No cup glory this season

Simon Garner took the opportunity to shuffle his pack and to give a number of fringe players a chance to shine, with only three players from Saturday’s starting line up beginning the game. However, in the end it was a lively Radcliffe side, themselves bolstered by a number of loanees, who progressed comfortably to the next round.

With Radcliffe kicking down the pronounced slope, they made it an awful start to the game for Clitheroe with two goals in six minutes, with both coming down their right channel. On four minutes, Jones was dispossessed cheaply in midfield, and with the ball whistling down the right wing, it was scuffed inelegantly home several passes later. Two minutes further into the game, a long ball was knocked over the top and a whipped-in cross, saw a Clitheroe defender block the shot, only for the ball to sit up invitingly for a striker to drive it home from 20 yards. Further good chances came the home team’s way, and a mishit shot and stinging volley shortly later deserved better. Clitheroe slowly started to take some kind of shape, with Jones riding two tackles before drawing a good save from the keeper on 25 minutes. On 33 minutes, Wainwright muscled his way down the right wing and pulled it back for Jones to force a good save with a snap shot. However, it was the home team which ended the strongest and another burst down the right saw a ferocious volley narrowly over the bar.

Byrom replaced Barrett at half time and Wedge came on for Jones shortly afterwards through injury, but Clitheroe could not get their shape. Dent started to have more effect this half and he had a tame shot saved on 60 minutes. After 62 minutes, Tom Berwick made a welcome return to the side to replace debutant Charlie Collinge, who had had a solid game to that point. On 75 minutes, Smith was released and he ran on to the ball, got into the area but was expertly tackled before he could loose off a shot. Thereafter, Clitheroe were reduced to hoofing the ball down the pitch and on 81 minutes Ollerenshaw made a tremendous save with his legs after a neat pass was threaded through. One minute later, the home side was queuing up to score in a goal mouth melee, and duly made it 3-0. The next few minutes were reserved for Radcliffe showboating, which made the hardy away fans even colder. Let’s hope that the memory of this is stored up for when we meet next in a league game in a couple of weeks’ time. There was no discernible man of the match.

Team; Josh Ollerenshaw, Charlie Collinge, Simon Garner, Will James, George Wysocki, Ross Dent, Danny Smith, Jason Jones, Aden Wainwright, Lee Barrett, Lloyd dean. Subs: Chris Dykes, Sefton Gonzales, Scott Byrom, Tom Berwick, Keith Wedge.