Road passed by but title bid ends at Town
RUNCORN LINNETS ................................. 1 MAINE ROAD ............................................. 0 N excellent Easter Saturday crowd of 310 welcomed the Linnets back to the Millbank Linnets Stadium after a long run of consecutive away games, and was treated to a moment of match winning skill by young full-back Danny McKenna.
Maine Road are always a tricky opponent and this game proved no different.
It was a much-changed Linnets side due to a large number of injured and suspended players.
Stu Wellstead was asked to lead the attack on his own, Adam Caunce continued in goal, Mike Simpson and Chris Lawton both returned to the back four, and skipper Kyle Hamid made his return to the starting XI.
It was the visitors who would have felt disappointed to not have been leading at half-time. The balance of play was quite even but Maine Road certainly had the more clear-cut chances. A slip in the Linnets’ defence allowed them a free run at Caunce early on but the shot was lifted high and wide.
Only a sensational piece of defending by Road prevented the Linnets from taking the lead when Wellstead rounded goalkeeper Ryan Livesey, held off his marker and fired goalwards only for a covering defender to scissor-kick it clear from the goalline and clatter full force into the post in doing so.
Road had another good chance to open the scoring shortly before half-time when a breakaway up the left allowed a shot at goal which rattled the crossbar.
The visitors were made to pay for their sloppiness in front of goal in the fifth
Aminute of first-half stoppage time.
A McKenna free-kick 25 yards from goal was lifted perfectly over the wall and goalkeeper, dipping just below the crossbar and into the net to add to a growing list of spectacular set-piece strikes from the left-back. Michael Ellison’s men came out looking to put the game to bed early in the second half as chances started to flow.
However, Livesey in the Road goal had other ideas. His flying fingertip save from Kyle Hamid’s strike was the pick of his stops, his very assured display of handling when under pressure was both frustrating and impressive.
Road applied some late pressure with a series of corners and a wind-assisted header that dropped just over the bar, but Linnets saw the narrow victory out to extend their excellent form. HANLEY TOWN ......................................... 0 RUNCORN LINNETS ................................. 0 A TITLE charge which most thought would never get off the ground, given the turbulent close season at the Millbank Linnets Stadium, ended on Easter Monday in Linnets’ third from last game of their Hallmark Security League Premier Division campaign.
This goalless draw, coupled with Atherton Collieries’ hefty 5-1 home defeat of Darwen meant that Linnets are no longer able to overtake the leaders.
A controversial encounter in the Potteries provided another incredible moment in a season which has been remarkable for the progress made by the visitors under manager Michael Ellison, ● in his first season of management, and assistant Matt Cross.
The duo have lifted Runcorn from their summer of despair to a certain topfour finish, no matter what happens in the remaining two weeks of the campaign. However, this was another game in which Linnets’ mettle was again truly tested along with the patience of their followers.
They looked on in anguish, if not disbelief, as Linnets were forced to play with 10 men from the fourth minute after the dismissal of Kieran Nolan and finished the contest with just nine.
Holding midfielder Nolan was left dumbfounded as the referee brandished an instant red card, without giving himself any thinking time whatsoever, after an early tackle in midfield.
It could be argued that the teenager had raised a boot as he moved laterally on the halfway line to make the challenge but his actions had by no means been reckless. It was the type of challenge which in many instances at this level would have warranted a yellow card, and even then only later in the game when cautions are often dished out in a flourish.
The referee had set his standard but it was one he didn’t follow. Later in the first half, Mark Houghton was hacked down from behind then Kyle Hamid caught very late by an opposition player.
But neither offence was seen by the referee as deserving of punishment – in fact, his only response with Hamid poleaxed was to book two Linnets players for dissent. Rarely has a crowd been so generally up in arms at the performance of an official.
It didn’t get any better in the second half and while an aerial assault on leftback Danny McKenna passed without even a whistle, the Linnets were penalised again when Antony Hickey (having already been cautioned for a foul) was shown a second yellow, for speaking out of turn.
It is not the kind of offence any club or supporter wants to one of their own sent off for. Of course it is not. But players are only human and there comes a point under provocation and for self protection when it becomes impossible not to react.
Still looking to win when one player short, despite this being the second runout in the space of 48 hours for the vast majority of these players, once down to nine midway through the second half, it was a case of Linnets battening down the hatches for survival in another mighty effort from the away side.
But even with a two-man advantage, Hanley rarely looked like following up January’s 5-2 win at The Millbank and resorted mostly to long shots, invariably from one of their centre-halves, as the game wore on.
There was, however, one astonishing reflex save from Adam Caunce to both admire and savour and another very accomplished, unhurried display by ever-present Aaron Morris at the heart of the Runcorn rearguard.
All games are different as are individual referees in their demeanour and interpretation of the laws and there were certainly some interesting decisions all through the game.
Even so, Linnets’ followers will find it impossible to reconcile such a heavy disciplinary tally against their team – a good half of the the Linnets players ending up with bookings – in light of there having been not one caution for them on Easter Saturday, when Runcorn had entertained Maine Road.