27^th September 2022, Runcorn Linnets FC v Bootle : 1-1 Sponsored by 'The Quizlings'

After a triumphant Isuzu FA Trophy odyssey to North Shields three days previously, Linnets returned for a first home game in a month, and a league encounter with Bootle. 

The encounter between close Pitching In NPL West rivals, both on ten points from six games, had extra spice added by the rapid return of midfield maestro Jacques Welsh, who had left Runcorn for Bootle less than two weeks before.

Linnets lined up with the same eleven that started at North Shields. 

We were reminded that football is a winter sport as cold, torrential rain poured down on the pre-match warm-ups. Thankfully it abated soon after kick-off, and stayed away for most of the game, but throughout the early exchanges it caused the ball to skid off the newly-wet surface.

That possibly benefited the home side early on, as Bootle went on the offensive looking for a smash and grab lead, but for a few minutes, controlling quick balls forward wasn't easy.

It did also cause long passes up the Runcorn left to elude James Short and Sidi Sanogo. 

After two minutes, a timely intervention by Sam Heathcote blocked a promising Connor Millington shot, and three minutes later, Linnets 'keeper Danny Taberner was back-peddling when he crucially managed to tip a chipped shot over the top left angle. 

Twelve minutes had been played when a spell of containing Runcorn possession set up a first half- chance for the hosts. Lewis Doyle's ball from halfway bounded over two defenders to reach Jamie Rainford's run into the Bootle area, but the Linnets No.9 couldn't quite connect with the high bounce.

The 15th minute brought the first Runcorn attack in numbers, but Zack Clarke couldn't turn his man to cross from the right side, with Rainford, Sanogo and Hayes prowling in the area.

As the APEC Taxis Stadium pitch absorbed the earlier rain, the pace slowed visibly, and chances either way were scarce, as neither side allowed the other to take or pass the ball through productive space.

Tackles came quickly, and it appeared we might be witnessing yet another referee, who would not be prepared to allow Sidi Sanogo to win 50/50 challenges.

No chances worth that name ensued for a full 20 minutes, as mostly long and speculative balls forward were dealt with quickly and effectively by both defences.

Sequences of more than a couple of passes at a time were conducted mostly between both back fours, and in their own respective halves.

Danny Taberner saw a lot of the ball, but almost exclusively with his feet, as he joined Moore, Heathcote, O'Mahony and Short in keeping the ball away from any potential Bootle threat.

Lewis Doyle, from his customary position in front of the defence, strove to turn defence into attack from the middle of the pitch. But Wills, Rain, Welsh and his fellow former Linnet Jay Roberts conspired to keep Linnets possession brief, and to frustrate attempts to find Sanogo, Rainford or Clarke further forward.

A very close encounter, something of a tradition between these two sides, was perhaps to be expected. Any neutrals, among an excellent midweek crowd of 552, would have been doubting their chances of leaving with memories of a thrilling goalfest.

Bootle pressed, with a ball ahead of Ben Hodkinson into the Runcorn area, but he was heavily outnumbered, and couldn't cause any damage from wide of the left post. 

Jacques Welsh made his returning presence felt with a heavy low challenge on Sidi Sanogo. Arriving late made it a foul.

The free-kick set up James Short to launch a great cross through the Bootle area. Rainford left it for Sanogo beyond him, but Matty Rain did enough to put Sidi off his stride, and prevent a shot on goal.

A proper Linnets chance was on the cards, when Lewis Doyle was fouled just outside the penalty arc. Short's free-kick was curling inwards, but still missed the left post by a yard.

A 35-yard free-kick followed for Bootle, after Sean O'Mahony had won an aerial duel with the help of a push in the back. Tom Moore was fouled in a similar way, as he rose to head the free-kick clear from his own area.

The ex-Linnet duo of Roberts and Welsh combined up the left, but an outcome dreaded by their former fans was averted when Jacques' cross curled wide of the far post.

Tom Moore demonstrated that he is uncommonly quick for a player who operates mostly in the centre of defence, when he played a long pass to himself up the right flank.

He covered thirty yards in outpacing Rain, and secured two throw-ins in quick succession. The second gave Zack Clarke the ammunition for a shot which dipped inches over the far end of the bar.

A Runcorn corner was won by Sanogo and delivered into a crowded area. Heathcote and Moore both attempted to fashion shots on target, but defensive efforts prevailed.

Bootle responded on the break, but Sam Heathcote was resolute in heading off a through ball seeking out Hodkinson's run into the area.

It appeared that a set piece might be the best bet to break the deadlock, and so it proved.

Linnets won a corner from the left, and Short curled it into the goalmouth. Tom Moore headed down from just outside the six-yard box, and the ball evaded flying boots to bounce up from the turf and into the net.

There were two minutes remaining until the break, which well travelled manager-turned-pundit Ron Atkinson used to tell us was 'a good time to score'. Like there's a bad time.

After such a tight first half, either side would have been pleased to be a goal up, and disappointed to be one down.

Big Ron's argument was supported by Runcorn starting the second half as positively as Bootle had the first. 

Sean O'Mahony forged a solo path through the Bootle midfield and passed to Zack Clarke, who was fouled 25 yards out. Heathcote's free-kick drew a good save from Sam Ashton, from which James Cooper chested the ball out for a corner.

Short's ball in from the left was headed just wide by Heathcote.

Bootle gathered their composure and attacked, winning two promising corners. But the Runcorn defence stood firm.

