15^th April 2023, Runcorn Linnets FC v Ramsbottom United : 5-0 Sponsored by Home Financial of Runcorn

Linnets' last home game of the season ranked as one of the biggest in the club's 17-year history.

A victory over Ramsbottom United, who were already relegated from the Pitching In NPL West Division, would bring them to the brink of a second successive place in the play-offs for promotion to the Premier Division.

Almost the entire crowd of 580 played their part in urging their side to improve on a lacklustre midweek 1-1 draw away at City of Liverpool, where Sam Heathcote had grabbed an equaliser with almost the last kick of the game. 

And improve they did, with a rousing 5-0 thumping of a despondent-looking Rams.

Without some superb second-half shot stopping by their young 'keeper Tom Wooster, on loan from Manchester United, it genuinely could have reached double figures. 

The game started at such a slow tempo, with Linnets rolling the ball around between them under little or no pressure, it barely warranted the word 'tempo' at all.

And it took less than two minutes for Lewis Doyle to seize possession in the Rammy area, and slip a pass inside for Matty Birchall to put the home side ahead with the easiest of finishes.

Runcorn were still permitted plenty of time and space on the ball, and Wooster in the Rams goal needed two grabs to hold on to Ally Brown's cross from a Tom Moore through ball.

After a brief burst of Rams possession in the middle third, Linnets had managed four more attempts on goal by the time ten minutes had elapsed. 

Tom Moore snatched a shot wide of the left upright, and Raheem Hanley fired beyond the other post from a one-two into the area with Ryan Brooke.

Off Henri Ogunby's block, Birchall won a corner from which Moore's header was blocked on the line, and from outside the area, Doyle shot low but wide.

The only thing that prevented the opening quarter of an hour from resembling a siege, was the fact that it was all conducted largely at walking pace.

Ramsbottom achieved their first corner kick after 17 minutes, and it was quickly cleared.

A lull in the middle third came to an end with another Linnets corner, punched clear by Wooster, and then an Ally Brown left-footer from outside the area, which dipped over the bar.

It was the 28th minute when United managed their first attempt on goal of the afternoon, when Ogunby scuffed a shot wide, under defensive pressure.

Linnets were completely on top of proceedings, but the pedestrian pace was making it difficult to turn possession into quickfire attacks.

One of few chances for a while came from a free-kick five yards from the left corner flag. Played short between Doyle and Short, it was aimed threateningly inside the near post, but blocked by the head of Josh Askew.

Rams had eight minutes to keep the margin to a single goal at the break, when they gifted an opportunity to Linnets to double it. 

Lewis Doyle picked up Raheem Hanley's cross just inside the area, and before he could take it back over the 18-yard line in search of space, Oscar Radcliffe tripped him from behind, to concede a nailed-on penalty.

The 'keeper dived the right way, but couldn't get near Ryan Brooke's spot-kick into the bottom left corner.

The media eyrie atop the stand was a pleasant place to be on a sunny spring afternoon, not least as we observed that the three points were already Runcorn's to throw away.

Lest anyone think that Marine might not be taking Tuesday's forthcoming Liverpool Senior Cup Final seriously, we were joined up there by their match reporter.

The relaxed mood among the rest of us was augmented just two minutes after Brooky's penalty, when he robbed the ball from a ponderous Will Hall at the edge of the area, and played it back to Tom Moore.

He curled it into the six-yard box, where Lewis Doyle put Linnets three up, from point-blank range.

A lengthy injury break ensued before half-time, but referee Barry Lamb took pity on the visitors, and added mere seconds.

For the second half, Rams introduced Kobe McWilliams in place of Saac Lee, who despite measuring much closer to seven feet than six, had been repeatedly beaten in the air in the middle third by Heathcote, Moore, O'Mahony and even Louis Hayes.

Danny Taberner, in the Runcorn goal, had been largely a specator so far and while he was given a bit more to do after the break, his team were still engaged in a great deal of passing for fun in the Ramsbottom half.

Lewis Doyle went to ground in the Rams penalty arc, but his shout for a free-kick was optimistic.

Brooky won a corner from the left, which was cleared to the edge of the area, from where Sean O'Mahony shot powerfully below the bar, drawing the first of a number of great tip overs by Wooster. 

A Heathcote header from the corner was saved, before Askew conceded another, which was cleared.

Rams had a corner of their own from the break, and Billy Hasler-Cregg received protracted attention after being fouled outside the corner of the area, for which Louis Hayes was delivered a lecture.

