8^th April 2023, Runcorn Linnets FC v Prescot Cables : 2-0 Sponsored by Paul Eastup

Linnets began the Easter weekend under starter's orders in a three-horse race - knowing a place in the promotion play-offs would almost certainly be taken by any two from Clitheroe, Runcorn or Witton Albion.

All were separated by a single point, with four games each to play with a goal difference spread of just four spanning the three sides.

But visitors Prescot Cables would not be coasting into the summer break. They still had a mathematical chance of a play-off place, lying ten points behind Clitheroe and Linnets, and nine behind Witton. 

Glorious sunshine was accompanied by a stiff breeze, unusually blowing straight up the pitch towards the clubhouse end, and in Linnets faces during the first half.

The main effect of the wind was a quick bounce when the ball came to earth. It was the home side whose sure-footed touch on the ball all afternoon turned it to their advantage.

A first corner of the game came from Cables 'keeper Mitchell Allen saving Raheem Hanley's low shot. It was blocked.

A second was played short by Lewis Doyle for James Short to cross through the penalty area. Sam Heathcote's shot curled towards goal, but not quite enough, and it cleared the left post.

A long ball forward from the Prescot half ran through to Danny Taberner, who was flattened well after he had caught it, earning a yellow card for Cables centre-forward John Murphy.

James Foley appeared to be working hard to join him, as he protested at great length to referee Joel Buckle.

After nine minutes, Foley and Jack Goodwin were allowed enough space to progress threateningly into the Linnets area (which was to be a rarity on the day), but Tom Moore intervened and cleared.

The Cables defence was playing square, employing heads to clear Runcorn balls forward, and tempting Hanley, Brooke and Birchall to stray offside. It looked a risky strategy, and it was to prove misguided by the time 18 minutes had elapsed.

A first Prescot corner had been taken short, blocked and cleared, when Tom Moore's long ball up the right was pursued and controlled by Ally Brown, who forced a corner off the shins of Matthew Devine. 

The kick reached Sam Heathcote beyond the far post, and he mishit his shot into the ground. It bounced up and over the crowded six-yard box and was met by Ryan Brooke, who headed inside the right post from a yard out, for a classic poacher's goal.

The lead gave Linnets the luxury of taking a little more time on the ball, and the confidence to take control of proceedings.

Raheem Hanley, returning from a successful international break with St Kitts & Nevis in the CONCACAF Nations League, looked razor-sharp on the Linnets right, and after turning inside Matthew Devine, he pulled back a ball for Ally Brown to let rip with a shot that dipped just over the bar.

Midway through the first half, Lewis Doyle's through ball was flicked on by Brooky and met by Matty Birchall outside the right post. His blocked attempt ricocheted off on the rebound for a goal-kick.

A rare Cables attack enabled Kyle Sambor to meet a diagonal ball through the area from the left, but his first-time shot found the outside of the net.

Linnets quickly returned the ball to the Forest End, where Matty Birchall took a tumble after treading on the ball. It was cleared only as far as Lewis Doyle, who fired just wide of the left post from 25 yards.

At the half-hour point, Foley tested the referee's patience again, with a very late challenge from behind on Birchall, but he escaped with a stern warning.

The ball spent most of the next five minutes in the Runcorn half, but Cables' attempts to make anything from it were comprehensively frustrated by an on-song back four, and Hayes, Doyle and Moore winning challenges and loose balls for fun in midfield.

James Short was perhaps fortunate to escape a card for a late challenge on former Linnet Harry Cannon-Noren, just outside the right corner of the Runcorn area. The free-kick was headed wide by Sean O'Mahony, from where Sambor's curling shot cleared Taberner's jump, and the bar, by not very much.

Murphy, already on a yellow card, was playing with fire by sending O'Mahony sprawling with a shove in the back, and by protesting at length about the award of a free-kick.

A minute before half-time, Birchy won the ball with a great tackle as Cables attempted to clear their lines, and played it back into the path of Tom Moore. He strode ten yards across the front of the area, and slid a great pass in front of Hanley. Raheem outran the chasing Matthew Devine, and finished in style past the advancing 'keeper, and into the bottom left corner.  

Linnets were worth at least that 2-0 lead at the break, and were close to increasing it in added time, but James Devine managed to get a crucial touch on Brooky's shot from ten yards out, from Raheem's pass inside.

A thoroughly satisfied Linnets following, among a superb holiday weekend attendance of 703, were further elated by the news that both Clitheroe and Witton Albion were 1-0 down at half-time.

Linnets started the second half looking eager to extend their lead and secure the three points. Within a couple of minutes, Tom Moore shot just wide of the post, after Lewis Doyle's pass had set up Hanley to deliver a low cross from the right.

Two minutes later, Cables made it into the Runcorn area, where Foley went down with an audible howl from Ally Brown's ball-winning tackle. Mr Buckle was not persuaded, any more than he was by appeals for free-kicks from another former Linnet, Tony Donaldson, and a current one Lewis Doyle.

It was refreshing to see a referee make it abundantly clear that he was not prepared to call every physical contact a foul.

Linnets boss Billy Paynter introduced Jamal Crawford in place of Raheem Hanley, who had put in a superb 56 minutes, crowned by an excellent goal, although not 100% match-fit after his long-haul international adventure.

