OLD BOLTONIANS 'B' - 5 V ASHTONIANS RESERVES- 0
The unstoppable juggernaut that is the B Team rolls on with another emphatic win at Turton.
The worm has officially turned. Rog Milne - now the "nemisis" of Ron Manager has fashioned a team bristling with bite, skill & commitment, that now lies a healthy 3rd in the league following a run of only 1 loss in 9 games. Such is the confidence, manager Milne expected no less than 3 points against a limited but committed Ashton side. Having only 9 men at 2.25pm was not the ideal preparation, but once Si Turner"s spazzy sense of navigation had rebooted itself, the Bolts began the game with a full 11. Unfortunately, the aforementioned Turner’s mental malaise appeared to have spread to his feet as he quickly fashioned a challenge on the world record for number of slips/mis-controls.
"Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail,” muttered the ‘crowd’….
In spite of this, a bright start soon resulted in the opening goal - A lovely through ball from Ben Horan sent Rick Kilburn, freshly released from his recent defensive shackles, scampering away down the right & in on goal, where he duly applied a ‘Killer’ finish. (Pun intended – However I still like him at right-back) A couple of further near misses came & went, but then Ashton knuckled down & made a game of it up until half-time.
Down the years, there have been many inspirational tactical interventions by legendary managers. This was definitely not one of them. Bolts saw the half-time break as the prefect time to discuss & debate numerous personnel variations at length that resulted in precisely nothing being changed for the second period. Rousing.
What had been established was that the next goal would prove crucial, and so it was. Wez ‘Nijinsky’ Davies validated a rare sortie into the opponent’s half with a beautifully-timed ball into previously moribund Dan Barrett’s path, who duly obliged with a calm left-footed finish. 2-0 and looking good. ‘Let the games begin,’ said the (collective) Bolts.
Bolts began to dominate, with a back four of Davies, Pimblett, Norse & Tankard looking solid as a rock & a midfield of Turner, Brookes, Kilburn & some other bloke who calls him self " The Engine Oil" of the team started to boss events in midfield. Big Ben ‘Hogan’ Horan’s tireless battling then resulted in a third Bolts strike, after he beautifully skinned the Ashton left-back & crossed deep for Barrett, who steered in from a seemingly impossible angle to claim his second. In what was rapidly becoming the Dan Barrett show, preening centre-half Olly Pimblett called a long ball to the newly-energised Barrett, who proceeded to shrug off the attentions of the meaty Ashton defender & coolly chip home the fourth to complete his hat-trick.
The Dancing Queen that is Mark Brookes completed the rout with a precision through ball that released…well, you can guess the rest. Barrett duly slotted home his fourth to complete both a cracking win for the Bolts & a personal victory, after 3 months out with injury, against those who had made cruel jibes regarding both weight & fitness. Barrett, for the record, mumbled something about “economy of running,” “masterclass in instinctive finishing” & strangely, “It’s just puppy fat”…
Overall, a cracking (if slightly flattering) result, showing that this team could really do some damage. Special mention to Ben Horan who worked non-stop without getting any glory & also keeper Dave Sandbrook, who made a couple of excellent saves.
The Gaffer, delighted that Barrett was back to the form deniued rumours that a Russian bid was on it's way and said this lad's here to stay at least till the end of the season. With eight games to go the manager wants Barrett to show that this kind of performance is as permanent as his contract!
Only time will tell!
Goals – Barrett (4) Kilburn