Despite the fact that Bacup Borough were without not less than seven experienced first team players, this score line by no means reflects the game, a game which Bacup did dominate from start to finish but naive mistakes from inexperienced players proved costly and an end to this year’s competition.

Barry Massey opened the scoring for Collieries from their first corner of the game, under pressure Massey from new signing Chris Cooper managed to get his head back to head the ball in the opposite corner from where keeper Mcgergor was going.

Collieries kicking their favourite way down the slope in the first half were having no joy against a strong Bacup Midfield which constantly broke up any threat from the home side, Bacup were unlucky not to get back on level terms when Chris Greenwood crossed the ball into the box, the advancing midfielder John Borg connected with the ball but it went to the wrong side of the post,

For all Bacup Boroughs possession they went two goals down when Chris Greenwood made a sloppy throw in on the right which went direct to an Atherton Player, this resulted in the visitors conceding a free kick which keeper Mcgregor saved for a corner, this resulted in a dreadful mistake by the young keeper who parried the ball down but was not given a second chance to recover as the experienced Massey was on hand to force the ball over the line, This score line flattered Collieries who did spend most of the half trying to regain possession from Bacup.

At the very start of the second half Jack Mcgregor did pull off a stunning save when Massey headed the ball back across for David Conlon to head goal bound but the young 17year old keeper did make a full length dive with a strong hand to pull the ball back from under his cross bar.

From here on Bacup strung wave after wave of attacks, going down the slope the pace of substitute Bryan Herbert and Danny Hartley were causing the home side problems, it was Herbert and Hartley’s link up play which brought a good save following a good shot from Hartley, the same player was unlucky again following a pass from Barker that this time did go inches wide, however it was third time lucky for Hartley when the ball coming in from the right found him, as quick as a flash with good feet on the turn he rifled his shot into the corner of the net and putting Borough right back into this game.

With still a quarter of the half to go your money would be on Bacup to at least force a replay, that was until substitute Adam Lucas on for the injured Dean Brown had good possession of the ball but inexplicably he did open his body and played a blind back pass into the path of an Atherton player just inside the Bacup half, the player still had defenders to beat but once Bacup Borough keeper Jack Mcgregor did make a rash run off his line and well out of his area, this made the lads mind up to strike the ball and hope, with defender Ryan Hall chasing the ball back towards his goal sadly for all concerned that complete shambles did put paid to £1,000 in the kitty and to progress into the next round.

Manager Brent Peters Comments” We are desperate for a natural finisher, chance after chance we do create but we either over play when we are in good areas or we are not clinical enough in front of goal, this is a major concern for me, when mistakes are made at the back which were evident in this game, we are always capable of stepping up the pace but we just do not score enough goals, there were four goals scored in this game but only one goal worthy of any praise, that being Danny Hartley’s, I am not knocking the young lads that are in our team but concentration levels are a must for ninety minutes along with quality, a sloppy throw, bad decision making, failing to deal with two corners, blind pass to them have cost us big time, this is a shame because that apart we played very very well.

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