The events of Bacup Borough’s last three out of four games have proved what a cruel game football can be.

Bacup have lost three key players within the first ten minutes in games against Ramsbottom, New Mills and now Winsford in this League Challenge Trophy. Bacup Borough Manager Brent Peters already without Marc Taylor who was injured against New Mills, out of a back four boasting one of the three best defensive units in the league, suffered another blow in this game when with only six minutes on the clock Bacup centre back Gareth Wager following a challenge was landed up on resulting in serious ankle damage and had to be replaced, very quickly for the second game running Adrian Bellamy had to be moved from right back to centre back making way for young Josh Lee to come into the right back position, if this was not bad enough, in the second half Josh Lee left the pitch on crutches and had to be replaced by young Max Jones.

Injuries will always play a big part in football but for a team to lose the players they have and from such a vital position within the team and at such an early stage of the game, all coming in their last few games was very much cruel bad luck, something which had a massive affect on this crucial cup quarter final.

This was a cruel blow to Manager Brent Peters who made six changes from their mid week fixture in order to give players their best chance against last season’s Cup Finalist, all Bacup Borough’s Pre Match preparations were spot on with the players reporting for pre match lunch and team preparing only to see his best laid plans go within the opening minutes of this tie.

Bacup did take the lead on twenty one minutes, this came when Captain Davey Luker wearing a protective nose mask made a good run but was sandwiched between two players and a free kick was awarded deep into the Winsford half in the left channel, the ball was knocked long and diagonal which defender Laquan Esdaile making only his second appearance headed the ball back to Haydn Paul who volleyed the ball into the net.

Winsfords best first half chances did come from free kicks around the Bacup penalty area, whilst at the opposite end Bacup were also in the free kick stakes when Daniel Cocks was brought down some twenty yards out on the right, Lee Pugh took the kick which came back off former Bacup player Steve Smith only for Pugh to connect with the rebound from which their keeper saved.

On the stroke of half time it was almost one –one when Winsford delivered the ball from the Bacup left which somehow managed to find the inside of the Bacup post before coming back into Keeper Matthew Wrigley’s arms, leaving the home sides slender lead intact at the half time break.

The first period of the second half Bacup had chances to have doubled their lead, first of all Arran Spencer delivered an excellent cross which had Haydn Paul have thrown himself at, then without doubt it would have been two for Haydn and Bacup but only if, then at the opposite end I am un sure what the Bacup full back Josh Lee was doing when he seemed oblivion to where his marker was and when the ball was played in behind him it was left to keeper Matthew Wrigley to make an excellent save.

Bacup could count themselves unlucky on sixty minutes when an headed ball into the path of Tommy Turner who’s shot with the keeper beaten did come back off the Winsford post,

Winsford on sixty five minutes made a substitution and with this did change their shape, something that seemed to unsettle the inexperienced Bacup defence as on sixty seven minutes Winsfords left full back Samuel Tomkinson failed to be tracked and cut inside before striking across the Bacup keeper to put the scores level, from this moment on Bacup surprisingly faded whilst Winsford pushed on taking the game to Bacup when on seventy five minutes once again the Bacup right side was being exposed for the Winsford player to cut inside before knocking the ball in behind the Bacup left back Lee Pugh where another Winsford player on Pugh’s blind side placed the ball back into the centre of the goal from which Matthew Ward had got away from his marker for a simple tap in.

On ninety minutes the game was well and truly over when from a Bacup free kick on the right resulted in Max Jones kicking the ball to a Winsord player who swithed play to Bacup Borough’s left, both Lee Pugh and Adrian Bellamy were passed with ease and once again when that ball was delivered in Centre forward Matthew Ward manage to get his shot off which went in off the post but also posing the question of where was the other Bacup centre back.?

For the Bacup Management team and the Bacup faithful, questions must surely be asked of why in the last twenty five minutes following the Winsford equaliser, why was the white flag of surrender adopted in so many players games, a little more self belief all over the pitch, Bacup could still have achieved their objective despite their cruel set backs.

Bacup Borough Manager Brent Peters Had This To Say “ This is not an excuse, it is a fact that losing such an influential player in Gareth Wager so early in the game in a defensive unit that had been doing so well that was also with out Mark Taylor did have a massive bearing on the outcome of this game, to start with we had to move Adrian Bellamy from a right back position he was excelling in only to be replaced by young Josh Lee who in all honesty is not a right full back but he was our only option, the fact that he also got injured which did mean two forced changes in the back line did also mean we could not utilise influential players in Matthew Hampson and or Lee Oldham from the bench, two players that we had in mind could come onto change the game if needed, the simple facts they were needed but we could not use them having done the forced changes.

Peters went on “ However prior to the game I talked about the importance of every player doing their jobs both in possession and out of possession, this certainly did not happen, whilst certain players did well in possession, that is only half of their responsibilities, to start with when Winsford went with three up and our left back was having a tough time, Daniel Cocks failed to be back in doubling up in order to help his team mate out, secondly for all Arran Spencer’s good work going forward he certainly failed in his defensive duties when his marker their left full back can cut inside unopposed to get his side their equaliser, Peters added I saw Arran at half time doing extra stretches like he was struggling, may be that was why the lad was not tracked, if this was the case I cant stress the importance of players speaking out when they are not fully fit to the point it does restrict them within their responsibilities, a fit and committed player in this instance would have prevented that equalising goal.

Peters then went on by saying “ it is in games like this that I wish I had the comforts of video technology, the scorer of two goals was Matthew Ward (9) both at a time in the game where he was supposed to be taken care of by our left back and both goals were goals that had not to be worked for, the lad was in space and afforded two simple tap in goals,

Peters concluded, if this young team want to be winners then they must learn not to shirk their responsibilities out of possession as a team in its entirety, sadly in this their biggest and most important game of the season, sadly some players did fail this, also some players failed in informing the Management team that they were restricted with injuries hence why some players performances were below where they should have been for any game, never mind one as important as this Cup quarter final”

Team: Matthew Wrigley, Adrian Bellamy, Garath Wager (Josh Lee) (Max Jones), Laquan Esdaile, Lee Pugh, Daniel Cocks, Davey Luker, Kingsley Williams, Arran Spencer (Lance Ogunyode), Haydn Paul, Tommy Turner

Subs Not Used: Matthew Hampson, Lee Oldham

Goals: Hayden-James 21

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