Bacup Borough started well taking on board Manager Brent Peters Pre- Match comments of pressing all over the park, this resulted in Atherton LR being found wanting as the home side got into several goal scoring positions. Davey Luker had an early strike which just went wide of the post, and his striking partner Tony Carroll also went close. Then the Atherton Keeper Craig Clare parried out a Luker shot for a corner which was defended. It was the fact that the front lads were pressing, something which as been missing in previous games which won Bacup the opening goal, it started when Nick Dowsing won the ball and played the ball into Luker, who in turn slipped Bryan Herbert in who struck the ball against the defender, however the ball came back into the path of the advancing Chris Greenwood who made no mistake.
Bacup dominated the half but with the amount of chances created the score line should have been more than the one at the break, Atherton were struggling to get a hold in the game and this was made worse when they were reduced to ten men when stupidly Robert Hope through a punch at Greenwood after he had won the ball.
The beginning of the second half was much the same as the first half with the visitors chasing the ball with Bacup keeping possession well.Tthis was until Bacup won a free kick just inside the LR half, however instead of getting the ball down quickly and playing Captain Ian Hughes opted to knock the ball long into their box. Atherton won the first ball but no Bacup players reacted to the second as it was knocked down. With Bacup having most of their lads in the opposing area for the free kick LR broke at pace. The Bacup rear guard just dropped off and as the lad was allowed to cut inside he unleashed an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net. Minutes later Bacup were unbelievably two goals down as a result of over playing at the back and indecisiveness which ended in the visitors getting their noses in front.
The ball was played from the keeper to John Luker in a wide position, with limited options Dave Luker did opt to play the ball back to his keeper who missed his kick seeing the ball go out for a corner. From the corner Atherton went in front when Bacup left a player unmarked in the box to head the ball into the net. For ten minutes following the goal Bacup went to pieces and look destined to concede again. Midfielder Adam Lucas was brought on in place of John Luker and he soon got on the ball and made the team start to build from the back. The passing moves that Bacup played did result in Carroll finishing well to put Borough back into a game that they should not have been drawing. A couple more opportunities did come the home sides way and had the right decision been made Carroll would have gone onto win the game instead Dave Luker took the ball off Carroll’s head and Fitton opted to shoot when Carroll was better placed. The move of the match almost provided the finishing touch to secure the three points, Lucas received the ball at the back, he played to Ian Hughes who played the ball up to Davey Luker who slipped Dowsing in, who then played into Fitton who's finishing touch went just the wrong side of the post and that left Bacup still searching for their first league win.
Manager Brent Peters Comments "There was so many positives to be taken from this game particular in the first forty five minutes. Once again Bacup produced some breathtaking football and created several great opportunities which should have given us a more comfortable interval lead other than a delicate one goal lead. To concede the first goal from our free kick and against ten men was not good. Instead of knocking an high ball into the box we should have just got the ball down and played and their second goal was also a series of errors and we got punished. This crazy ten minutes apart the lads did well, we pressed, won our battles, and the movement was good and we created several opportunities so I am looking more at the positives rather than the negatives. We may not have won but we did more than enough to have done so "
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