Old Bolts B 2 Ainsworth Reserves 1

If ever there was a day when a player hoped that the manager was going to text him and say the match was off – then Saturday was that day.

The wind up at Turton was gale force and one of the only reasons why Ron Manager did not call the game off was because he had a table booked at the Green Bengal at 19:30 with some of his players. No game would have meant a curry alone for Ron.

The pre game warm up consisted of a combination of shooting at Dave Sandbrook for 10 minutes and trying to shelter from the wind behind Big Fin or Big Jeff – Old Bolts original Twin Towers.

It was a potentially important game for the B Team as it was the first in a long sequence of home games against some of the weaker teams in the division. A couple of wins in a row could see a top 4 finish for Ron’s men.

The game started at a frenetic pace and due to the conditions the quality of the football was far from pleasing on the eye.

Despite the conditions there were sporadic patches of good football and when the Bolts got the ball down and passed it they created chances. Garry ‘Simon’ Cowell put over a sequence of crosses in the first twenty minutes which deserved better and Andy Beardsworth was denied by a combination of good goal keeping and goal line clearances.

Mid way through the first half there was a moment of goal mouth pin ball and not for the first time in his career ‘Mopsey’ Morris appeared to have the freedom of the penalty box to stroke in a long range finish. It is the first time in 10 years that he had scored from outside the box (6 yard of course) and he is the only player I have ever known who has less power in his shots that his own 8 year old son. As usual Mopsey’s response to the abuse was ‘you have to be in the right place at the right time’ and ‘ they all count’.

Bolts remained on top for the remainder of the half and were rewarded for their endeavour with a 65 yard rocket from the Good Doctor Tankard. More accurately and honestly the goal keeper had what can only be described as a lapse in concentration. The keeper was too busy watching the predator that is Brookes try and flick the ball goal wards, that when Brookes missed it (due to the wind obviously) the keeper had no time to react and the ball bounced in slow motion in to the far corner.

At half time Bolts looked quite comfortable, but as with most games involving Ron’s men we contrived to make the job harder for ourselves by allowing the opposition to slowly but surely ease themselves back into the match.

The game could have been put beyond Ainsworth in the first 10 minutes of the second half with the terrier Beardsworth having one of those games where nothing would go in despite his best efforts.

Brookes tried to raise the Old Bolts with his know infamous balletic dives around the opposition penalty box – but to no avail.

Slowly but surely Ainsworth began to assert pressure on the Bolts Defence and eventually the pressure told and a right wing cross evaded the whole Bolts defence and fell at the feet of an Ainsworth striker, who just managed to bundle it in.

In truth Ainsworth probably deserved a second goal but only the post, the bar and some good defending from Big Fin and Big Jeff prevented three points being thrown away.

Bolts hung on for the win despite the referee trying his best to play an extra fifteen minutes to see if he could manufacture a draw.

Special mention to Big Fin who was a rock at the back – despite looking like ‘he had eaten not only some cushions, but a whole sofa’.

The biggest cheer of the day was when Ron Manager substituted himself after 60 minutes – the cheer was from the 6 other players who were destined to spend the night with him at the curry house and did not want a repeat of last years outing when Ron told the whole restaurant about a 25 rocket he had scored earlier that day.

Next week Radcliffe and another winnable game – a top four finish still beckons for the B Team.

By Brookesy: