Saturday 19th December 2015 West Lancs League Premier Division

BLACKPOOL (WREN) ROVERS 5
HESKETH BANK 1

Team: Henry Heighton, Kevin Cox, Adam Thompson, James Green, Josh Brierley, Bob Milton(David Hogg 65), Ian Dickinson, Rick Wilson, Jack Brierley(75), Daniel Birkby, Richard Burns. Subs (Not Used): Jamie Johnson.

With rain over night and showers in early Saturday morning the pitch passed it's inspection at 10:30am.

With Henry Heighton available to play and Joe Griffiths out injured it was Heighton who started between the sticks. A late cry off from Josh Roberts and Chris Nation left manager Smith with no experienced senior central defender to partner Adam Thompson in the middle with James Green and Kevin Cox as the full backs. Ian Dickinson was slotted into central midfield which consisted of 5 in Rick Wilson, Jack and Josh Brierley, Ian Dickinson and Bob Milton and upfront Richard Burns partnering skipper Birkby upfront. With Reserves game being called off young Elliot Cookson was given a place on the bench alongside David Hogg and Jamie Johnson.

With pitch feeling heavy straight from the start, Hesketh Bank possibly made their best start to a game of the campaign and it was soon rewarded when Josh Brierleys deadly cross into the 6 yard area being met by his younger brother who headed past the tall Wren Rovers 'keeper for his first career goal for the club. Blackpool were soon after the equaliser and only the strong hand of Heighton denying Carl Eastwood a clear chance of equalising. Rovers then hit the outside of the after some neat play in midfield left the Blackpool midfielder with the open space to shoot at Heighton's goal.

Richard Burns and Daniel Birkby made some great moves together along with Dickinson's inch perfect passes but failed to hit the target and when they did the Blackpool stopper was in the right place to save them. The best chance fell to Birkby, with his back towards goal he somehow managed to turn the centre half and shoot on goal and somehow the 'keeper pushed it away. Straight at the other end Heighton was picking the ball out of his net as Carl Eastwood hit a shot from 25 yards which skidded off the wet surface and past the Hesketh Bank 'keeper.

The second half started where the first had ended except the fact that the floodlights were switched on with both teams attacking and both defending well. However, it was Blackpool who took the lead as a long range shot from Nick Greenall somehow squandered under the body of Henry Heighton and into the back of the net, a very rare mistake but conditions of the pitch didn't help either as rain started pouring down soon after making the pitch really damp and possibly unplayable. Dan Morris added a 3rd and virtually put the game beyond Hesketh Bank as he went past Thompson and Green before smashing the ball into the far corner of the net. David Hogg replaced Bob Milton in order to try and push for a goal and eventually Hesketh Bank went into a 3-4-3 formation.

Heighton made up for his mistake by making an unbelievable one on one save with a goal certain before Richard Burns shot narrowly wide after a great long range pass from Dickinson. Dan Birkby's free kick which went over the wall didn't have enough power to go past the 'keeper as Hesketh Bank were making chances but failed to put them away. Scorer Jack Brierley was then replaced by 19 year old Cookson for the last 15 minutes with the game truly over. Nick Greenall added a second to his name as he smashed the ball in off the underside of the bar from a corner after Heighton had initially denied him just seconds before hand.

The scoring was complete when Max Lendless capitalised on some sloppy play in midfield and dribbled past Wilson and Green before slotting past Heighton despite the very best efforts of Thompson to stop him.

A defeat in the last game of 2015 was not what James Smith and his team would have wanted but what they would have wanted before the season started was to be at least mid table by Christmas and they certainly achieved that by taking 22 points from 17 games. Unfortunately, there's no Boxing Day fixtures in West Lancashire League but the games return on 9th January when James Smith takes his team to the league's bottom side Lostock St. Gerard's.

Everyone at the club would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best, enjoy yourself and see you in 2016!

Hesketh Bank AFC

Match details

Match date

Kickoff

Competition

Login