11^th February 2023, Runcorn Linnets FC v Newcastle Town : 3-1

Saturday couldn't come soon enough for Linnets fans, a two-month points drought having ended in nidweek with a resounding 3-0 victory over Skelmersdale United.

The same starting XI took to the field.

The belated kick-start to 2023 continued, with an excellent team performance that ultimately secured another three points.

But a dominant first-half display didn't deliver a goal until its final minute, and that came in immediate response to Newcastle going ahead, from a rare Runcorn stray pass. 

A far more even second half ironically saw Linnets land an ultimately comfortable 3-1 victory, with Ryan Brooke and Ollie McFadyen completing the scoring.

Linnets took the game to the visitors from the start, with Ollie McFadyen, in his second appearance for the club, and Lewis Doyle testing a well-organised Town defence from the middle of the pitch.

Right-back Ally Brown and reluctant left-back Eden Gumbs provided the threat from either flank.

Early possession was all at Runcorn feet, with massed ranks of Newcastle blue working hard and well to keep scoring opportunities to a minimum. Town's progress towards the clubhouse end was limited to long-range high balls. Heathcote, O'Mahony and Moore got to those first, and started new passing phases into away territory.

After eight minutes, an excellent cross-field sequence started by Gumbs found its way to McFadyen, who flighted a lovely ball through the area.

James Askey had to guide it past the far post and concede a corner, to avoid the approaching threat of Brooke and Rainford.

Linnets bossed possession and applied consistent pressure throughout the first 15 minutes, but Newcastle defended well.

A corner from the left was cleared to loud shouts for handball from the home fans, but referee Mark Ryan disagreed.

Ally Brown was next to worry the Town defence, with a great burst into the area from the right, and a shot that demanded a good save from Joseph Slinn. 

Newcastle's first contact with the ball in the Runcorn third took 20 minutes to materialise, as a mishit backpass by Sean O'Mahony gave them a corner.

Tommy Van Der Laan, the son of Town manager Robin, who made more than 300 Football League appearances in the 1990s, got to the kick first, but headed well over.

After a neat Eden Gumbs slalom into the Castle third, Louis Hayes won a loose ball and targeted Ryan Brooke in the area. Askey succeeded in intervening, and conceded a throw-in.

Brooky was quickly back into his own half, making a great tackle to halt Michael Conlon's solo run on the break.

The end-to-end performance which was ultimately to earn Brooky the Dron & Dickson-sponsored man of the match award continued, with a feint past two defenders before dragging a shot narrowly wide.

A speculative Eden Gumbs shot was bundled out for a corner by Slinn, and the hard-working Askey twice headed away from the Castle area.

Jamie Rainford received the first yellow card of the day, adjudged to have benn the cause of Callum Lovatt going down outside his own area, holding his head.  

The first half an hour had been dominated by Runcorn possession, and they bided their time patiently, as Newcastle continued to do a very solid job of keeping it fruitless.  

The breakthrough that Linnets fans felt and hoped was inevitable almost happened in the 37th minute. A defensive head got to Tom Moore's diagonal ball into the area just before that of Ryan Brooke.

Lewis Doyle's resulting corner reached Sam Heathcote beyond the far post, and his shot cannoned off the bar, with the goalkeeper beaten.

Brooky received a warning after Lovatt went to ground from their 50/50 aerial challenge, but it was hard to see what he had done wrong. 

Newcastle made a rare advance as far as the Linnets area, through Derbyshire and Morley, but Tom Moore intercepted before Danny Taberner could be called into action.

After 44 minutes of Runcorn domination, one of my companions up on the media platform (we'll call him Jonah), said: "It'll take a mistake for us to lose this".

A loose Sam Heathcote pass, with the Linnets defence all up to the halfway line, allowed Nathan Morley to break away towards their goal. O'Mahony and Brown tracked back to interrupt his run, but from the edge of the area, he stroked a perfectly-placed shot beyond the dive of Danny Taberner. It glanced into the net from the inside of the right post.

Few goals have ever come more 'against the run of play'. 

Jonah wasn't finished, adding: "That might wake up our killer instinct". 

We changed his name to Nostradamus, as from the restart, two passes found Ollie McFadyen, who laid the ball off to Lewis Doyle, 25 yards from goal. Castle defenders spread out to limit Lewis's passing options, but he strode on into the penalty area to lash a shot into the roof of the net. 

Half-time came immediately, with the score having advanced from 0-0 to 1-1 in barely the blink of an eye, and 'Jonah' had rescued himself from the prospect of expulsion from the roof of the stand.

Half-time conversation among the attendance of 629 reflected a consensus, that a second half Linnets performance echoing that of the first, would surely deliver six points in five days. 

Runcorn confidence continued after the break, but Castle eased their grip on a solid defensive showing to gain more possession. They spent much more time with the ball in opposition territory than they had in the first half.

Linnets attacked from the off, and two long Eden Gumbs throw-ins led to an Ollie McFadyen shot, which flew wide by not much.

