Sutton’s prophecy comes to pass as Burscough bludgeon Barnoldswick

“I told you it was coming,” the words of Burscough manager Dave Sutton after his side had beaten Barnoldswick at Victoria Park on Tuesday night.

He had justification for his comment too, his young Burscough team had won two of their last four games and have been playing some delightful football going into the first ever visit of the East Lancashire side to Victoria Park, indeed the two they lost were by a slender 2-1 margin to late goals.

So yes it was coming and their first league victory was in some style when it came and it lifts them off the bottom of the league too.

Burscough started slowly and they could have conceded early on, Barnoldswick hit the post in the 9th minute followed by an almighty scramble in the goalmouth, but Burscough cleared their lines and started to get their game together.

In the 12th minute an exchange of passes between Terry Cummings and Prince Expolo ended when Barnoldswick goalkeeper Connor King left his line and saved at Cummings feet.

In the 18th minute a Danny Brady free-kick was headed down by Peter Henerty and again King saved this time from Adam Gilchrist.

Burscough have a big powerful central defender Rex Kimona Puissance, in the 22nd minute he had pushed forward for a move that broke down. Before Puissance got back he was fed the ball on the righthand side, then he set off on a dribble to the goal-line, he looked up and sent a delightful chip to far post, leaving Henerty an empty net to head into, giving Burscough the lead. It was a remarkable bit of play for such a big player.

Things tightened up for a while then, midfields dominating proceedings, before a spell of Burscough pressure before the break when off a Jamie Clark free-kick, Expolo was only kept at bay by a brave block.

Burscough took a huge step towards their success in the 47th minute. Clark who is a left-back who seems to enjoy a good overlap, found himself by Barnoldswick’s right side corner flag, he set the ball across goal, where Cummings walloped a skimming shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

The visitors now had to go onto the offensive and on 53 minutes Burscough had a bit of luck.

Andrew Hill hit a thunderous free-kick against the crossbar, it bounced down “Geoff Hurst style” and was cleared but it must have been a mighty close call.

In the 64th minute Barnoldswick had another shot this time from Jake Lloyd but that was blocked.

Again Burscough reasserted and Brady was hit with a late tackle, but Clark’s free-kick hit the defensive wall and ran to safety.

It was always a game in which Burscough had more of the possession but you still felt uneasy about them until they got a third goal, it arrived in the 74th minute, Cummings firing home from about 12 yards.

In the 77th minute Henerty went close off a Gilchrist cross, before with nine minutes left Burscough made it 4-0, Henerty getting his second of the night.

On 83 minutes it was almost five as Henerty rattled the woodwork.

It could be said that Burscough eased off slightly in the latter stages and goalkeeper Josh Samberg made one tremendous save from a deflected shot that saw him going the wrong way at one stage.

With moments left Barnoldswick did pull a goal back, when Zack Dale stuck the ball home via a deflection.

Barnoldswick probably deserved a goal at that stage, but Burscough thoroughly deserved their victory, it lifts them up the league and continues their good run of recent weeks. BURSCOUGH: Samberg, Brady, Clark, Expolo ( Threlkeld, 87), Kimona Puissance, Parkes, Gilchrist, Hulme © (Stanley, 85), Henerty, Dunroe, Cummings Subs (not used) Smith P., Smith E. BARNOLDSWICK TOWN: King, Blades, Crorken ©, Lloyd, Overson, Cavanagh, Dale, Hill, Hollindrake ( Threlfall, 53), Thompson (Beckwith, 74), Yates (Melia, 53) Subs (not used) Airey, Turner