Jamal was to continue Raheem's persistent threat to the left side of the Cables defence.

James Devine did just enough to divert Ryan Brooke's attempted shot, and Mitchell Allen did equally well to get his gloves to the resulting corner, inside the far angle of post and bar, conceding another.

Tom Moore headed that one from near the far post, with plenty of power, but a yard too much height.

The first real Prescot attack of the half, after 62 minutes, might have borne fruit if they had been a bit sharper to exploit a rare bout of sluggish 'after you' passing among the Linnets defence inside their own area. 

Runcorn domination of the ball resumed, and Doyle's high ball across the area was met by a Crawford volley which flew high.

Jamal then made a 30-yard solo run, defying three challenges, and passed inside to Ryan Brooke, who volleyed wide of the near post.

It was to be Brooky's last contribution, as he was rested for the final 23 minutes, in preparation for Monday's City of Liverpool game, and replaced by Cameron Rooney.

There followed a lengthy delay, after Harry Cannon-Noren landed badly from a 50/50 contest for the ball with Matty Birchall, on the touchline inside the Cables half. The Prescot right-back was clearly in great distress.

It appeared that Harry landed with a foot turned outwards, and his knee took the impact of his weight as he fell. He left the field to applause, on a stretcher, and was taken to hospital. Everyone at Runcorn Linnets wishes Harry a speedy recovery.

He was substituted by Thomas Owens, another who has previously appeared in Runcorn yellow and green, while Jack Goodwin also gave way to Charlie Glennon.

When play resumed, Prescot went on the offensive, with a number of balls crossed and played long into the Runcorn area. Sean O'Mahony was the repeated barrier to any of them causing problems for Danny Taberner.

With twelve minutes of normal time remaining, Lewis Doyle picked up a Louis Hayes through ball and let rip from 20 yards, with a shot that looked like giving Linnets an unassailable 3-0 lead, until Allen pulled off a great airborne save to palm it over the bar. 

Eden Gumbs came off the bench in place of Matty Birchall, and almost immediately made his mark with an overhead cross from a Shorty throw-in, but there was nobody inside the six-yard box to take advantage of it.

Cam Rooney had a golden opportunity to score, when he found himself one-on-one with Allen, after a Louis Hayes pass had pierced the Prescot defence.

Cam's hesitation to shoot suggested he might have joined many of us in expecting an offside flag, and when none was forthcoming, the pause enabled the 'keeper to get a hand on the ball as the attacking substitute tried to place it inside the right post.

From beyond the far post, Sean O'Mahony returned the resulting corner kick back across the six-yard box, where Allen intervened again before Rooney could connect.

Shortly afterwards, stadium MC and Bucket Hat radio supremo Sam Phillips announced Louis Hayes as Linnets man of the match. Louis was a justified candidate among many, but for me, Sean O'Mahony had delivered one of his best ever performances for the club.

Nobody did more to make Cables look second best all afternoon, or to make it an unusually quiet one for Danny Taberner.

In the final minute of normal time, it seemed that Cam Rooney was certain to put Linnets three up, when he passed wide to Jamal Crawford, and was face to face with Allen in the six-yard box when Jamal returned the ball in the air. 

Cam tried to place his header rather than power it home, and found only the torso of the busy Prescot 'keeper.

It was no surprise when the horrible injury to Harry Cannon-Noren added eight minutes to the end of the game, but they presented little threat to a two-goal Runcorn lead which could by now have been several greater.

A frustrating day at the office for Cables was summed up after they had won the ball from Ally Brown, as he tried to shield it out of play for a goal-kick.

When Tony Donaldson passed the ball across the edge of the Linnets penalty area, Kyle Sambor swung a boot at fresh air, and then Thomas Owens ballooned an attempt a good 30 feet over the bar.

Donaldson received the second and last yellow card of the game, when he followed through on Tabs, long after he had gathered the ball.

Linnets finished the afternoon in pursuit of the elusive third goal, when Gumbs, Doyle and Crawford combined for the latter to cross into the middle of the six-yard box.

Rooney got his head to it, but as is invariably the case in such circumstances, he was adjudged to have fouled the 'keeper.

The Runcorn victory was as comprehensive as a 2-0 win can be, and Billy Paynter was justifiably elated by one of the most assured team performances of the season.

He also confirmed that assistant manager and 20-goal marksman Jamie Rainford was feeling confident of a return from the calf injury sustained against 1874 Northwich in February.

That would provide a welcome additional option, as Linnets face three games in two weeks to cement a place in the play-offs, the first of them away to City of Liverpool on Easter Monday.

They remain in fifth place, on goal difference, after Clitheroe's 2-1 comeback win at 1874, but with a four-point advantage over Witton Albion, who had succumbed 5-0 at Workington after being reduced to 10 men early on.  

Level on points with Witton are Mossley, who cannot be discounted after their 5-1 win over Newcastle Town.

Runcorn Linnets: Danny Taberner, Ally Brown, James Short, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Matty Birchall (Eden Gumbs, 78 mins), Louis Hayes, Ryan Brooke (Cameron Rooney, 66 mins), Lewis Doyle, Raheem Hanley (Jamal Crawford, 56 mins).  Subs not used: Josh Elverstone, Ollie McFadyen. 

Attendance: 703.

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