Late collapse sees Linnets out of Cup
BURSCOUGH made a good effort in their nightmare Macron Cup tie away to the runaway North West Counties League leaders.
The outcome was in doubt until the 80th minute when the hosts took over with three goals in the last ten minutes to make the game wrongly appear very one sided.
With four minutes gone COL won a corner on the right, the ball was lifted to the far post, while the Linnets goalkeeper Max Povey lost the flight of the ball, the hosts’ Anthony Brown didn’t and headed home.
COL were doing well down the rightwing and it was from another move down the side that they doubled the lead, the ball being played low into the six yard box from where goalkeeper and defender both touched the ball before it went into the Linnets net in the 14th minute.
Burscough quickly got themselves back into the match with a goal a minute later.
First Chad Whyte had a shot saved then from the cleared ball Burscough attacked again.
The ball was fed to Jordan Lorde on the 18 yard line, he turned and lashed a vicious skimming shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
On 24 minutes Tom Peterson went close for COL but his shot on the turn went into the side netting but Burscough were still a serious threat on the counterattack.
In the 28th minute a poor header brought the Linnets more problems, a long range free-kick was lofted into the Burscough penalty area and was only half headed clear, the ball fell to Jack Hazelhurst some 20 yards out and he hit a first time left-foot shot inside the post to make it 3-1.
COL had a strong wind behind them and just before half-time via a long punt up the park they were in on goal again, Burscough goalkeeper Max Povey made a genuine dive at the striker’s feet and the forward went down, unfortunately as well as a free kick the referee waved a red card at Povey, so the Linnets faced fifty minutes with ten men.
Despite the personnel handicap Burscough did well after half-time and on 63 minutes they pulled a goal back and were well in the game again.
Jamie Clark running down the left and whist still on the run sending an excellent pin point cross into the COL penalty area, Whyte sending a well placed dropping header over the goalkeeper and into the net.
In the last 15 minutes the rain came down in torrents and COL upped their game, culminating in the 80th minute with a goal that finished off Burscough with a looping shot from Luke Denson from the right that finished up in the top corner.
Peterson rounded the keeper to make it 5-2 and a left foot shot by Craig Cairns made it six.
The margin flattered COL and just rubbed salt into the Linnets wounds, it had been a gallant against the odds effort made even more difficult by a harsh sending off.