Bacup Borough bowed out of this seasons FA Vase competition at the hands of the Northern League Division One Pace Setters and former World Champions but the Lancashire Club came away from an extremely hostile situation with their heads held high and can certainly count themselves as being unlucky in the respect that Bacup were wrongly reduced to ten men, this after winning a free kick following an assault on Bacup Borough’s Haydn Paul.

Manager Brent Peters Takes Up the Story When He Had This To Say,

“ West Auckland had taken a fifteenth minute lead when Stuart Banks got onto the end of a long ball before cutting inside before shooting goal bound that the ball did manage to sneak between a fully stretched Max Johnson and the far post, Peters said “ in this movement West Auckland scored a perfectly good goal, this we certainly did not have a problem with, it is what was to come that for us all had far reaching consequences of how this game and result did pan out,

Peters said on twenty eight minutes two of their players made no attempt to win the ball against Haydn Paul, it was criminal assault, The West Auckland defender in immediate view of the referee punched the young Bacup Striker leaving the official with no other option but to give the lad a red card,

Peters commented “ The Majority, if not all of the West Auckland Supporters were not a problem, however disgustingly members of the West Auckland playing squad but non players in this game were from this moment on in sighting trouble to the point that the Assistant Referee on the dugout side actually warned them of their conduct from which they were trying to say back they were not members of the team, they had just purchased a track suite ?

Peters went on “ their sending off very much of their own doing did create a volatile, aggressive, brutal attitude towards our players, In over thirty years of Managing both in the Football League and Non League I can honestly say I have not witnessed anything like it,

Peters said “ very soon following their man having been sent off, another over the top challenge on one of our players resulted in the official awarding us with a free kick, typical of the West Auckland players indiscipline, in order to prevent our Kingsley Williams taking a quick free kick, their player in sight of the official dribbled the ball away and shielded the ball, Kingsley ran to get the ball but with the player shielding it, Kingsley put his arm across the player in order to hold him off so he could retreat the ball, Kingsley got the ball and ran back to the spot from where the free kick was awarded, Peters went on “ this sort of situation we all see every week at live games or on Match of the Day but one thing we do not see is the player trying to get the ball being sent off”

Peters said “ the entire West Auckland team were around the Geordie official like a rash, sadly the young and relatively in experienced official was allowed to be intimidated to the point he sent off Kingsley Williams, Peters said at worst it was a yellow card but most of the time a good referee would just have a word, something identical I did witness near the touchline of the Chelsea v Liverpool game on Sunday”

Peters commented this was so much of a bitter pill to swallow that at half time after speaking to the official, whilst not fully admitting he had got it wrong, however what he did agree with me on, was the fact that when we see that situation in other games players do not get sent off, this he did agree with and from that in the cold light of day he knows the wrong decision was implemented “

Peters finished by saying both myself and Andy Hill are extremely proud of our boys, the way they all conducted themselves in what was an intimidating arena, even the Assistant Referee on our side of the pitch was equally as complimentary not only about our players on the pitch but also our substitutes and everyone in the dugout and technical area, Peters said as for the game in its entirety we were very much well and truly in it until the eighty third minute, a goal that came on the break from us searching for that would have been deserved equaliser, Like I did tell the players, in football one does not always get what one deserves, the positive as a Management team we bring away is that the Boys stood strong, they were not beaten until the game was over and the massive bearing upon the result was the fact that we had been wrongly reduced to ten men, both myself and Andy Hill had worked hard with the team, on our team shape, players individual responsibilities both in and out of possession, then from an harsh sending off on our team, it then sadly did turn out to be all for nothing which certainly endorsed my concern whilst speaking on Local Radio the day prior to the game, that whilst I want all our boys to be on their game, it was important also the officials were likewise, in big games officials must get the big decisions right, sadly he did not “

Bacup drew level on thirty five minutes when Daniel Cross produced a quality ball in from the corner from which Adrian Bellamy powered an excellent headed goal into the net, from this Bacup Borough were very much in the ascendancy with the West Auckland Keeper Mark Bell pulling off a string of stunning saves to prevent the visitors taking an half time lead.

At the start of the second half West Auckland’s striker Matthew Moffat broke away from Adam Turner but his shot across the Bacup keeper went inches wide of the far post, then on fifty five minutes following a Bacup attack, West Auckland broke and from this Stewart Banks managed to get on the end of a right sided cross to head his side in front, this did not deter Bacup in anyway, once again they forced West Auckland on the offensive and once again Bacup brought the best out of West Aucklands keeper who was the star in a televised FA Cup game a few seasons ago when Blyth Spartans beat Blackburn Rovers, well he certainly was breaking the Bacup hearts when he pulled off a stunning save from Daniel Cocks.

Bacup were desperate for the equaliser in order to take the tie to extra time but despite their setbacks and their spirited display, seven minutes from the end a quick counter attack resulted in Matthew Coad setting up Mick Rae to finish.

Bacup whilst understandably dejected, Brent Peters young side can take a lot of heart and credit from their performance and discipline in what was very much at times extremely intimidating by a team that was happy to go far beyond the perimeters of the laws of the game and respect.

Team: Max Johnson, Adrian Bellamy, Adam Turner, Lee Oldham, Arran Walters, Davey Luker, Kingsley Williams, Matthew Hampson (Martin Cosgrave), Haydn Paul (Alex Ralph), Tommy Turner Daniel Cocks.

Subs Not Used: Matthew Kemp, Ed Williams, Matthew Wrigley

Goals: Adrian Bellamy 35

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