25^th April 2023, Leek Town v Runcorn Linnets FC : 1-3

Linnets came to Leek Town's Harrison Park for a Pitching In NPL West Division play-off semi-final for the second successive season.

They were hoping that history would repeat itself! having triumphed in stunning fashion on the first occasion, racing to a two-goal lead after just three minutes, and going on to win 4-1.

Leek would be determined to exact revenge for that defeat, and also to break their Runcorn home hoodoo.

Linnets were unbeaten in a total of six visits to Harrison Park, and had been victorious on five of those occasions.

The NPL West runners-up were encouraged, however, by having secured a rare victory over the yellow and green at APEC Taxis Stadium in January.

Runcorn had carefully negotiated a goalless draw at Trafford in Saturday's final league game, knowing that a win would commit them to a midweek journey to Workington, at the outer reaches of Cumbria.

But securing the preferred journey to the Staffordshire Moorlands had been soured somewhat, by the added-time dismissal of goalkeeper Danny Taberner, for handling the ball just outside his area.

Talismanic stopper Tabs was therefore suspended for the semi-final.   

With no other 'keeper available, Elliot Wynne was drafted in from Wythenshawe Town as an emergency replacement

'Mr Runcorn' Eden Gumbs, who for me delivered his best performance to date in a Linnets first-team shirt, was to get the almost impossible Bucket Hat Radio verdict for man of the match.

But Elliot was right up there among a team full of worthy candidates.

The artificial pitch at Harrison Park is one of the best around, providing much less 'drag' than many, and it enabled a quick pace to the game from the start.

Tom Moore played a fine ball forward for Ally Brown, who just failed to relay it to Eden Gumbs in the Leek area as Marc Grocott nipped in to steal it.

Leek returned quickly to the other end, where Sam Heathcote did well to concede a corner as Daniel Trickett-Smith made the goal-line and crossed. James Short cleared the corner from the six-yard box. 

After eight minutes, a soft free-kick was awarded for Sean O'Mahony's challenge on Trickett-Smith, temptingly around 22 yards from the Runcorn goal.

It looked goalbound all the way, but Linnets fans' fears about the challenge facing Elliot Wynne in an unfamiliar team, in one of the biggest games in its 17-year history, were immediately eased.

He pulled off a fantastic flying save to palm the ball over, from inches below the bar.

The corner was headed away by Sam Heathcote, and an end-to-end first half continued to take shape.

In the 11th minute, James Short took a throw-in from the left, and found Ryan Brooke, who laid a deft header across a static Leek defence, for Lewis Doyle to drill the ball home from outside the six-yard box, and Linnets were ahead.

Within five minutes, after a Leek attack from Louis Keenan's throw-in came to nothing, Runcorn looked set to achieve another quick-fire 2-0 lead.

Louis Hayes pounced on a loose ball in the middle of the Leek half, and played it wide for Ally Brown.

He delivered a peach of a diagonal pass through the area, where Ryan Brooke was beaten to the ball in the air by inches.

Tom Moore returned the headed clearance with a first-time shot but hooked it wide of the left post.

Linnets were first to most loose balls, covering the ground like a team looking fresh in August, rather than at the end of a long, hard season. 

Eden Gumbs was all over every ball that reached the Leek half, and it was taking at least two opponents to rein him in.

With 20 minutes gone, they failed to do so, when he met Raheem Hanley's diagonal ball from the left touchline, stepped inside his marker from the right to left, and unleashed a left-footed shot which evaded 'keeper Danny Roberts and found the net off the right post.

Delirium ensued among the Runcorn fans behind the goal, who already dared to start getting their affairs in order for a Saturday trip to Workington or Clitheroe.

Raheem Hanley was struggling after taking a knock from his part in making the second goal, and after 24 minutes he was replaced by Cameron Rooney.

Louis Hayes was cautioned for making robust contact with Grocott, rather than the ball, on the halfway line. Moments later, Eden Gumbs would have been away on goal, from a neat Lewis Doyle through ball, but for William Reeves clipping his heels to bring him down. The intent was blatant, but no card resulted.

Linnets showed no desire to rest on their laurels, and they maintained pressure which caused the Leek defence to sacrifice play-making precision in favour of 'anywhere' clearances.

A Leek corner resulted from a free-kick conceded by Sean O'Mahony's follow-up tackle, after beating Aaron Opuku in the air.

Wynne got a firm punch on the ball before it could reach the lofty head of centre-half Oliver Harrison.

After 32 minutes, Cam Rooney shot from the adge of the area, from Lewis Doyle's pass up the left, and Roberts' diving save pushed it on to the crossbar. 

Cam continued to press the Leek defence, and he had the ball in the net in the 38th minute, glancing in Ally Brown's cross from a one-two with Louis Hayes. Linnets jubilation was curtailed by an offside flag.

Reeves saw a yellow card for a very late chop on Lewis Doyle, after he had played the ball forward from the centre circle.

A Leek corner, after Sam Heathcote had blocked a Grocott-Okupu exchange up the left, was cleared by James Short, and an Eden Gumbs attack from the left was repelled.

