BIGGEST WIN
FOR LINNETS AS THEY FIGHT TO SURVIVE
BURSCOUGH
5 SQUIRES GATE 1
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Burscough saved their biggest win of the season for Easter Monday at the Community Ground, hopefully it hasn’t arrived too late to save them from relegation from the North West Counties Premier Division, it has certainly kept them alive in the fight to survive.
Burscough started off attacking the Orrell Lane End and soon put a shot across the face of the Squires Gate goal. However on 10 minutes the Linnets suffered a blow, the visitors Alex Ralph with the wind behind him cut in off the wing and launched one right into the top corner giving Burscough goalkeeper Charlie Monks no chance at all to make it 1-0 to Squires Gate.
Things didn’t look all the desperate for Burscough and it was clear to see that recently signed forwards Chris Sang and Laurance Cant are forming a promising combination up front. As it was on 21 minutes the Linnets levelled right back Harry Middlehurst putting one under Gate goalkeeper Luke Christie’s crossbar to make it 1-1. It was striker Cant who made it 2-1 to Burscough three minutes later, slipped through on goal by Xenon Bahula, Cant’s finish was clinical.
The rest of the half and until the interval chances became rare and as the teams turned around Burscough were 2-1 and were on course for a crucial three points. With the wind now at their backs Burscough put plenty of early second-half pressure on a Gate team defending the Railway End goal. On 51 minutes the offensive brought rewards, left-back Morgan Kinsella was pushing on and when Sang laid the ball off the him he put a powerful strike in the net, it was 3-1.
Soon afterwards it was 4-1, Sang getting a well deserved goal to effectively put the Linnets in charge with still over half an hour to go. Squires Gate did respond but Burscough were not going to let them back in and when Burscough won a 63rd minute penalty and Kinsella netted his second goal of the Game to make it 5-1, it was won. Burscough were now knocking the ball around and the beaten visitors were beginning to get more and more frustrated.
Ten minutes from the end a bad challenge by substitute Theodore Ball on goalkeeper Monks brought a red card from referee Matthew Moss, in many opinions it was the correct decision. With minutes to go Burscough did have some luck as goalkeeper Monks put in a rather reckless challenge on Gate forward James Boyd, and after a holding of breath my by the Linnets support Mr Moss only produced a yellow card. It would have been a big problem losing the stalwart goalkeeper with a couple of crucial games to come.
Burscough go to play-off chasing Bury AFC tonight and must win, it won’t be easy and the bookmakers will make Bury strong favourites but in good form and pushed the Shakers very close at the Community Ground a few weeks ago, it might now as impossible as the pundits say, a win is absolutely vital. If Burscough pull off the win, they have a trip to Kendal Town on Saturday a game that can be won.
BURSCOUGH: Monks, Middlehurst, Kinsella, Boydell, Koehler, Dobie ©, Bahula, Jagne, Sang, Cant, Monthe Subs Pellegrini Ruffer, Amankwah, Awe, Elms
SQUIRES GARE: Christie, Gray, Riley, Moore, Welsh, Westwood, Boyd, Webster, Sandie, Cliffe, Ralph Subs Jones, Williams – Parolli, Chambers, Page, Ball
REFEREE; Matthew Moss
Attendance: 75
