Forbes and Rowlands illuminate seaside trip
AFC BLACKPOOL ...................................... 0 RUNCORN TOWN ...................................... 2
RUNCORN TOWN booked themselves a place in the first round of the FA Vase by earning a 2-0 victory at AFC Blackpool last Saturday.
Chris Herbert’s side showed they meant business from the first whistle and within a minute Craig Cairns fired in an effort that forced Blackpool keeper Callum Kirkland into a super save.
At the other end, Blackpool won a corner and from it the ball flashed across the Runcorn goal to signal the danger they possessed on the break.
A long pass from Louis Coyne put Cairns clear but Ryan Vaughan responded quickly to whip the ball off the toes of the Runcorn striker.
Matty Woodward then hit a powerful shot that flashed inches wide.
Blackpool attacked and Coyne did well to stab the ball away from Kayode Leyland as he prepared to shoot.
A foul by Joe Heath on the edge of his own penalty area resulted in a direct free-kick from Ryan Charnley that Mackin pushed over his crossbar.
When Simon Thelwell, Dave Forbes and Paul McManus combined, a goal looked likely until the ball was hacked clear by Kristian Higgins who hit his own crossbar before the ball was cleared.
Runcorn were in control but Blackpool were always dangerous with the impressive Jack Williams a constant threat. He turned inside to hit a shot that went just wide.
The hero for Blackpool, however, was keeper Kirkland who denied Cairns with a brilliant save, the ball rebounding to Forbes who fired it over the crossbar.
When Woodward crossed to the far post, a powerful header from Thelwell was acrobatically pushed away.
Thelwell then split the home side’s defence to put Cairns clear, but once again Kirkland blocked the ball.
Blackpool had a clear opening when Leyland found himself clear on the left but his shot went across goal and past the far post.
Runcorn countered and a low hard cross by Forbes was well held by the diving Kirkland.
Seconds before the interval, Kirkland used some of his deserved luck when he punched the ball onto his own bar from a Thelwell corner.
Runcorn found an early opening in the second period when Cairns volleyed goalwards only to see his shot strike defender Dean Ing and rebound for a corner. From the flag-kick, Thelwell was inches away from connecting in front of an open goal.
Runcorn got the goal they needed in the 68th minute when Thelwell played Forbes in to fire the ball hard and low under the advancing Kirkland.
Runcorn introduced Tom Rowlands for the impressive McManus and the substitute was involved immediately when he found Cairns unmarked, a swift pass to Forbes resulted in the striker rolling the ball inches wide of the upright with Kirkland beaten.
Despite having a lot of the ball Runcorn had failed to increase their lead and it took a good save from Mackin to deny Williams who had cleverly created an opening with some close control inside the penalty area.
With 90 minutes on the watch, Runcorn confirmed their passage into the next round when Rowlands beat two defenders and slotted the ball into the far bottom corner.
Runcorn’s reward for defeating Blackpool is a home tie against Northern Counties East League outfit Hallam on October 22.