After 57 minutes, Ryan Brooke was saved for the rigours of the coming week, and replaced by Cameron Rooney.

Tom Moore received attention after an elbow to the face that earned McWilliams a yellow card, and then Wooster made his next great save from what looked a certain goal for Sam Heathcote, whose first-time shot from a corner was heading a foot below the bar.

Wooster caught the resulting corner kick, just before it reached O'Mahony's head.

Eden Gumbs replaced Matty Birchall, after 62 minutes, while Rams swapped Hasler-Cregg for Wealth Dasilva. 

Four continuous minutes of Linnets pressure yielded as many corners, during which time O'Mahony curled a shot off the post, a Hanley header on target was blocked, and a Tom Moore shot deflected off the top of Radcliffe's head for a corner.

Heathcote headed it down from beyond the far post, Wooster parrying the rebound off the pitch, up and over the bar.

Between the 68th and 70th minutes, Tabs was called into action twice, backpeddling to reach a deflected shot that looped over him, and just over the bar.

He also made a good low, diving save from Radcliffe's 18-yard shot from a corner.

Linnets were soon back on the attack, and Cam Rooney's glancing header shaved the right post.

Eden Gumbs shrugged off a Radcliffe foul to stay on his feet, until his run into the left side of the area won yet another corner. Having played the advantage, Mr Lamb retraced his steps to show Radcliffe a yellow card.

Rams replaced Matthew France with Thomas Hopley.

In the 78th minute, Raheem Hanley was tackled on the right touchline, but Rooney picked up the loose ball and passed it into the area, ahead of Lewis Doyle. He hooked the ball out of a 50-50 challenge with the 'keeper, snaked around him, and slotted the ball home for his second goal, and Runcorn's fourth.

It provided affirmation, if any were needed, of yet another Dron & Dickson-sponsored man of the match award to add to Lewis's collection. He caused nightmares for Ramsbottom from start to finish. 

Ollie McFadyen came on to give Tom Moore a breather for the last ten minutes.

Sean O'Mahony brought down Jordan Scanlon, as he crossed from outside the left edge of the Runcorn penalty area, and we were a little surprised to see that it was Scanlon who received the last of the day's three yellow cards, presumably for a retaliatory dig.

Four minutes remained when Cam Rooney was kicked, as he traversed the Rams' six-yard box. The referee was still pondering on whether to accede to Linnets' fans demands for a penalty, when Cam saved him the trouble. He turned on his left heel, outside the right-hand post, and lashed the ball over Wooster and into the roof of the net.

A minute later, Rooney was close to his second goal, and a Linnets sixth, when he headed inches over the bar from Eden Gumbs' cross. 

Rams couldn't wait for their final away game of the season to end (Wooster had asked the referee how long was left, when 13 minutes remained), and Mr Lamb showed mercy by adding nothing at all, despite a couple of injury delays and five second-half substitutions.

Billy Paynter showed himself to be an exacting taskmaster, in his final home post-match interview with Bucket Hat FM's Sam Phillips.

He felt that Linnets should have been far more clinical in attack, but that implied a harsh underestimation of the contribution of Tom Wooster.

Heathcote, O'Mahony and Rooney would have bagged another five goals between them, if not for that many great aerial saves by the young Rams stopper.

The Runcorn players returned to the field to celebrate a fitting end to the APEC league season with their fans.

They would have to await the outcome of Mossley's penultimate league fixture of the season at City of Liverpool, delayed by 24 hours due to the neighbouring Grand National, to learn whether a result would be needed at Trafford in seven days' time, to secure a place in the promotion play-offs.

Witton Albion's goalless draw at Hanley Town on Saturday, had already removed them from the equation, and then Mossley were also unable to break the deadlock against the Purps.

Linnets were in the play-offs, without the necessity of a result at Trafford on the final day of the league programme. It just remains to be seen whether Leek Town or Workington would be their semi-final hosts.

The great news sends Linnets into their first ever Liverpool Senior Cup final on Tuesday on the crest of a wave, with Runcorn ticket sales for the showpiece against Marine nudging ever closer to the 1,000 mark. 

Runcorn Linnets: Danny Taberner, Ally Brown, James Short, Tom Moore (Ollie McFadyen 80), Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Matty Birtchall (Eden Gumbs 62), Louis Hayes, Ryan Brooke (Cameron Rooney 57), Lewis Doyle, Raheem Hanley.  Subs (not used): Josh Elverstone, Kiearn Nolan.

Attendance: 580.

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