Source: therossendalefreepress.co.ukThe game was played 30 September, this article was first published 6 October. -Ed
FC United 3
Bacup Borough 0
IT WAS a backs-to-the-wall afternoon for Bacup Borough, who were savaged by a rampant FC United in front of a fervent crowd of 3,268 at Gigg Lane.
Bacup defended like Trojans, but they had to in the face of wave after wave of United attacks.
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And quite how Borough got to half time on level terms will remain one of the season’s great mysteries.
But once they went behind, to a cruel own goal after the break, there was always going to be only one winner.
It took United just two minutes to create the first of a litany of first half chances that were either spurned, spoiled, spooned over the bar or sliced wide.
The first half timetable ran like this.
Two mins: Stepover by Stuart Rudd leaves Rhodri Giggs with shot on goal but shoots wide.
Six mins: Rudd heads wide.
Eight mins: Rudd effort blocked and ball falls to Dave Chadwick, who somehow misses an open goal from six yards with Bacup keeper Tommy Allen on the ground.
15 mins: Hughes brings down Rudd on edge of box and Giggs fires free kick over bar.
16 mins: Bacup’s Ian Barker has header deflected away for corner.
17 mins: United break and good run down right by Matt Taylor ends with a cross into the box that William Ahern could not convert.
19 mins: Ian Barker looses possession after receiving ball near half way line and is faced by four defenders and has no support.
20 mins: Rory Patterson’s cross into the box just eludes Rudd.
22 mins: Bacup keeper Tommy Allen mishandles a cross but drops on loose ball in the area.
24 mins: Patterson has only Allen to beat but lifts his shot over the bar.
30mins: Taylor forces Allen to push the ball away for a corner and Giggs heads corner onto the top of net.
31 mins: Good flowing United move sets up Spencer, who side-foots the ball past Allen but it bounces off the post and back to the keeper.
32 mins: Taylor makes a great tackle to deny Herbert a shooting opportunity in one of Bacup’s rare forays forward.
34 mins: Josh Howard tries to curl a shot up and around Allen but clears the bar.
37 mins: Patterson crosses for Giggs and his back heel flick hits the post and goes wide.
40 mins: Wing back Alex Mortimer, who had run riot on the right, was given an ear-bashing by Giggs for blasting a free kick over the bar.
43 mins: Stuart Rudd forces Allen to save a fierce drive from outside the area.
44 mins: Defensive header by Shepherd prevents Howard getting on the end of ball into the box.
46 mins: Giggs sends Reds fans into raptures with the first goal but it is ruled out for offside.
Having survived that little lot, Bacup’s new signing Simon Myerscough then conceded an own goal five minutes into the second half when he turned Rudd’s effort past Allen. And that was the beginning of the end.
Rudd put the result beyond doubt on 69 minutes with an astute near post header that went across Allen.
And on 80 minutes a corner from Mortimer fell to Liam Coyne and he netted with a side-foot volley to seal a victory that gave United a record-equalling 12th straight win in the league.
Throughout the second half Bacup keeper Tommy Allen was subject to some merciless taunting from the FC United supportes behind his goal. But he took the abuse with a smile on his face and had the last laugh by being named man of the match.
Bacup boss Brent Peters said: ‘This was a massive day for some of my players because these lads have not played on a Football League ground in front of an average Division Two crowd.
‘I gave them the full works of having the pre-match organisation of a football league club and I said that they had to live the dream. But come 5pm the dream would be over and it would be too late to think if only I had done this or done that. I told them how important it was that whatever the outcome, they must not let themselves down.
‘I also told them that the players of FC United of Manchester were of an equal standing and competing in the North West Counties League. It was my belief that we would not concede and despite having to defend for long periods in the first half – mainly down to our poor ball retention – every man in the team worked tirelessly to contain their opponent.
‘Yes, at times we may have lived a charmed life but had we taken more care in our passing then things could have been different. Nevertheless come the break the game plan was working.
‘Then agonisingly Simon Myrescough sliced the ball into his own goal in an attempt to clear and this turned the dream into a nightmare.
‘There is no doubt in my mind the own goal killed us. But the work rate people like Bryan Herbert, Lee Oldham, Ian Barker and Simon Myrescough put in trying to contain the pace of their wide players and their two quality full backs was nothing short of remarkable. FC United of Manchester are a very good side but if only that own goal had not been conceded I am sure the organisation and work ethic of my lads would have got them something. In the end the dream became a nightmare.’
First published by the Rossendale Free Press
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