Stand in keeper for the Bears, Ricardo Longatto had an excellent game, making a number of good saves in his first competitive game for the home side.

Longridge started the stronger and created a number of early chances which Longatto dealt with well. Bears first chances fell to Dan Cope whose overhead kick and then header were both saved. The game was evening out and both sides pushed for the opener, corners coming at both ends but defences held firm. Cope had the ball in the net on the half hour but the flag was up then his header from Josh Ryder’s cross was caught by the keeper just under the bar. Longatto did well with a shot from Sinclair-Smith which he pushed onto the post and then saved again from the same player as he shot from the resulting corner. Harries then put a chance over the bar as Longridge pushed on. They did finally get the ball in the net but the flag came to the Bears rescue.

In the last minute of the half Kyle Diskin put in a dangerous cross which found Cope in the box, his shot was blocked by the keeper and then cleared. The final chance of the half fell to the visitors as they played a free-kick into the box but Tom Morris was there to head clear.
Half Time Congleton Town 0-0 Longridge Town

Chances continued to be created by both sides in the second half, Jordan Cole and Cope for the Bears, both going close, the former failing to finish a Paul Connor cross. Longridge were firing from distance but not really threatening Longatto’s goal. On the hour Ince rattled the Bears bar, followed swiftly by a substitution as Bevan Burey replaced Cole.

An almighty scramble in the Longridge six yard box, following a corner won from Cope’s blocked shot, saw Ryder head goalwards and the visiting defenders just cleared off the line under pressure.

Longridge won a succession of free-kicks and fired balls into the Bears box, Morris got a block to one but his half clearance was fired goalwards and Longatto made a superb fingertip save then was down quickly to save the follow up shot. Ricky Bridge then did well to block a surging run down the left.

Burey with a strong run then fed Diskin who found Cope but his shot just went the wrong side of the post.
Longridge took the lead with just five minutes remaining, Tom Ince firing home from the edge of the box much to the visitors delight, it looked like the winner.
The Bears now threw everything forward as the clock wound down but it wasn’t happening as chances went begging. Then a piece of Diskin magic saw his shot come back of the post with the keeper beaten, cue groans from the crowd but not Burey who followed up and fired home 1-1.

Longatto made a smothering save as the referee blew for full time.

In Extra time the Bears made an early sub with Luke Horrocks being replaced by Joseph Taylor-Mountford. The visitors won a free-kick outside the box, it was fired in but the wall did its job.

Longridge retook the lead on 100 minutes, Harries firing them in front, 2-1.

The last action of the half saw a Bears free-kick mid-way in the opponents half but it was easily blocked.

The Bears now had 15 minutes to save the game and it took them just 3. A free-kick was floated into the Longridge box, the ball found its way to Cope who fired home from close range 2-2.

Bears final change saw Tom Rutter replace Antony Griffith and he almost won the game when he fired just wide after Burey and Cope worked an opening. It was all Bears for the final few minutes and Taylor-Mountford fired just wide and then minutes later shot over the bar from a restart after an injury.

Full Time Congleton Town 2-2 Longridge Town

Team: Longatto, Connor, Bridge, Griffith (Rutter 113), Morris, Ryder, Diskin, Horrocks (Taylor-Mountford 93), Cope, Cole (Burey 60), Brislen
Unused: McLellanan, Williams

This was an excellent game in bitterly cold conditions which saw the Bears equalise twice. A Much improved performance, withstanding early pressure from Longridge and growing into the game as it went on.

Congleton Town FC

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