SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 RAMSBOTTOM UNITED 1

SECOND VICTORY PROVES ELUSIVE

SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 RAMSBOTTOM UNITED 1

By Neil Leatherbarrow

Skelmersdale United went very close to a second victory in eight days at home to the strugglers from East Lancashire. Fighting back from a goal down, Tommy Lawson’s depleted troops came close to grabbing a winner, culminating in a shot that rocked the crossbar four minutes from time, but just couldn’t finish the job off.
Skelmersdale went close to opening the scoring twice in the first six minutes, first via a Paul Woolcott shot that went just over the crossbar then from a Kenny Strickland free-kick that was held by Ramsbottom goalkeeper Grant Shenton.
Generally though the first-half was a scrappy affair, Ramsbottom making it hard for Skelmersdale to get any worthy passing movements going and relying on a fairly solid looking defence to give them a foothold, gradually it brought them more possession, but strangulated the match as a spectacle.
In the 31st minute, referee James Mainwaring stunned everybody on a rare Ramsbottom attack. A fairly innocuous ball into the box went to Dan Wilkins head as he appeared to back into Rob McIntosh, The Skem defender did appear to put hands onto the forwards shoulders, a penalty was given and the crowd went silent, it was like one of those “double take moments” where you have to think about what you are seeing. Not one forward had appealed for a foul and it was extremely debateable as to whether it was a foul at all, let alone one you would give a penalty for.
After a few moments delay former Skelmersdale midfielder Alex Meaney hit the spot-kick low to the right, where Skelmersdale’s former Ramsbottom goalkeeper Martin Fearon dived to his left to save fairly comfortably. It was the considered opinion of many that justice had been done.
However, six minutes later when Ramsbottom took the lead Skelmersdale could have no complaints. The ball was crossed from the right to the left and fed back into the penalty area, from an angle about 15 yards from goal defender Nia Bayunu hit a right foot shot into the bottom corner.
Then a wounded Skelmersdale stepped up the pace and within a minute Tyrone Duffus had a header saved by Shenton before seconds from the interval Max Hazeldine had a shot parried away by Shenton, the ball was running out to Woolcott, but he was prevented from firing in an equaliser by referee Mr Mainwaring who clearly lost his bearings and got in Woolcott’s way.
Skelmersdale emerged from the break with a determined look and twice were thwarted from positions before they levelled on 50 minutes. Left-back Louis Corrigan carried the ball into the Ramsbottom half then chipped a precise ball over the Ramsbottom defence, Hazeldine ran onto it, held off a challenge and with a clinical finish slotted past advancing goalkeeper Shenton.
On 53 & 54 minutes Skelmersdale went close again from situations that were both courtesy of Chris Almond, the former was a shot from 20 yards that fizzed fractions wide of the post, the second a forceful run down the left that ended with no one getting a touch to a superb ball across goal.
After a lull the game woke up again on 75 minutes, Robbie Booth turned and put the ball right into goalmouth but Almond was unable to provide the finish, before at the other end Skelmersdale got a proper scare as a Bayunu shot was headed off the line by Strickland.
Strickland has recently revelled in his new anchor role at the back of the midfield and many thought he was man of the match for Skelmersdale. Just to emphasise the point in 86 minutes he sent a wonderful ball through the Ramsbottom defence to Hazeldine, the young striker unleashed a thunderous shot but instead of the net rippling the crossbar rocked. It probably said plenty about the way the game had gone for Skelmersdale on the night, so close again.

SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Fernandes, Corrigan, McIntosh, Rendell, Duffus, Booth, Woolcott, Hazeldine, Strickland, Almond Subs (not used) Kinsella, Donaldson, Kusaloka, Murphy, Gaskell

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Shenton, Bromley, Heron, Edgehill, Bayunu, Cliffe, Kuba-Kuba (Pritchard, 81), Meaney, Wilkins (Oates, 87), Hope (Hayward, 59), Coppin Subs (not used) Dudley, Doyle

Referee: J. Mainwaring Attendance: 151