OLD BOLTS B - 2 .V OLD MANCUNIANS – 4
The official season's curtain-raiser brought only disappointment for Ron Managers" B Team boys, after the glow generated from a promising pre-season soon dulled through a combination of sloppy errors & lack of cohesion.
To be fair, the Bolts started the brighter against an always-strong Old Mancs side, a team almost as feared for their incredible whingeing levels as their polished football! The fresh attacking blood injected over the summer by the Boss meant that the team had a youthful & energetic look but perhaps also a slightly unbalanced one – 3 out-and-out strikers, 2 wingers & a couple of attack-minded midfielders didn’t bode to well from the start, on reflection. (Although losing promising young winger Aspinall after 10 mins was not to prove helpful either)
However a determination to draw first blood was realised when a strong, flowing Bolts’ move resulted in Jimmy Freeborn notching from close-range after a spilled shot by their keeper. Looking good so far…. Well, for all of 90 seconds as it happened, when hesitation between Olly Neash in goal & Jeff Taylor allowed their forward to nip in to equalise. Worse was to come, as a rattled Neash then dropped a straightforward catch right at the feet of their grateful striker. 2-1 down, from nowhere! A beleaguered Bolts’ side began to give possession away far too cheaply & a lack of team familiarity started to become evident, at which point the last thing we needed was an illegal handballed-goal being allowed by the (poor) referee.
Just before half-time there was a glimmer of hope offered when Dan Barrett continued his prolific pre-season form by steering in directly from a wicked Sam Pepper corner. But the 2nd half brought only more frustration as an admittedly-fitter Mancs side started to take charge again. Only a combination of sterling work from energiser bunnies John Burrows & Johnny Sheen, coupled with wayward finishing from the opposition, kept the score to a respectable level. Giant chasms forming in the (overworked) midfield meant that the forwards were becoming detached whilst the defence struggled to get a breather, in spite of the solid efforts of grizzled veterans Jon Twist & Jeff Taylor! Mancs grabbed a fourth but by then the game was over as a meaningful contest.
Overall a definite disappointment, but on the bright side this was a Mancs side that will do well this season & there were decent flashes of play from Ron’s men at times. Things will surely improve as the team takes on a more familiar look & match sharpness improves. Time will tell!