21^st March 2023, Bootle v Runcorn Linnets FC : 0-0 [Pens:2-4]

Linnets returned to the Berry Street Garage Stadium for the second time in ten days, hoping for a repeat victory over Bootle that would propel them to the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup, in their first season in the competition. 

They had already made progress at the same venue with a 2-1 second round win over City of Liverpool back in November. 

History repeated itself more thoroughly than that, with Linnets going through despite playing more than half an hour with ten men, as they had against CoLFC.

Lewis Doyle was dismissed for his first tackle, barely a minute after coming on from the bench. But a gritty stalemate led to a rousing penalty shoot-out win for the ten men.  

Despite the recent proliferation of daffodils, spring had refused to come to Bootle. The whole game was conducted in cold, often heavy rain, and the pitch, a hybrid similar to that of the APEC, was flat, but sparse and muddy in parts, and the deluge made it look slick and shiny on top. 

That didn't prevent a quick start for Runcorn, a first corner coming from a first-minute charge up the right by captain James Short. Sean O'Mahony was penalised for trying to meet Shorty's corner with a header.

Sean will be getting used to it, after a free-kick awarded against him for an interception, involving no contact with any opponent, had led to Macclesfield's last-gap penalty winner on Saturday.

Nivaldo Rodrigues Ferreira, who was dismissed for two yellow card offences in that recent league game against Linnets, made his presence felt quickly again. He led the early Bootle challenge, and fired over the bar from distance, after six minutes.

A Jamal Crawford flick-on set Cameron Rooney away into the home area, but 'keeper Josh Ollerenshaw came out well to block with his feet.

Nivaldo was back in business at the other end, making two advances on the Runcorn goal. He picked up his blocked shot to try again, but the ball got away from him, and ran out for a goal-kick.

Those early efforts both ways suggest an end-to-end game, but it was always more box-to-box all night, and free-kicks and throw-ins would heavily outnumber solid chances for either side.  

O'Mahony was the first Linnet to be on the receiving end of Nivaldo's robust approach. The resulting free-kick from inside the Bootle half set up a Runcorn throw, ten yards from the corner flag, and in turn a cross into the area that was hoofed clear by James Cooper before it could reach Tom Moore in space.

Bootle suffered a blow as Lewis Sinnott was unable to continue, and was replaced by Lance Houghton after 18 minutes.

Jamal Crawford was on the right wing, but was turning the Bucks defence inside out across the width of the pitch, occupying three of them at a time, while Matty Birchall and Cameron Rooney looked for space to feed off his efforts. 

Bootle attempts to threaten were based more on long balls out to either wing, ahead of Jack McGowan and Sam Taylor.

Isaac Turner and James Short worked hard to prevent their efforts bearing fruit, but Danny Taberner did have to palm a McGowan shot-cum-cross out for a corner, which was then hit far too long.

Referee Aaron Jackson delivered a number of lectures for over-zealous tackles by either side, but dissent was the cause of the night's first yellow card, for Louis Hayes.  

Nivaldo received the next caution, for chopping down Tom Moore from behind after losing out in a 50/50 challenge. The free-kick led to a mysterious offside flag, with four Bootle players closer to their own goal line when Matty Birchall passed them to collect James Short's ball over the defence.

Birchall did manage a shot from 18 yards, from Crawford's pass, which resulted in a goal-kick despite the fact that a close-range deflection by James Flight had diverted it over the bar.

Bootle mounted a flurry of advances, all based on long balls into the area, and all ending up in the gloves of Danny Taberner.

Billy Smart collected a yellow card for dissent, just before the half-time whistle, at which point it had to be concluded that 0-0 was about right.

The first attack of the second half brought the first of four loud Runcorn shouts for a penalty for handball, when Cooper's arm prevented Tom Moore's chip finding Ollie McFadyen.

Mr Jackson promptly demonstrated a high level of tolerance for the involvement of upper limbs.

Seven minutes after the break, the assistant on the far side flagged in response to offside shouts from the Bootle defence, when Rooney had been at least a yard to the good when Tom Moore played the ball over them.

Sam Heathcote steamed into the area to meet a corner kick from Shorty, forced by Birchall, but it was intercepted by Billy Smart, who landed badly and sustained a nasty knee injury.

He left the field on a stretcher, and was replaced by Connor Millington.

Soon afterwards, Dave Wild withdrew Isaac Turner in favour of the attacking midfield potential of Lewis Doyle.

The next corner set up a booming shot from Heathcote that was blocked by Nivaldo, apparently with his arm.

Sam shot again from the rebound, with a similar result, but the referee remained in no mood to acknowledge handball.

Nivaldo pursued the ball towards halfway as Bootle sought to counter-attack, only to be brought down by Doyle. Lewis had been on the pitch for barely a minute when Mr Jackson gave him his marching orders.

Could lightning strike twice in the same place, with ten Linnets negotiating the bulk of the second half to progress? Apparently, it could.

The imbalance from Linnets being reduced to ten men was never likely to turn a dour encounter into a more open game, and committed Runcorn teamwork for the last half-hour limited chances still further.

