Reed's Double Sinks Bucks

Bootle suffer second league defeat of the season. Image: Paul Watson

Mark Reed’s first-half double condemned Bootle to their second league defeat of the season.

Joe Doran and Phil Stafford’s side came into the game against their unbeaten hosts on the back of a moral boasting 5-2 win over Widnes on Saturday – but here they came up a well-organised Town back line who dealt with everything the Bucks threw at them.

The game was only six minutes old when the hosts broke the deadlock, prolific forward Craig Cairns raced clear of the Bootle back line before rather unselfishly squaring the ball to strike partner Reed who had the easiest of finishes.

And six minutes before the interval the home side sealed all three points. Substitute Matty German swung in a free-kick from the right which was headed back across the face of the goal by Paul McManus for the unmarked Reed who finished from close-range.