20^th August 2022, Trafford v Runcorn Linnets FC : 1-2

In four years of NPL league fixtures, close battles have been the order of the day between Linnets and Trafford, and that was the least the Runcorn camp expected to face this time in their first Emirates FA Cup meeting.

Early reports of the south-west Manchester outfit suggested they will be a force to be reckoned with again.

A bitty start to the game could be attributed to another evenly- matched encounter, and to the energy-sapping warm weather. 

There would be many tired pairs of legs in evidence on both sides as Linnets protected a 2-1 lead through most of the last 20 minutes or so.

The Traffford pitch offered no excuses for any lack of good football. Hard underneath as it was, in a bone dry summer, the Shawe View surface is always one of the very best at tier 8 of the English pyramid.

Runcorn found their feet in midfield and grew in confidence from about ten minutes in.

Dapo Olarewaju started on the right wing, with Ally Brown dropping back into his customary attacking right-back berth, having played further up at Mossley in midweek, with Daryll Grant behind him.

Dapo caused problems for Jack Sloan from the dugouts to the penalty area, fed by some promising balls from Ally, and from Sidi Sanogo and Jamie Rainford in the middle of the pitch.

Astley Mulholland wasn't the first defender to decide that to stop Dapo you have to bring him down, and he earned the first yellow card of the day for his trouble.

Rainford shrugged off two robust challenges to pass right for Dapo to shoot, but Mulholland did well to block at close quarters.

Then Sanogo won a 50/50 ball in the middle of the pitch, as he so often does and would do repeatedly today, before playing a rapid ball out to the right touchline.

Brown did well to keep it in, and shaped to cross for Rainford, but Glenn Matthews made another point-blank intervention.

Early Runcorn enterprise bore fruit after just 14 minutes. A corner from the right, won by Dapo, was headed down to the edge of the six-yard box by Sam Heathcote, and Jamie Rainford was on hand to slam it home, giving 'keeper Conor Robson no chance.

Linnets stayed fractionally on top into the middle of the half, with Trafford limited to a few long-range low shots that never troubled Danny Taberner.

Goalscorer Rainford gave Harry Norris headaches as the Trafford centre-back tried to outmuscle him, and as Jamie held the ball up, Short, Sanogo and Rodney vied for space to receive it.

But Urmston's finest worked hard to deny further openings.

A Trafford free-kick from wide right met rock-solid defence in the Runcorn area. After Heatchcote had headed clear, it was flighted back in from the left by Sajjad Elhassan, but Taberner clutched it from the air with confidence.

Trafford's best chance of the half came from a great solo run by Rob Worrall, and his powerful shot was heading for the top bin, but for a superb diving save by Taberner. He completed the job by cleanly plucking the resulting corner kick from the air in the middle of the six-yard box.

Trafford continued their first spell of concerted pressure. A corner from the right was punched away by Tabs, out for a throw-in on the other side.

On 38 minutes, James Short completed a great 30-yard run up the left with a cross into the six-yard area.

Robson got to it, but fumbled, and Sloan had to be sharp to get in the way of Olarewaju's shot from just beyond the far post. 

From the corner, Sean O'Mahony won a four-way aerial duel to head just wide of the post.

In the last two minutes of the first half, referee Mr Reeves handed out his second Linnets caution, the first having gone to Heathcote for a foul.

Nialle Rodney's trip at the corner of the Linnets area was also a foul, but it didn't appear to be painful or cynical enough to have warranted the flourishing of plastic.

The resulting free-kick set up a firm header by Norris, but it flashed across goal and out.

It was a disappointing last couple of minutes in a fine first-half performance by Rodney. He picked up the ball 35 yards out, after a slip by Worrall,  and dragged a shot from 25 yards just past the left post, although Robson did have it covered.

Nialle was hurt as he went to ground, and he had to be substitutede by Sam Turner at half-time.

Linnets were worth their narrow lead at the break, but they didn't rest on their laurels. They attacked from the restart, with Turner heavily involved in the offensive threat.

And Dapo fancied his chances of creating something special from either wing.

He shrugged off two challenges near the left corner flag, making a dozen consecutive touches as Morgan and Mulholland policed his attempts to turn inside.

Credit was due for them staying on their feet, and allowing Dapo to do likewise. 

He pulled the ball back for skipper Short to cross, and Sanogo deftly flicked a header beyond Norris and Matthews. 

Sam Turner turned on his heels to attempt a shot from five yards out, and when the ball spun back, Ally Brown charged in to slam Linnets into a 2-0 lead.

It was a fitting reward for Dapo's efforts.

