There is a saying of it never rains but it pours, well there was not a truer word spoken at the Brian Boys West View Stadium and for Bacup Borough in general, several days rain following Wednesday’s game was to soon turn the pitch into a field of mud to the extent that the Barnoldwick Manager wanted the game off but Referee Mr Johnson was having none of it, I am sure now in reflection Ben Hall the Barnoldswick Manager was glad the game was played following his side benefiting from two lucky own goals and Bacup reduced to ten men with the scores at 1-1.

This was a day when Bacup Borough billed this as their family fun day which saw the appearance of their new mascot a Black &White Panda which certainly proved to be anything but lucky but how much the kids loved him and no doubt the kids loved seeing twenty two players sliding about in muddy waters that would be more at home with their Panda and Knowsley Safari Park than football that both these two sides are capable of producing, credit to both sides despite the conditions, both sides tried to play and both sides put in a good honest display in terrible conditions but also both sides played the game with both sets of players showing equal respect for each other that did make the Referee’s job a whole lot easier.

Barnoldswick opened the scoring on twenty minutes but by the way the ball cruelly struck Gareth Wager enough to deflect the ball away from his keeper Max Johnson it was evident this was never going to be Bacup Borough’s day, Sean Clough reacted quicker than his marker Lee Oldham, Clough played the ball to Paul Fildes who opted for an early shot, his weak effort Bacup keeper Max Johnson had covered until it struck wager enough to take the ball away from Johnson and over the line.

This was what the score line was at half time when the Bacup Manager Brent Peters made a change introducing Martin Cosgrave and replaced was Haydn Paul. Again at the half time break the Barnoldswick Manager Ben Hall was at the official to abandon the game, this despite their slender one goal lead, but again Referee Mr Johnson was having none, Bacup in the second half were more determined, whilst Barnoldswick slightly shaded the first half, it was Bacup that very much had the upper hand in the second half and soon got their reward on around sixty minutes when the Barnoldswick centre back was pressed by Lee Oldham forcing the Centre Back to attempt a back pass back to his keeper, the Barnoldswick keeper Billy Carrington seemed to hesitate, the ball held up, Carrington and Oldham got to the ball, with Lee Oldham on the ground he still managed to dig the ball out enough to knock it into the Barnoldswick net, from this moment on Bacup were well in the ascendancy whilst Barnoldswick looked like a team that just wanted to get off the pitch and go home, this unless something could rekindle their spark again, well Bacup have only themselves to blame for contributing to their own downfall, it all started initially when the Bacup centre back Gareth Wager and a Barnoldswick player were each pulling each others shirt, the Referee spoke to both players and awarded Barnoldswick the free kick, Wager not happy with this decision and hold of the ball was voicing his innocence back to the official who asked him to put the ball down, eventually this Wager did but in an aggressive attitude, this got him a cheap yellow card for petulance, whether this disturbed Wagers mind set only the centre back knows but what was to follow had far reaching consequences on this result, with Bacup looking the favourites to win the game, certainly never looking like loosing the game, this was until Bacup were reduced to ten men, this was the moment that got that spark back for the visitors, it came about following a long ball forward that Wager did receive, he had the time to just send the ball back where it had come from but for some reason he opted to take extra touches to the point he got the ball caught between his legs, this gave the advancing Barnoldswick player the chance to disposes Wager, realising he was in trouble he prevented the player from progressing with the ball, the Referee then had to caution the Bacup player, having only minutes earlier given him the yellow card for showing dissent did mean the lad had to leave the pitch, something that certainly incensed Bacup Borough’s Andy Hill who gave Gareth Wager a piece of his mind as he trooped to the changing rooms, as for the Bacup players who had given their all in terrible conditions, they must have thought they had run over several black cats when once again they surrender the lead to yet another wicked own goal, this time following a good quality ball in from the Barnoldswick Right did strike Adam Turner from which the ball beat Max Johnson in the Bacup goal, Barnoldswick then put the game to bed one minute from time when the Referee awarded them a free kick around twenty yards out from which Robbie Smith made no mistake, this was a cruel afternoon for Bacup and certainly not a result they deserved but the fact of being reduced to ten men most certainly did not help their cause.

The Bacup Manager Brent Peters had this to say “ Barnoldswick like last season are a very good young honest side, in the first half I thought they shaded the half just ahead of us however had the ball not have taken that deflection then I am sure it would have been all square at the break, I felt the introduction of Martin Cosgrave and moving Lee Oldham at the break turned their slender first half advantage into our favour, I felt right from the off in the second half we were sharp, bright and very much in the ascendancy, once we pulled the goal back I felt we would go onto win the game, however what none of us can legislate for is one of our players talking himself into the Referee’s book and then committing a foul to earn another card reducing us to ten men, Peters added “ Gareth Wager is a top lad and very much a good committed whole hearted player, however on occasions he looses his self discipline, something he must learn to be in control of his actions, what he has done as big time let everyone down, we were well and truly in control of this game until his situation, the ones I feel for are his team mates that worked really hard in the most horrendous of conditions, due to Gareth’s petulance their work turned out to be for nothing and that is a crying shame, I must credit every player out there on that pitch, even the ones from Barnoldswick, I must congratulate Lee Oldham for the way he reacted from the Barnoldswick back pass sticking, not only did he react but he actually scored from being under pressure on the ground, this situation just puts an end to the myth when strikers use the excuse of not scoring that they are not getting the service, like I have said on many occasion, Strikers should make things happen and not wait for things to happen” Peters finished by saying “ we are also a good young side but two important games in two weeks have gone against us due to being reduced to ten men and both situation have been caused by our own naivety, something we must learn from and learn quickly “

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

Subs Not Used: Matthew Hampson, Matthew Kemp

Goals: Lee Oldham 50

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