In the heat

defender Sam Egerton and as the striker ran towards goal the recovering Trafford player brought down the Rams striker and the hosts had a free kick just outside the penalty area. Not only did the referee issue a caution to Egerton but things got worse for the visitors when up stepped Tom Kennedy to use his talented left foot to perfectly beat the defensive wall and also the despairing dive of Cooper to find the bottom corner of the net for the ex-Bury and Rochdale player’s first goal of the season.

Indeed, Trafford would have every reason to have a feeling of deja-vu as the Rams skipper has now netted in the last three meetings between the two sides having scored in both matches last season at Shawe View, the first being in the FA trophy and the second in the league fixture in February.

The remaining minutes of a tightly fought encounter saw Trafford inevitably push forward looking to restore parity but a well marshalled defence with the often overlooked, continuous work rate of the Rams midfield pair Jamie Rother and Eddie Moran at their industrious best, the hosts restricted Trafford to just one effort on target which was easily dealt with by Tom Stewart in the home goal.

As the additional time ticked away the Rams were nevertheless delighted to hear the final whistle as Chris Willcocks charges are one of only three teams that have a 100% record after three league games but the side’s first clean sheet of the season may well please the management equally as much as the three points on offer.

With Ramsbottom United now sitting second or joint top in the fledgling league table it is worthy of mention that this is the first time the club have claimed victories in their first three league outings of a season since 1996.

The Rams will be hopeful of continuing the excellent start to the season as they make the trip to face Pontefract Collieries on Saturday 31st August.