But that was never due to a bus-parking exercise. The visitors made at least as much effort as their hosts to achieve a positive result inside 90 minutes. Wildy quickly made the tactical change of replacing Matty Birchall with under-21 graduate Josh Elverstone.

Josh is a centre-half, but he was again stationed up front, where he could provide a physical presence, but also fresh legs to apply defensive expertise when needed.

He set up one of the best Runcorn chances of the night, holding the ball up from a long James Short pass, and laying it back for a Heathcote shot which beat Ollerenshaw, but cleared the bar by inches.

Moore set Elverstone away on another run towards goal, but again the assistant responded positively to Bootle calls for offside, despite the fact that Josh had taken the ball past the last outfielder himself. 

Nivaldo had been as involved as any man on the pitch in two games against Runcorn, but that ended when he was subbed by Tom Peterson.

Bootle embarked on their most sustained attacking phase of the night, with Elverstone the only Linnet outside his own third for long periods.

But tireless chasing and intervention across the Runcorn area by O'Mahony, Heathcote, Moore and Hayes limited opportunities for the eleven men.

When balls did reach Tabs' six-yard box, he was equal to everything in the air and on the ground.

Eden Gumbs replaced Ollie McFadyen with 15 minutes remaining, as an additional fresh and muscular presence going forward.

He combined with Elverstone and Crawford, who had been applying himself increasingly to defensive endeavours on the right, to convince Bootle that it would be dangerous to throw everything into clinching a winner.

There was one more solid chance to come from each side.

Crawford won a throw-in on the right, which set up a Gumbs shot that was blocked en route by James Flight, and looped up and over the 'keeper.

It climbed over the bar, when it could just as easily have crept under.

At the other end, in the final minute, Cooper unleashed a great shot from 18 yards which was matched by a superb tip over by Tabs.

Linnets had a final futile penalty shout for handball, when Louis Hayes' shot from outside the area, from a James Short free-kick wide on the left, was stopped by Flight's arm, five yards inside it.   

Bootle's extensive photo library of events shows, almost exclusively, close defensive attention by both sides to any man on the ball, and precious few shots of anyone running in possession. That very much summed up the game. 

Neutrals would find little to remember about the encounter, but there would have been very few neutrals there.

What matters, especially in a cup semi-final, is winning. That made it highly surprising to see so many people heading for the exits within the last five minutes of the game. Whether you love or hate penalty shoot-outs, they are never boring. 

The coin toss for this one took an eternity, and it determined that it would take place in front of the rowdy contingent of younger Bucks fans, who did their utmost to put off the penalty takers in orange and black. And why wouldn't they?

It also meant that Linnets would lead the way, and after Tom Moore slammed the first spot-kick inside the left post, despite Ollerenshaw getting a touch on it, it put the ten men in the driving seat. I have always felt that the team shooting first has a psychological advantage. As long as they don't miss.

Bootle sub Connor Millington levelled with a right-of-centre effort, with Tabs going the other way.

Sam Heathcote looked positively encouraged by the barracking and flashing mobile phones behind the goal, and he saluted Bootle's youth, after burying his kick bottom left, to make it 2-1.

The pendulum swung firmly in Linnets' favour, when Taberner went the right way and got behind Sam Taylor's low shot, leaving James Short's confident bullet into the top left corner to give Runcorn a 3-1 cushion.

Taberner kicked the mud from his boots on the post, and was yellow carded for it. No, me neither. Tom Peterson shot straight down the middle, as Tabs dived right, and it was 3-2.

Cameron Rooney, who was the penalty taker closest so far to the age of the tormentors behind the goal, refused to be fazed, and Linnets' 18-year-old Morecambe loanee unleashed a rocket into the roof of the net, making the 'keeper's presence largely irrelevant.

That put Bootle left-back Eddie Clarke at the peak of penalty pressure. He had to score to keep the semi-final alive. I am still not sure what caused his effort to be one of the worst penalty kicks I have ever seen. 

He walked up to the ball so slowly, I thought he was going to re-spot it. But he stroked it towards the left post so gently that it bobbled on the way, and Tabs barely had to dive to prevent it from trickling over the line.

Whatever the reason for such a pedestrian effort, it meant that Linnets were in a Liverpool Senior Cup final. If that's a competition that doesn't really matter, nobody told the Runcorn players, who swarmed all over Danny Taberner. 

Linnets' fifth kick was rendered unnecessary, and it meant that they have a 100% record in penalty shoot-outs this season, with nine successful spot-kicks from nine. The final awaits, against either Southport or Marine, at a venue to be decided.

Runcorn Linnets: Danny Taberner, Isaac Turner (Lewis Doyle, 58 mins), James Short, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Jamal Crawford, Louis Hayes, Matty Birchall (Josh Elverstone, 61 mins), Cameron Rooney, Ollie McFadyen (Eden Gumbs, 76 mins).  Subs not used: Josh Roberts (GK), Adam Moseley. 

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