A Team match report by Baz Ishaque

OLD BOLTS A -2 RADCLIFFE - 2

An excellent display from the lads following on from last weeks performance coupled with shocking refereeing decisions saw the 3rd team draw a
match they should have won. It speaks volumes how much the 3rds have improved in such a short space of time after more organisation, rockets up
arses and improved team spirit that they came of the pitch disappointed to have drawn. In the recent past the boys would have lost this game by 4 or
5 clear goals and gone home and straight to bed.

The game started badly with a poor refereeing decision which was an indication of what was to come. Stand in captain Nutty was shepherding a
Radcliffe forward away from goal when the forward tried to put a cross in that clearly hit Nutty square in his ugly mug, but the ref somehow judged it
handball. Scandalous! Penalty to Radcliffe, 0-1.
Bolts responded with some excellent football that even had some of the onlooking 1st team lads admiring and taking notes on how to play football.
Jack and Jenno put the ball thro the channels for Mitchell and Kyle to run onto and threaten, but the favour was repaid when Jack was put thro and
very calmly despatched an unsaveable shot past the Radcliffe keeper. 1-1.

Earlier in the day, somebody had managed to talk Cunny out of spending the afternoon in the pub, and after arriving at Turton and resisting the
refreshments on offer at The Chetham, he made his debut on the right for Old Bolts. The promise of a couple of cans of Kestrel lager at half time
inspired him to great things ( or was it the fact revealed later that he hadn't had a shower in 6 days and this was his 3rd football match and the
Radcliffe defence didn't want to go anywhere near him!!! ) and a quality performance was topped off with a goal smacked home at the second attempt
to give Bolts a 2-1 lead to take in at HT. Could Bolts hold on and / or build on the lead in the second half?

It could have gone either way in the 2nd period, and hearts were in mouths when Oli Neash, after pulling off an outstanding last ditch save at the feet
of a Radcliffe forward, proceeded to point out to the ref his remarkable similarity to an intimate part of the female anatomy for not giving the forward
offside. Luckily the ref saw yellow a more appropriate colour for his card than red, and even the Bolts defence thought that he was lucky to stay on the
pitch after his foul mouthed tirade. Talking of the ref, his decisions were so poor that they would drive the most smoothest and mild mannered Bolts
supporter to one of Cunnys lagers and even getting on the pitch and put a tackle in. It was another poor decision that led to Radcliffe equalising, a
clearly offside forward making it 2-2 and that would be the only way they would breach the solid back 4 of Timmis the Older and Timmis the Younger
and Dan and Nutty at centre backs. Beardall worked hard again on the left and was even spotted defending at one point with a Radcliffe forwards stud
marks down his leg should anyone choose to disbelieve.

Man of the Match:- A little gem has been discovered in the shape of young Kyle. He terrorised the Radcliffe back 4 and was unfortunate not to have
have scored. He reminds me of Bob Taylor at that age and if he works hard and has a season or two in the 3rds learning his trade, I can see him
playing alongside Bob in the 1sts sometime soon.

Nutty had some choice words with the ref at the end and with a different one we would have won. A win next week against Howe Bridge below us will
do us nicely, and on this evidence there is no reason why not.