Bott’s back with a treble as Blues score four again
A 26-MINUTE hat-trick from new signing Aaron Bott helped Blues to a comfortable 4-1 win over Widnes.
Town returned to league action and for the second match in a row recorded a win and scored four goals after the 4-0 victory over Ramsbottom United in their last league outing.
Neil Baker made a couple of changes from the side that was beaten at Chorley with new-boys Billy Reeves and Aaron Bott coming into the starting line-up at the expense of Charlie Walford and Andy Mcwilliams.
The game erupted sensationally with four goals inside the opening 13 minutes. Rob Stevenson opened the scoring in the 3rd minute when he intercepted a poor pass and slotted home past Richie Mottram in the Widnes goal.
However the visitors drew level on eight minutes. A Widnes header was cleared off the line following a corner and Leek failed to heed the warning as the second corner was headed home by Kevin Pollard.
However, it took just a minute for Town to get back in front as Mottram fumbled a high ball into the box from Sam Hall and Bott pounced to score from close range.
On 13 minutes it was 3-1 as Bott outpaced Pollard and then blasted the ball past Mottram with an emphatic finish.
Widnes’ high defensive line was causing them all sorts of problems and Jordan Johnson was the next to race through on goal in the 17th minute.
He took the shot on early but the advancing Mottram made the save. The ball rebounded back to Johnson who shot again on target but Mottram got back to push the ball away.
Leek’s fourth and Bott’s third came on 35 minutes when Blues sprung the offside trap again and Bott fired home low past the Widnes keeper.
The visitors came out after the break looking a little more solid at the back and it took 20 minutes or so before Blues started to carve open chances again.
In the 66th minute Stevenson produced some great work down the left and squared the ball to Johnson, but his effort was brilliantly saved by Mottram at point-blank range.
Five minutes later Reeves put a superb ball in from the right but Johnson again from close range could only put the chance over the crossbar.
On 80 minutes Stevenson was played in but dragged his shot across goal and two minutes later his cross following a short corner fell for Darren Chadwick at the back post but he couldn’t finish.
Six minutes from time Johnson’s frustrating night was completed as Stevenson fired in a lovely low cross across the six yard box but on the stretch he just couldn’t get the touch.
This was another good and deserved league win for Blues, the margin could well have been much greater and a fantastic start for Aaron Bott who is already looking like an astute signing.
BLUES: Roberts; Green; Short (Walford 81); Grocott; Lycett; Chadwick; Reeves; Hall; Johnson; Bott (Maguire 73); Stevenson. Unused subs: Bailey; Mcwilliams; Chapman.
ATTENDANCE: 221