Jacques Welsh was perhaps a little too keen to make a memorable return to the APEC, and he lashed a 25-yarder well over the bar, much to the vocal approval of the home fans.

The solid Linnets back four, augmented by a tireless back-and-forth contribution which ultimately won Lewis Doyle the accolade of man of the match, was to be transformed into something of a determined back ten, after the dismissal of captain James Short, with 37 minutes still to play.

He reacted to a hefty challenge, just inside the Bootle half, by kicking out at his grounded opponent. Referee David Burton showed no hesitation in showing Shorty a straight red card. 

An enforced reshuffle saw Eden Gumbs withdraw to the left-back position, and he was to spend the rest of the game proving that he can do a sterling job there, if required.

The Runcorn ranks inevitably massed behind the ball in their own half, and a side of Bootle's ability were bound to turn the rest of the game into something of a siege.

They set out to keep the ball moving, employing numbers to exploit the full width of the pitch, stretching and tiring their depleted opposition.

But teams reduced to ten men are forced to attack mostly on the break, and that can be dangerous against a team piling forward to make the most of the numerical advantage.

Jamie Rainford aimed to make the centre circle a launch pad for any attacking opportunities and, in the 60th minute, one such was halted sharply when he was fouled by Jay McCarten, 30 yards out. 

McCarten himself just managed to intercept the free-kick, with Tom Moore running into space beyond him.

The first change made by Runcorn boss Dave Wild wasn't, as might have been expected, to add defensive weight, but rather gave a debut to James Hooper, in place of Zack Clarke.

The new striker, signed from Workington a week before and cup tied for the North Shelds trip, aimed to work in tandem with Rainford to attack on the break. 

But his first 25 minutes in yellow and green, under straitened circumstances, showed that he can do a solid defensive job.

He worked as hard as his nine colleagues in an ultimately foiled attempt to ensure that almost continuous Bootle possession wouldn't lead to an equaliser.

A low driller from Oliver Putnam, who had replaced Connor Millington at half-time, was held low by Danny Taberner. A threatening cross from the left towards Hodkinson was guided out for a corner, which was well defended, and then another long-range dig by Welsh scooted wide.

The game became inevitably more physical, with 20 minutes still remaining for Linnets to hold on to their lead. 

It resulted in two yellow cards for the hosts, one for a late tackle by Lewis Doyle, and another for Rainford's dissent at the decision.

Then a great evening's work by Tom Moore came to an end when he went down injured wide on the right. He had to be helped to the dressing room, unable to stand on his left foot. What looked, therefore, like an ankle injury turned out to be a hamstring pull.

Teammates and fans were encouraged to see that he was able to walk out onto the pitch after the final whistle. Tom was substituted, in a straight positional swap, by Ally Brown.  

Continuing Bootle possession and pressure suggested an equaliser was on the cards.

Sean O'Mahony headed away a shot, from close to the goal line, and a follow-up shot flew wide.

Then it came. As the game entered its final quarter-hour, there were eight Bootle men inside the Linnets penalty area, when Simon Wills found a gap in the massed defensive ranks, just wide enough to poke it home.

The Murdishaw Massive did their best to maintain the volume necessary to encourage Runcorn's ten men to hold on, but there was a feeling in the air that 14 minutes should be sufficient for Bootle to clinch all three points.

But hold on they did, and they came close in the dying minutes to achieving even more. 

Linnets first team coach Billy Paynter took over post-match interview duties on the night, and he praised his charges for 'working their socks off' for the near 40 minutes that they played with ten against eleven.

But he voiced a little disappointment that they hadn't been a bit more composed, to find a pass that might have won the game.

He added that the half-time pep talk had urged them not to give Bootle anything to 'get their tails up'. The dismissal, only eight minutes into the second half, obviously did just that.       

Jamie Rainford was a lonely Linnets figure in the middle of the pitch, hoping for half a chance to pull off an unlikely win, with advances by Hooper raising hopes among the home fans.

Nialle Rodney replaced Rainford for the last three minutes, plus added time, to hopefully spring a surprise. 

He came close to doing so, taking two swipes at the ball in a frantically crowded Bootle area, resulting from two Ally Brown throw-ins in quick succession. Gumbs and Hooper also tried to find a way through the throng.

But 'keeper Ashton and his defence somehow prevented a hectic game of goalmouth pinball ending with a late Runcorn clincher.

They weren't quite finished. James Cooper twice prevented James Hooper (really) from heading on into the Bootle area, by holding him down by the shoulders. The second one was penalised. 

Eden Gumbs' free-kick to the far post appeared to have gone too long for Heathcote, but from a seemingly impossible angle, Sam's header cannoned squarely off the post. But had it crept inside, Ashton was well placed enough to have blocked it.

Those potential neutrals, who would have been less than enthralled by the first half, would have found more entertainment from the second 45, thanks to that game-changing red card. 

Billy Paynter's observations might be summed up by the phrase 'could do better', and Linnets fans will have been pleased to hear such a demanding assessment.

But the ovation for their departing team voiced justified satisfaction with a point secured by grit, determination, and hard work.

They will soon have the chance to roar them on again at the APEC, with the visit of Colne FC on Saturday 1st October. 

Runcorn Linnets:Danny Taberner, Tom Moore (Ally Brown, 73 mins), James Short, Lewis Doyle, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Eden Gumbs, Louis Hayes, Jamie Rainford (Nialle Rodney, 87 mins), Sidi Sanogo Fofana, Zack Clarke (James Hooper, 64 mins).  Subs not used: Isaac Turner, Nathan Corness.

Attendance:552.

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