Bootle 0 Clitheroe 4
Att. 324

With Bootle having been the first team to beat Macclesfield on their own ground before then falling to lowly Ramsbottom at the weekend, there was always an element of trepidation about this fixture as to which home side would turn up. With Clitheroe down to the bones of its experienced players, a core of under 23 players were grafted on to the squad and they proved to be a key part of the ultimate victory. In addition, experienced left back Darren Holden was making his debut and he had a hand in most of the action of note.

Bootle tore into the visitors for the first 15 minutes and Clitheroe barely had chance to catch breath. As it was, the fine surface almost encouraged a level of giddiness amongst the home players when a cooler approach might have been more profitable. However, having weathered the initial storm, Clitheroe started to get the measure of the task. The experienced Holden and Richie Baker started to dictate both the direction and pace of play and soon Clitheroe were in the ascendancy, which they did not relinquish for the rest of the game.

On 19 minutes, Holden showed his desire to get forward when he had a 50 yard burst which ultimately earned only a corner when it deserved more. However, it was on the other flank that the first goal came on 27 minutes, when Jack Burrows advanced with the ball and put a slide rule pass through to Jamie Edwards who sprinted at full tilt to collect the ball inside the bye line, nip inside the defender and to drive a low shot into the box for Max Cane to bundle in.
Shortly after the lead was doubled as Holden gave the ball inside and ran for the return which he duly received. Having steadied himself he drove a pinpoint shot towards the near post where Edwards was first to the ball to steer it home. There was some reaction from the home side, but this was outweighed by further Clitheroe chances.

The second half started in a more patient fashion, but the game was over as a contest after 57 minutes when Callum Leigh fed the ball to Dent, whose snapshot was expertly saved but Reece Webb-Foster was on hand to slam the angled rebound home. Minutes later, the home side was reduced to 10 men as Cameron Lancaster was flattened by a stray arm from the home centre forward, who was sent for an early bath. With all Clitheroe’s substitutes now on,
Clitheroe kept possession as they stretched Bootle across the pitch. There was even time for a fourth goal as young substitute Malick Diakite received the ball as it moved across the area and drove it home with some aplomb. Other half chances came, but when the whistle went, the travelling Blues fans were to left to enjoy what had turned into the perfect away performance.

Team : Chris Thompson, Jack Burrows, Darren Holden, Richard Baker, Cameron Lancaster, Lewis Brown, Max Cane (Malick Diakite), Callum Leigh, Jamie Edwards, Ross Dent (c) (Sefton Gonzales), Reece Webb-Foster (William Ludlow-Foster). Subs - Sefton Gonzales, Malick Diakite, William Ludlow-Foster. Not used - Waqas Azam, George Bristol.