The Fortress of the Brian Boys West View Stadium was blown away in the final twenty minutes of a game that Bacup Borough could have had such a winning margin at the interval to ensure maximum points.

With Bacup not having played for ten days since their 4-1 win at Squires Gate, they started the game nice and bright creating all sorts of problems for Flixton, Daniel Cocks, Adrian Bellamy, Davey Luker all combined very well before Haydn Paul found Kingsley Williams who got his head onto the ball but was thwarted by the Flixton Cross Bar.

The Only real threat Flixton created in the first half was when Gareth Wager was rash in a challenge deep into the Bacup half, Quickly Flixton took the kick with Bacup sleeping, the ball bounced up at the surprised Horridge in the Bacup goal and went for a corner which was defended.

Bacup created another excellent opportunity when the impressive Adrian Bellamy played a well weighted pass into the path of Daniel Cocks who’s touch was immaculate but it was a pity the same could not be said of his goal scoring opportunity, Cocks advanced into the box but his finish let him down.

Yet another excellent run from Adrian Bellamy resulted in a quality ball in, with the Flixton defender facing his own goal nothing he could do but to head away for a corner, any misdirection would have been a certain own goal.

On thirty five minutes Bacup’s pressure paid off with a goal, Lee Pugh who had also done well in advancing high up the pitch and delivering quality did once again deliver quality finding Haydn Paul who’s effort was blocked but only as far as Chris Ogunyode who whipped in another quality ball that Kingsley Williams once again got onto the end of but this time he made no mistake in giving his side a fully deserved lead.

The Score line stayed the same up until the half time break.

During the start of the second half Bacup had several opportunities to have increased their lead, Haydn Paul, Davey Luker both combined well before finding Chris Ogunyode who should have done better but his effort went behind the goal., then Lee Pugh made an excellent run from deep that took him into the opponents box but his effort went into the Flixton keepers hands, Then Matthew Hampson getting involved in the action down the left played the ball in which Bellamy connected with but his effort wide of the upright, then this time Bellamy proved provider when he delivered a good cross which Chris Ogunyode headed just wide.

At this stage it was all Bacup and seemed only a matter of time before they did double their lead, however such is the game of football that the slightest hint of a lack of discipline with reference to organisation, then very quickly the game can turn, this it certainly did, with the Bacup defence looking in control in the seventieth minute the cracks started to appear when Gareth Wager was not holding the position he should have been, Astley Mulholland probably for the first time in the game had found himself free but only until Lee Pugh had sensed the danger who came to cover his team mate but lost his footing, Mullholland was gifted a chance but on this occasion he missed the opportunity, a let off for Wager and Bacup, however minutes later a similar situation arose but this time after selling several dummies to the Bacup defenders including keeper Horridge who had covered his angle well but the clever work from the Flixton striker created enough space to smash in their equaliser.

If this was a goal Bacup did not see coming, it got worse on eighty two minutes when from the Bacup left Flixton did manage to get the ball right across, with Bacup defender Adrian Bellamy not taking responsibility for his defensive duties by being the wrong side of Phillip Drummond who smashed the ball into the net leaving Bacup completely bewildered of how in a game they had dominated, suddenly they are chasing, then if this was bad enough the Flixton third goal on eighty five minutes did create a situation of when is not a Back Pass but does get interoperated of being a back pass, Adrian Bellamy played a ball into space from a crowded situation, Bacup keeper Horridge who was unsighted as to who did play the ball, raced into the space to gather the ball, with shouts of back pass coming from the Flixton players, the poor official decided it was and an indirect free kick was awarded, with the Bacup wall set up, the Flixton player touched the ball, no one charged the ball down leaving Ashford Blake the chance to shape the ball into the net.

A game which started with so much promise, finished with everything going for the home side, Bacup lost their proud unbeaten home record and the chance to stake a positive claim in the Leagues title race.

After the game the Bacup Manager had this to say.

“ If ever there was a game we had our pockets well and truly picked, it was today, we were in control of this game, providing we kept our concentration and players kept their personal discipline within our team shape, then we should easily have seen this game through and the points in the bag, Peters added we should have been more clinical in front of goal with the amount of possession we had which did lead to us getting into excellent scoring positions but sadly too many times our efforts were not on target, despite this having taken the lead we should most certainly have seen this game out, Peters went on, I must give the Flixton team credit despite the fact they were second best in the football stakes they always knew that whilst we only had the slender one goal lead they would always have a chance, especially with the movement of their front lads that did create our defensive lack of organisation to the point of our back line looking like something from rag arse rovers, something I am not happy about, Peters concluded by saying “ we must remember we are a young side and in some areas we do lack experience, we are a development club and by this players are playing as part of their development, in this game honest decisions were made by certain individuals in the back line, decisions that were wrong which from this inevitably did lead to Flixton winning the game, something we will be putting right on the training ground, something they must learn from, after all they are playing and learning, something when results matter is not ideal.”

Team: Paul Horridge, Adrian Bellamy, Lee Pugh, Gareth Wager, Marc Taylor, Kingsly Williams, Daniel Cocks, Matthew Hampson (Lance Ogunyode), Haydn Paul, Davey Luker, Chris Ogunyode (Martin Cosgrave)

Subs Not Used: Robert Fox, Arran Spencer, Matthew Wrigley

Goals: Williams 35

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