FC United 8-0 Squire's Gate

Source: BBC

By Jamie Murphy

The floodgates opened at Gigg Lane on Saturday as Patterson’s first half four and Rudd’s hat-trick delight non-league Manager of the Month, Karl Marginson.

North West Counties Football League - Division 1 (2006/07)

The 8-0 win against Blackpool outfit Squire’s Gate, saw FC United record their second biggest victory and go ten points clear at the top of the North West Counties Division One.

Before the kick off, the 2,378 fans at Gigg Lane applauded as manager Karl Marginson was made non-league manager of the month. They and their manager were to have their faith returned with a fantastic performance from an FC team on the rampage.

-image of Karl Marginson, non-league Manager of the Month
-image caption: Karl Marginson receives his award

With Captain Dave Chadwick out injured, the Reds' No. 11 Rory Patterson took the armband and put in a stellar display further cementing his status as a favourite of the fan by racking up four goals. Patterson got his first goal on the 4th minute, with a free kick shot straight through the dissipating Squires Gate wall. FC’s second goal followed ten minutes later when Stuart Rudd latched on to a perfect through ball from Steven Spencer.

From then on, United’s striking partnership completely overran Squires Gate and the chances were coming thick and fast. Patterson had a goal-bound effort cleared by a defender after he deftly chipped the Squires Gate 'keeper, and later Rudd was caught in two minds when, with both he and Patterson through on goal in the 27th minute, the striker missed an absolute sitter. This was replied only a minute later with another goal to add to Rory’s tally.

Apart from a cross tipped onto the bar by Sam Ashton in the first few minutes, FC United’s goal was seldom threatened and the one-way traffic produced two more goals for the home side in the first half, with Patterson netting them both. The striker capped his hat-trick with a brilliant effort nodding the ball past a defender before controlling and slotting his shot past the ‘keeper. With a minute to go to the half time whistle, Patterson had the defence scratching their heads with deja vu as he scored his fourth with a carbon copy of his third.

'Rambo for England'

"Rudd simply walked the ball into the net, the embarrassed keeper being consoled by the home fans' chants of 'Rambo for England!'"
Jamie Murphy, FC United reporter

Down 5-0 at half time, you wouldn’t have blamed Squire’s Gate for sneaking out the back door and heading back to the Golden Mile. Indeed Gigg Lane could have witnessed a rugby score if it wasn’t for the linesman’s flag and the Squire’s Gate ‘keeper, the headband sporting Peter Summerfield, whom the home fans dubbed ‘Rambo’.

Right from the kick off, Rudd almost drew first blood from Rambo (sorry!) but the keeper stood his ground. However Rudd was soon to have his second on the 48th minute, the home fans chanting “Rambo, what’s the score?” and the keeper replying holding up six fingers. Rambo was later to deny Rudd, Giggs and Mortimer before rolling the ball outfield in the mistaken belief that the game had been stopped for a free kick. Rudd latched onto the mistake and simply walked the ball into the net, capping his hat-trick on the 79th minute, the embarrassed keeper being consoled by the home fans’ chant of ‘Rambo for England’.

In the dying minutes, for reason’s known only to themselves a large section of the crowd launched into a rendition of the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B. Perhaps it was in sympathy with the visitors who, by the time debutant Danny Shannon came off the bench to head home a Giggs cross for number 8, must have certainly wanted to go home.