FA CUP FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND: ALSAGER TOWN 1 BURSCOUGH 2

Despite a spirited showing against higher league opposition, Alsager Town finally bowed out of this season’s FA Cup competition at the 1st Qualifying Round stage at Wood Park on Saturday afternoon. The victors, Burscough from the Evo-stik League Division 1 North had come into in the game following an indifferent start to their league campaign but did just enough to claim the £3000 prize money at stake.
With Bullets captain, Peter Heler unavailable, Adam Dawson took the arm-band as the match kicked off in a heavy downpour. Burscough started the brighter and had their first opening in the third minute, when Michael J. Monaghan fired over the bar from eight yards. There was a scare minutes later when Alsager keeper Krystian Burzynski made a rare lapse, allowing an innocuous back-pass to roll under his foot, but fortunately the ball rolled out for a corner which came to nothing. The Bullets were certainly being competitive and took the lead in the 19th minute when Jonathan Crane rifled the ball into the Burscough net after some good work by Josh Crofts. A second goal nearly followed minutes later, when Jordan Johnson, under close challenge in the box, fired Jack Woolley’s ball in from the left over the crossbar. Moments later, in the 25th minute, Burscough drew level when Joe Camozzi weaved his way to the right by-line and Liam Caddick smashed the resultant cross into the net past the helpless Burzynski.
Alsager were quick to respond, with Crofts seeing his 25 yard effort tipped round the post by Burscough keeper Sam Ramsbottom and Woolley’s long range free-kick going narrowly wide of its target. Burscough’s Caddick and Monaghan continued to pose danger however, and Burzynski made an excellent save to keep the scores level. Five minutes before the break, Johnson, receiving the ball on the edge of the box, neatly spun around a defender, but his chip over goalkeeper Ramsbottom was just too high and landed on top of the net.
With all to play for, the visitors quickly gained the upper-hand five minutes into the second-half when Caddick’s shot found the corner of Burzynski’s net, despite the keeper’s full length dive to his right. With Burscough now in control, chances for either side were few and far between, as the match became fragmented with substitutions and delays with injuries. Woolley had a header blocked by Ramsbottom following a Jonathan Jones free-kick and Crane’s twelve yard effort was saved in what amounted to rare forays forward by the Bullets. With the game petering out and entering added-time, Town finally exerted some real pressure on the Burscough rearguard as keeper Ramsbottom was forced to make decent saves from Crofts and then Crane following successive corners, before referee Mr. M Crusham finally sounded the whistle on Alsager’s FA Cup campaign.

Alsager Town: Burzyski, Taberner (Southwell), Elcock (Brown), Chadwick, Dawson, Warren, Jones, Crofts, Johnson, Woolley (Main), Crane. Subs not used: Reeves-Jones, Middleton-Hill.
Attendance: 112.

Ian Woodward.

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