This result turned out to be as crazy as the decision of the referee to even start the game this after several heavy torrential downpours which made conditions dangerous. In the opening minutes Bacup produced a move down the right with Adrian Bellamy running with the ball, at the half way line between the two dug outs the ball stopped in several inches of water whist Bellamy and the defending Congleton player carried on running, a farcical situation to say the least, at no time did the longridge official take a ball out prior to the game in ensuring the ball ran true, another lucky escape of a serious injury having not been committed was when a Congleton player went to ground in order to challenge Martin Cosgrave, due to the very wet surface the Congleton player perfectly right to go for the ball and did make contact but such was the conditions that the Congleton player, Martin Cosgrave and the ball went sliding at some speed into the pitch side barrier, this more reminiscent of a bog slay team going down a snowy icy track, the conditions were a lottery and with it came this crazy score line.

Bacup took the lead on ten minutes when following a free kick the ball was eventually played from Bacup Borough’s right to left with Lee Oldham doing well coming in with a late run to smash the ball into the net, ten minutes later it was two nil to Bacup when Daniel Cocks did well putting the defender under pressure before getting his body between ball and man enough to nick the ball off to his strike partner Haydn Paul who smashed the ball into the net.

Three minutes later Congleton had pulled one goal back but the Bacup defenders must question themselves for taking the easy way out of defending by attempting to play off side that was not given, the former Morecambe player Iadriano Rigoghoso cut inside before firing across the Bacup keeper into the far corner of the net.

With half an hour gone it was all square, once again the diagonal ball out onto Bacup’s left created a problem for the home team when Jack Graham got ahead of Lee Oldham, with no cover on Graham cut inside at ease and finished by himself striking the ball past the Bacup keeper into the net.

Half time came and went and with it went two great opportunities for Bacup to have taken the lead right after the break, Daniel Cocks found himself in onto goal but agonisingly placed the ball to the wrong side of the post, then Martin Cosgrave had got himself in an excellent position but then his quality and decision making badly let him down by blasting over the bar, these proved costly for Bacup when once again a lack of discipline from the Bacup forwards when out of possession did fail in their duties of defending the Congleton defender who high up the pitch did latch onto the ball unopposed before cutting inside and finishing, then if this was not bad enough further bad defending but this time from defender ED Williams who’s attempted back header to his keeper which was falling short, in trying to seemingly correct this error of judgement he then misses his kick leaving the Congleton player to get between Williams and the keeper to simply tap the ball into the net.

Bacup Borough brought into the action Tommy Turner replacing Haydn Paul, Turner not long into the action produced a very good strike that brought an excellent save from the Congleton keeper, Martin Cosgrave was then replaced with Arran Walters and Bacup turned up the pressure, first of all Congleton conceded a free kick twenty yards out, Daniel Cocks put the ball into a great area that had any one of Bacup players have gambled it would have been a certain goal, then Tommy Turner did really well getting onto the ball, staying on the ball before playing a diagonal ball into the path of Daniel Cocks who then ran at the heart of the Congleton defence, with now three Bacup players having pulled off their markers at the far post, the correct decision here and Bacup were scoring, sadly he opted for the wrong option and with it came what seemed a tired pass back to their keeper, with eight minutes remaining Bacup did pull a goal back when Adrian Bellamy latched onto a ball in the box from which he made no mistake, there were still enough time for Bacup to salvage one point from this game but sadly the final whistle did come with the Bacup team having nothing to show for their efforts and the Bacup Club will be lucky if they see a recovery in their decimated pitch that as been badly damaged in the first month of the season due to the short sighted Referee, although his performance on the pitch could not be faulted.

After the match a rather up beat Manager in defeat had this to say “ This was a lottery and we all no what one gets from a lottery situation, some lucky winners, but more losers, on this occasion we were losers but credit to Congleton three of their four goals were well executed all though I have to question the organisation of one of my defenders in particular, had this been sorted, then it would have been defending with simplicity, from Bacup Borough’s point of view the lads tried to play football the way we believe football too be played, this on a surface ideal in places for jet skies, we scored three well taken goals, we had other opportunities from which one was a top drawer save from Tommy Turner, make no mistake we are a good side with excellent players, we are a young team with this mistakes in their organisation will happen because of their in experience particular within a different team shape to what they are used to within their previous respective clubs, mistakes on decision making can be costly at both ends of the pitch, this was evident in the outcome of this game, but I have stated all along we are a Development club and from these situations, these lads will learn from it in their quest for bigger and better things in the game “

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

Subs Not Used: Mark Taylor, Josh Lynch, Stewart Nixon

Goals: Lee Oldham 7, Haydn Paul 27, Adrian Bellamy 89

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