Lancaster City vs Ramsbottom United (10/11/09)

Match 60

Ground #: 18 (2nd visit)

Ground: Giant Axe

Competition: Lancashire FA Co-Op Trophy 2nd Round

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £5 (student ticket)

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 106

Lancaster City 4

Jarvis 10’, Farrell 96’,108’, Bowyer (O.G) 101’

Ramsbottom United 1

Edgington 43’, Morley m/pen 90’+1

(After Extra Time)

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PREVIOUS VISITS: 07/03/09 – Lancaster City 3-5 Salford City (Unibond Div 1 North)

Bit of an obscure match for number 60 as I took time out of a busy week (probably stupidly) to go watch Lancaster again. Its always good to support your local team and tonight they were playing in the Lancashire FA Co-Operative Challenge Trophy. A cup for senior non-league clubs who are members of the Lancashire County FA. It is officially the junior cup to the Lancashire Senior Cup (which features the Football League and Premiership teams of Lancashire), the trophy is still important to the clubs who enter as they on the whole, play their 1st teams in the competition. Also for this season, the final will actually take place at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium instead of the County FA Ground which is in Leyland. Being a night match I was also looking to see how the camera on my phone would cope as my patience is beginning to wear thin with it. As you can see from the picture below, not very well.

(You can maybe just make out the fixture sign if you enlarge the picture!) This also being my first re-visit since I started writing this blog, I won’t go into much detail about Lancaster’s home, The Giant Axe as nothing has changed since I came in March. Although I did have a drink in the very nice clubhouse this time. If you do want to read more about the ground, click the “Previous Visits” link above. Lancaster’s visitors tonight were Vodkat Premier side Ramsbottom United who were having a decent season in the league below Lancaster and currently were in 5th place going into this game. Promotion however looks to have gone as Newcastle Town already look to have sown up top spot by winning 17 out of 17 games played so far. Ramsbottom were also dealt a blow in their last league game with a 5-1 defeat at high flying New Mills. Going into the game it looked like Lancaster were favourites but as a wise comment on the Dolly Blue’s Forum stated, “Do not underestimate the strength of the Vodkat” (the League, not the drink – I presume Vodkat is quite strong to drink)

The game kicked off with both sides going on the attack with was good to see as this looked to be the makings of a very good cup tie. It was Lancaster who broke the deadlock on 10 minutes when a brilliant through ball from Mark Jackson put through Mike Rushton who cut back to Paul Jarvis who scored with ease from inside the 6 yard box. The game then quietened down only for a serious injury to hold the game up for a good 10 minutes when Dominic Ward collapsed into the turf with dislocated ligament damage in his left ankle. Ramsbottom used this stoppage to regroup and should have been level when another long through ball caught out the Lancaster defence but Anthony Johnson’s shot was straight at Neil Beesley. If that was a warning to Lancaster, they didn’t take it when two minutes before half-time, the Vodkat League side were level when a low ball drilled in from the right was poked home by Matt Edgington to make it 1-1 at half-time.

The 2nd half was basically all Lancaster as fate and unluckiness contrived to deny them a victory. Shots were cleared off the line or just agonisingly went wide. (You can tell I’m writing this well after the event eh? ;) ) The major action of the half came right at the end when Neil Marshall allowed far too much space for John Robertson to run into and before he could get his shot away, he was clipped and a penalty was awarded! Marshall was also lucky to stay on the field, but I presume the referee couldn’t be bothered to send him off when the game was about to be won. Sadly though, although I was quite happy about it. Bernard Morley (who is a centre back) confidently strode up to take the kick, and his penalty flew far far away over the bar. Cue loads of laughter and the Ramsbottom players stunned. Extra time it was.

Fitness played the part in Extra-time as Lancaster scored 3 times with ease as Ramsbottom had no real answer to the Unibond side. Firstly Farrell was found with a cross on the line and he scored from about 2 yards out, before Paul Jarvis had a cross diverted into his own net by George Bowyer and that was really game over. Lancaster did have time in the 2nd half of extra-time to wrap the game up with Adam Farrell drilling a low shot home from the outside the penalty area. Lancaster were through to the quarter-finals and closer to a game at the Reebok.

Firstly, another apology for this report being so late! (Barrow will be up by Friday) I was waiting for the Lancaster goal scorers being confirmed before I wrote this. I also dunno how many revisits I’ll do, depends if I keep going to see the same team really. And that Hearts season ticket seems an eternity away. Good game to see on a rare midweek match for myself and only for a £5. Oh so cold though.

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 7/10 (good entertainment, and an extra 30 mins too)

- Value for money: 6/10 (no problems with £5)

- Ground: 7/10 (decent ground, can now compare it to other Unibond grounds too)

- Atmosphere: 7/10 (lively)

- Food: 7/10 (always good at the Giant Axe)

- Programme: 6/10 (has improved on last season)

- Referee: Michael Salisbury – 5/10 (let the game boil over too much)