Rossendale Amats 3 Old Bolts B 3

This was always going to be a tricky game against a Rossendale team who could threaten to ruin a potentially glorious season for the Bolts. Of course Rossendale on a boggy pitch in the middle of winter isn't an ideal football paradise, but it deteriorated even further when the B team found themselves 3-0 down by half time, simply over powered in the first half by a Rossendale team happy to take full advantage of the Bolts generosity. The passing throughout the B team was poor, lacklustre and disjointed. Rossendale took their chances well and whilst 3-0 flattered them, it needed a half time talk from the Gaffer to calm things down insisting that right from the second half whistle the team stop giving the ball away and start using the wings.

On this occasion it must have worked because the B team came out of the blocks with all guns blazing and for 10 minutes the Rossendale must have wondered what had hit them! When Southern scored his mandatory goal after 10 minutes after good work by Abbott and Curtin, it was the cue for the veteran Milne returning from a three month injury lay off to step aside for the 18 year old debutant Liam Watkinson to replace him on the left wing.  A bit of pace down the wing was what was needed to reinforce the inspired B team. Rossendale started to panic as Horan, Curtin and Abbot took control of the midfield

and with Wes Davies giving great support to Watkinson it was only a matter of time before goal number two arrived. With just 15 minutes remaining, a brilliant run, Curtin, after Beardsworth and Southern had taken the defenders wide,  calmly slotted the ball past the keeper for his debut goal for the Bolts to make the score 3-2. Could this be the repeat of the game earlier in the season when the Bolts threw away a 3 goal lead to draw 4-4. Here was the opportunity for the Bolts to take revenge!

The Bolts continued to press even though Matt Fray in goals needed to stay on his toes from some isolated shots from a capable Rossendale team. Relief arrived just 5 minutes from time when Abbot scored a richly deserved goal from close range to level the scores at 3-3.

With the last kick of the match Beardsworth or Watkinson could very easily have scored the winner from a goal mouth scramble that stuck in the mud and left the Rossendale keeper diving onto the ball like it was driftwood off the Titanic!

The result was fair yet priceless to the B team after  6 weeks with no game, with Abbot, Horan and Curtin turning in excellent performances.