Bacup Borough recorded their second three goal to nil victory in a week to shoot them to eighth position in the Vodkat League Premier Division.

Despite torrential overnight rain which resulted in only three Premier League games taking place, the Bacup playing surface was in impeccable condition allowing both teams to get the ball down and play. Surprisingly in the first quarter of the game the home side seemed to be going long rather than getting the ball down by playing their accustomed excellent passing game. This was a game that Bacup were always in control of right from the start however it was fifteen minutes into the game before they actually got their first shot on target, coming when Kingsley Williams played a square ball to his midfield partner Davey Luker who’s twenty yard effort was inches wide outside the Alsager post.

Further near efforts came Bacup Borough’s way but mainly from free kicks, the first was following a foul on Daniel Cocks. Davey Luker laid the ball to Lee Pugh who’s shot was blocked and rebounded to Matthew Hampson who’s shot was just over the cross bar. Bacup had another close effort when a Kingsley Williams shot looked to be going just inside the post but the Alsager got down and at full stretch did force the effort away.

When Alsager got on the ball they failed to build anything of any consequence as the Bacup midfield and defence were proving too astute for the Staffordshire team in dispossessing before mounting their own attacks. Once again it was another free kick which gave Davey Luker then looked to have scored but an assistants flag ruled the effort out due to offside.

Lee Pugh had a long range effort which was off target before yet another free kick came Bacup’s way and Davey Luker’s effort struck the foot of the Alsager post.

With the amount of free kicks the home side had won during the first half, it was no surprise that the deadlock was broken on forty minutes from yet another free kick on the left side of the pitch parallel with the edge of the eighteen yard box. Daniel Cocks spotted the Alsager keeper off his line enough to find the space to execute a good clever finish. Such was the dominance of Bacup it was surprising that it took so long to break the deadlock. Further chances in the remaining five minutes came Bacup Borough’s way. Arran Spencer fired just over from close range and Lance Ogunyode had a goal bound shot blocked leaving the home side going in at the break with only a slender one goal lead to show for all their dominance.

The second half carried on much the same way as the first half, Bacup had an early opportunity to have doubled their lead when the ball was played in by Cocks to Arran Spencer who laid the ball off for Matthew Hampson but his effort was agonisingly blocked.

With sixty minutes on the clock and Bacup still only having that slender one goal advantage it was time to introduce striker Haydn Paul. This substitution was certainly inspirational in terms of widening the gulf in the scoring rates between the two sides, with almost his first touch he intelligently switched play for Daniel Cocks who then drove into the box but his attempted chip rather than a strike ended with the ball being cleared away but only as far as to Williams who’s goal bound effort was blocked.

However on sixty five minutes Haydn Paul showed class and awareness beyond his young years when following an excellent quality ball in from the left channel from Lee Pugh, Hayden Paul ghosted in front of the defender timing his run to perfection before glancing the ball back into the direction of the goal which sailed into the net. The execution of this goal was fitting for the biggest and best football arena’s.

Adrian Bellamy put in an excellent cross from which Lance Ogunyode had a powerful, well connected header well saved by the Alsager keeper.

On seventy five minutes Bacup made another substitution introducing Martin Cosgrave and his first touch of the ball was hitting the back of the net. It started when Captain Davey Luker played Haydn Paul in who got himself ahead of the last defender his shot was blocked by the goalkeepers out stretched foot but there was nothing the keeper could do when the ball went straight to Cosgrave who with his first touch of the match fired the ball back into the empty net.

For the final ten minutes of the game Bacup introduced Lee Oldham back into the action following several weeks out of the game following an operation. The only time Alsager posed a threat in the entire ninety minutes was following a free kick late into the half from which the Alsager player was gifted a free header which was headed over the Bacup Bar.

The Bacup Borough manager Brent Peters spoke following the game

“From the start we had lots of possession but during the early part of the game we were going long rather than shortening our game up. When we did this we had players taking too many touches on the ball which in effect made us play at a comfortable pace for the opposition to be content with.

Taking limited touches and playing at a pace and by making the pitch big would have inevitably made it very difficult for the opposition to compete with us. We had lots of the ball but we were not in anyway hurting our opponents due to either not putting the ball in from wide positions much sooner when the opportunity was on to do so or in front of goal not getting our shots off much earlier.

We were taking an extra touch in order to get a better opportunity allowing the opposition to close us down resulting with only one goal to show for our first half efforts.

Peters added “ I had visions of this game going the same way as our last home game, lots of possession, a slender one goal lead and then finishing the game with nothing but this all changed following the introduction of young Haydn Paul. The way this young lad reads the game and times his runs to perfection is also a testament to my Head of Player Development Andy Hill. Having not seen enough of Haydn I was somewhat sceptical of giving Haydn his chance several weeks ago in the first team in such a demanding position and in such a demanding league. It is not easy playing upfront with ones back to goal for experienced players never mind a lad just turned nineteen.

I listened to Andy and how glad I have because the way that this lad goes about his business and the way he executed his finish by timing and precision was nothing more than special. If nothing else the finish was worth the admission fee alone.

Peters continued by saying “As a team we are now entering the business end of the season and having gone to eighth in the league and still in the challenge cup we have everything to play for. The challenge is can this young side go on in the final weeks of this season and show maturity beyond their years in laying a firm marker down in this interesting title race and continuing in the Challenge Cup.

Peters concluded, “I certainly wont back against them”

Team: Paul Horridge, Adrian Bellamy, Gareth Wager, Marc Taylor, Lee Pugh, Daniel Cocks (Martin Cosgrave), Kingsley Williams (Lee Oldham), Davey Luker, Lance Ogunyode, Matthew Hampson, Arran Spencer (Haydn Paul).

Subs Not Used: Chris Ogunyode, Matthew Wrigley

Goals: Cocks 40, Hayden-James 65, Cosgrave 77

Home - Fixtures