Burscough don’t know when they’re beaten
AT the end of a scrappy first-half, injury hit Burscough were a goal down at home to Padiham and moments into the secondhalf it was 2-0.
Burscough fought back and equalised, however all seemed lost again when minutes from the end the hosts went 3-2 down, but back came the Linnets for a hard earned but deserved 3-3 draw.
The die was cast when Padiham’s Lee Knight was put one on one with the Burscough goalkeeper in the seventh minute and he duly put the visitors in front.
From then on Padiham had more of the possession until the interval in a half that disappointed the crowd due to a lack of serious goalmouth action, Burscough struggling to make much impact in attack and still needed to be strong at the back.
A couple of minutes into the second-half it looked grim for Burscough as they went 2-0 down, Liam O’Neill finding the net.
To their credit Burscough replied quickly and it was the catalyst to a terrific half of football and who else should get things going than Chad Whyte the Linnets goal machine finding space on the lefthand side of the Padiham penalty area, then lifting a wonderful curling shot from 15 yards over away goalkeeper Tony Aghayere into the top corner of the net.
When on 51 minutes Will levelled with a shot that got a wicked deflection to beat keeper Aghayere it literally was anybody’s game.
And so it went both teams taking each other on toe to toe, plenty of endeavour but no more goals until the latter stages, it kept both sets of supporters enthralled.
It was Padiham who took the lead again, and if Whyte’s goal had been a good one this certainly eclipsed it.
With seven minutes remaining on the clock Millenic Alli fired a thunderous free-kick from around 35 yards, it was in from the second it left his boot and was totally unstoppable.
But Burscough are a spirited outfit and were not done.
A series of corners and balls into the goalmouth didn’t generate a goal but stoked up the heat on Padiham, then just as the pressure was increased even more the Linnets got their saver, in an almighty scramble Jordan Lorde stabbed home the equaliser.
It had been an exciting second-half and a total contrast to the first.