FA Cup fever took over, as most of the Runcorn team engaged in a sweaty mass embrace with the fans behind the goal. One of these days, I'm going to poke someone's eye out with my biro when that happens.

The two-goal margin should perhaps have allowed the away side to calm things down and take control, but credit to Trafford, who allowed them to do no such thing.

Less than five minutes later, the deficit was halved.

Runcorn certainly hadn't taken their collective foot off the gas in between.

A free-kick was headed down in the area by Sam Turner, and Sam Heathcote unleashed a shot that dipped over the bar.

Then Turner himself ran in from the right to skim a shot off the top of the bar.

It appeared to have been helped on its way by Robson's fingertips but a goal-kick was awarded.

Runcorn tails being up counte0d against them, however, when Trafford mounted their first attack of the half.

A cross from the left found Aaron Fleming in enough space just inside the area, and his shot for the left corner gave Taberner no chance.

There was to be no comfortable coast into the next round for Linnets. Throughout the remaining 34 minutes of the game, the possibility remained that a Tuesday night replay in Runcorn would replace a home league encounter with Hanley Town for Linnets, and the dreaded trek to Workington for Trafford.

The Mancunians introduced fresh legs to the sapping conditions over the next ten minutes. Ollie Ford replaced Elhassan, and Mike Burke gave way to Ryan Morton. 

Sanogo sought to regain control for the visitors, with tireless tackling and strong-willed possession.

As he tried to find Brown and Turner on the right, or Short and Olarewaju on the left, Rob Worrall was all over Sidi like a cheap suit. The referee eventually gave up pursuing the advantage rule and awarded a free-kick.

Olarewaju and Rainford posed a two-man threat on the left and it produced a shot from Dapo that Robson blocked with a leg, to concede a corner.

A neat spell of teamwork up the right between Brown, Turner and Jacques Welsh had their opponents running in circles to subdue them.

Turner found a way through to shoot low from outside the area. It clipped Rainford's heel as he ran in looking for a through ball, and Robson gathered the deflection.

Dave Wild introduced Eden Gumbs for Dapo, mixing up the attacking threat as the away defence resumed solid composure. Hayes and Welsh joined forces with Heathcote and O'Mahony to maintain a steady rearguard, enabling Brown and Short to pursue forward-supporting roles up the wings.

As Trafford chased the game, and Linnets defended in layers to contain them, the yellow and green inevitably gained and kept less possession. The outcome would remain in doubt through the last 15 minutes.

Jacques Welsh shrugged off two tackles that would probably have attracted yellow cards if he'd gone down, and played into the area a ball that bounced awkwardly for Sanogo.

His one touch didn't muster enough power to trouble Robson in the Trafford goal.

After Sloan had picked up a yellow for his challenge on Sam Turner, Tom Bentham had a great chance to level the tie, with seven minutes remaining.

Sean O'Mahony's headed clearance from a ball into the area was returned from the left flank, and Bentham could have taken a little longer over his aim before shooting over the left angle of post and bar.

The last five minutes were doiminated by safety-first Runcorn clearances, rather than measured balls forward, as Trafford battled to gain a Tuesday jaunt into Cheshire, rather than an odyssey to the outer reaches of Cumbria.

When Linnets did get forward, Eden Gumbs employed his physical resilience to keep possession between the penalty area and the left corner flag. He set up a James Short cross which eluded Rainford and Turner in the box. 

Precious seconds were eroded by Jamie Rainford, having just been cautioned, making way for a Ben Halfacre cameo appearance through added time, and likewise by free-kicks conceded by Trafford in attempts to dispossess Ben and Jacques Welsh in their own half.

One last-ditch effort could have made Bentham the home hero, and added an extra game to both sides' fixture schedules, but his hurried left-footed dig swung wide on the gathering wind.

Shawe View prides itself on a warm welcome, and a sundrenched crowd of 581 had been entertained by an absorbing cup tie, which really didn't warrant the disciplinary points that were amassed.  

Linnets are in the hat for the first qualifying round, their fans relishing the prospect of an exciting and lucrative FA Cup run, and dreaming of a rare home tie in   Monday's draw.

Runcorn Linnets: Danny Taberner, Ally Brown, James Short, Louis Hayes, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Oladapo Olarewaju (Eden Gumbs 64), Jacques Welsh, Jamie Rainford (Ben Halfacre 90), Sidi Sanogo Fofana, Nialle Rodney (Sam Turner 46).  Subs (not used): Adam Moseley, Daryll Grant, Isaac Turner.

Attendance: 581.

NB. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Runcorn Linnets FC or its Board.