Carden cuts down Cables

22/ 1/2009

FC UNITED moved to within two points of the promotion places as they beat UniBond Premier League strugglers Prescot Cables 2-0 on Saturday.

Simon Carden bagged a brace to help the reds record their third successive victory as they moved out of 11th place for the first time in ages.

Many fans had begun to think that the league table had got ‘stuck’, such was the difficulty that United had in moving out of the mid-table position despite a run of good results.

But Carden’s clinical finishing from midfield finally unanchored FC, making manager Karl Marginson’s prediction that they can still achieve promotion for the fourth year in a row look far less fanciable than it once did.

United cut the Cables down to size with two second half goals from the evergreen Carden. His first was a smartly taken rebound after Tommy Turner had been denied and his second was a neat finish following a through ball from Simon Garner.

Carden should have claimed a hat-trick when he was put clean through on goal soon after but the linesman ruled him off-side.

Carden was taken off almost immediately because he needed a cigarette.

The 2,045 crowd, which included the government’s culture secretary Andy Burnham, Mayor of Bury Peter Ashworth and rock group The Mongs, saw impressive on-pitch contributions from David Neville and substitute Tunji Moses – the son of former Manchester United star Remi, whose ex-teammate Scott McGarvey ventured on to the pitch at half-time to draw the raffle.

FC will hope to continue their winning ways when they travel to Witton Albion on Saturday, January 24, kick-off 3pm. On the gate admission costs £9 for adults and £6 for under-16s and pensioners.