Two minutes into the half, Newcastle won a free-kick from a 50/50 challenge between Sean O'Mahony and Callum Lovatt, 30 yards from the Runcorn goal.

If there was a foul at all, it looked more like an offence the other way.

Askey managed a free header from the kick, but it was weak, and was easily caught by Taberner.

Five minutes into the half, Linnets won a corner from the left. From the far side of the area, Sam Heathcote headed into the goalmouth, and Ryan Brooke buried a header from just outside the six-yard box.

Runcorn belatedly had the lead they had deserved by half-time, and they would surely go on to take command. But it was never that easy.

A Newcastle corner was followed by a 25-yard shot that had Tabs diving at full stretch, as it passed the right post.

Newcastle had applied more attacking pressure in the first seven minutes of the second half than they had in the whole of the first, and there was more to come.

But it didn't dent Runcorn confidence, and the home side continued to press in search of a conclusive third goal, encouraged by stirring vocal encouragement from the Murdishaw Massive.

Eden Gumbs outstripped three defenders on a brilliant run to provide a cross that Jamie Rainford headed on target, but Slinn was right behind it.

The next three or four minutes saw more Newcastle possession and pressing than at any time previously, but the Linnets defence kept its shape and composure, having to cover and resist as thoroughly as Castle's had through the first 45 minutes.

Tabs pounced on a through ball into the six-yard box just before Ryan Baxter could get a boot to it.

A Castle long throw-in was followed by a corner, which was parried by Tabs, Linnets a little fortunate that nobody in blue was close enough to connect before Sean O'Mahony could clear.

Conlon was hurt in a 50/50 challenge with Ryan Brooke, which was eventually followed by a drop-ball restart. 

Jamie Rainford was replaced by Matty Birchall after 66 minutes.

The one-goal Linnets lead would have felt far more comfortable if they had still been enjoying the domination of possession they had achieved in the first half. But the 25 minutes since half-time had seen pretty equal shares of the ball, and Newcastle looked like they had at least one more goal in them.

A promising sprint up the right by Ollie McFadyen ended with a foul by Derbyshire, a yard outside the area. Askey got his head to Lewis Doyle's free-kick just before Ryan Brooke could connect.

The tireless Castle centre-half responded similarly to McFadyen's cross into the six-yard box, off Tom Moore's long pass from the centre circle. 

An entertaining game had avoided any accusations of being scrappy, but that's how it was for the next ten minutes, with either side propelling the ball forward and seeing it returned in kind.

As the game entered its last ten minutes, Ryan Brooke was heard to shout "Let's get back playing!".

When Sidi Sanogo Fofana came off the bench to end a tremendous midfield performance by Louis Hayes, the home side endeavoured to get the ball on the ground and make their passing game tell once more.

There were seven minutes remaining when the outcome was concluded in circumstances which had Newcastle players and management complaining, and their Runcorn counterparts applauding referee Mr Ryan for allowing the play to continue, as Tommy Van Der Laan lay wounded.

The Newcastle No.8 had clattered into Ryan Brooke as he sped into the opposition half, but came off worse, and landed in a heap.

The referee allowed the Runcorn attack to continue, taking several glances back to check on Van Der Laan's discomfort.

Brooke conspired with Gumbs to deliver the ball across to McFadyen in the right side of the area, and Newcastle calls for offside were added to their protestations that play should have been stopped for Van Der Laan's injury.

Ollie rifled a shot from the right corner of the six-yard box into the roof of the net, and he had two goals from two appearances in yellow and green.

Within seconds of Castle kicking off again, Van Der Laan's frustration at the perceived injustice earned him a yellow card for a petulant challenge on McFadyen. 

James Short was introduced in place of Lewis Doyle for the last five minutes, and the Linnets captain applied himself to ensuring there would be no heroic late comeback by the visitors.

A Morley shot might have found the top corner, if Tabs hadn't palmed it to safety, and Sam Heathcote had a final chance at the clubhouse end, clearing the top left angle, from McFadyen's cross from the right.

There were no other threats to either goal during the last few minutes, and Linnets had collected two well- deserved points in five days, following a return of only two points in the preceding nine weeks. 

Even more pleasing was a return to the kind of confidence and composure that had taken Linnets to second place in the Pitching In NPL West division in early December. They were now back to fourth.

The diversion of a Tuesday night Liverpool Senior Cup quarter-final, at home to Litherland REMYCA, will be followed by the Saturday league visit of third-placed Workington.

That will be an acid test of Linnets' prospects for a promotion play-off place.

Runcorn Linnets:Danny Taberner, Ally Brown, Eden Gumbs, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Louis Hayes (Sidi Sanogo Fofana, 81 mins), Lewis Doyle (James Short, 85 mins), Jamie Rainford (Matty Birchall, 66 mins), Ryan Brooke, Ollie McFadyen.  Subs not used: Josh Roberts (GK), Isaac Turner. 

Attendance: 629.

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