The home side had seen more possession during the last 20 minutes of the first half, but Runcorn defending was organsied and composed, and always ready to launch counter-attacks.

A Lewis Doyle shot over the bar was the last before the break.

Three minutes into the second half, a diving block to a free-kick into the Leek area, from a foul 35 yards out on Lewis Doyle, led to echoing howls for handball, both on the pitch and from behind the goal. Neither the referee nor the assistant who was level with the incident, saw things the same as those in yellow and green. 

Lewis Billington sparked a Leek attack which Tom Moore did well to obstruct for a corner, and after that had been cleared by James Short, a free-kick was conceded by Louis Hayes, which was in turn launched into the Runcorn area by Reeves. 

A rare moment of hesitation in the away defence allowed Tim Grice to plant a one-touch header beyond Elliot Wynne's dive, and into the bottom left corner.

At least some of the travelling fans feared that the halving of the Linnets advantage might prompt their side to abandon the enterprising approach of the first 52 minutes, in favour of a potentially- dangerous, more cautious approach.

It wasn't long before their worries were calmed, though, as the goal that made it 3-1 was also timed at 52 minutes. 

Straight from the kick-off, a ball up the right wing was kept in astutely by Eden Gumbs, who doubled back to cross the ball into the penalty area, where Ryan Brooke headed unchallenged from ten yards out.

Danny Roberts got behind it, but fumbled the ball off both arms and a leg before it dropped over the line.

The timing of the goal was crucial to the outcome of the semi-final. Very few among the 1,392 attendance, whatever their allegiance, can have genuinely believed that Leek Town would now break the 'Runcorn curse'.

As the semi-final entered its last half-hour, Leek manager Neil Baker threw the dice of a double substitution, with Trickett-Smith giving way to Thomas Carr, and Rob Stevenson replacing Aaron Opoku, who had worked tirelessly to break down the Linnets defence, but with little joy.

Another Ryan Brooke header was repelled, and a Tom Moore shot curled wide. But otherwise it was Leek who spent more time in the opposition half for the rest of the night.

Most of their efforts stalled in the face of implacable Linnets defending.

The restored two-goal cushion gave the Runcorn defence the confidence to defend as a team, and to await opportunities to attack on the break. Gumbs and Rooney got forward fast with Ryan Brooke also advancing from his defensive contributions to find the space for another scoring opportunity.

If Leek were going to find a way back in, they couldn't afford the risk of throwing defenders forward, to attack as a team.

To prevent another Runcorn attack, Lewis Doyle was again the subject of a late industrial challenge inside his own half, earning a yellow card for Lewis Billington.

Brooke, Rooney and Doyle mounted a siege on the Leek area which led to a James Short rocket from 20 yards, which Harrison did well to block for a corner.

Rooney's shot through the crowded area was blocked on the line. 

Leek spent the best part of ten minutes in protracted possession, but the massed ranks of Runcorn prevented anything resembling a threat to Elliot Wynne's goal.

Grice illustrated their frustration, when he was next to receive a yellow card, for manhandling Ally Brown into the perimeter fence.

Fouls became more commonplace than chances.

Doyle was tripped headlong as he chased Eden Gumbs pass, as he sprinted out of defence, and Grice was fouled five yards outside the Linnets area, for a free-kick that was ballooned over the goal, and the stand behind it.

Linnets played the last five minutes of normal time with Jamie Rainford and Kieran Nolan on the pitch, in place of Doyle and Brown.

Leek sub Lucas Baker had a chance to make the last few minutes tense, when he met Louis Keenan's cross inside the right-hand post, but Elliot Wynne spread himself, Schmeichel-style, to pull off a great point-blank save.

Even if Elliot never sets foot in the APEC Taxis Stadium, he is anointed a Linnet for life. 

The debutant 'keeper crowned a legendary Runcorn debut with a yellow card, for taking his time over a goal-kick, doubtlessly contributing to the six minutes added at the end of the game.

But added time never looked like providing Leek with an escape route.

Jamie Rainford fancied putting the icing on the cake, combining twice with Cam Rooney to produce a shot each. Cam's was blocked, and Jamie's run past two defenders ended with a shot just wide of the left post.

There is nothing like the final whistle of a play-off semi-final for highlighting the fact that one team's season is over, while the other moves on to the biggest occasion of the year.

Leek boss Neil Baker sounded understandably dejected in a Moorlands Radio interview afterwards, but he was complimentary about the quality of the Linnets side and their performance. He added that his strikers were given none of the time and space afforded to the Runcorn attack, and didn't hesitate to say that he felt Linnets would triumph in the final.

There was no question that Linnets fans will be ready to do their bit, for the biggest away game in the club's history, and seats on three supporters' coaches for the odyssey to the Cumbrian coast sold out in minutes rather than hours.        

Runcorn Linnets: Elliot Wynne, Ally Brown (Kieran Nolan, 86 mins), James Short, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Eden Gumbs, Louis Hayes, Ryan Brooke, Lewis Doyle (Jamie Rainford, 86 mins), Raheem Hanley (Cameron Rooney, 24 mins).  Subs not used: Matty Birchall, Josh Elverstone.

Attendance:1,392.

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