, Carragher, Ellis, Spearitt, Harris, Price, Morley, Lightfoot (Ness 82), Daly (McNeil 72), Leadbetter (Carden 88)

Att: 221

Ref : Mr D. Kellett (Bradford) 

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