Penalty pain sees Stags out
HESKETH BANK .............. 1 ROSSENDALE FC ............ 1
THE West Lancs League Regional Cup moved into the semifinal stage with Rossendale travelling to face 1st Division Hesketh Bank.
Despite controlling large parts of the match Rossendale crashed out of the competition losing 6 -5 on penalties after the match finished 1 -1, and playing the last twenty minutes with 10 men.
In front of a 200 plus crowd Rossendale started brightly and created a couple of early chances, whilst Hesketh spent the whole game launching high balls forward to the big striker and winning the second ball, and as long as the defence could deal with these tactics it would only be a matter of time before Rossendale would make their football tell, but on twenty minutes the Stags fell behind when Hesketh scored, another long ball forward was played inside and seemed to have been dealt with but the ball broke to a Hesketh forward who appeared to push over Joe Haworth before slipping the ball into the corner.
The goal rocked the Stags and they seemed to lose their way allowing
Hesketh to deal with Rossendale attacks, but they gradually got themselves together and cause problems for the Hesketh defence again.
Two fierce Joe Haworth free kicks just missing the far post and a curling effort from Luke Simpson tipped round the post by the Hesketh keeper.
The second half started with the same Rossendale pressure and with the big Hesketh team visibly tiring, Rossendale pressed forward.
A Luke Simpson corner was brilliantly headed goalwards by Simon Nangle but scrambled off the line.
However, the pressure told on 67 minutes when keeper Sipocz found Joe Haworth with a quick throw, Haworth laid the ball inside to Simon Nangle who sent it out left to Scott Wylie – he went passed a defender, cut inside past another defender and unleashed a brilliant twenty yard unstoppable strike into the top of the net for a brilliant team goal to bring the teams level.
The striker’s joy at scoring was short-lived as a minute later a minor altercation between Wylie and a Hesketh defender who was making the most of the situation ended with the referee giving Wylie a straight red card for violent conduct, much to the amazement of Stags players and their supporters at the very least it could and should have been a yellow card.
And very unsport i n g l y , several Hesketh players applauding the referee’s decision.
Instead of letting the sending off affect them the ten men laid siege to the Hesketh goal but the winning goal which would have been fully deserved evaded them and the match ended level going to a penalty shootout.
The first five penalties from both sides were dispatched with ease, Rossendale scorers were Matt Kirkbright, Tom Hartley, Simon Nangle, Adam McInnes and Joe Haworth, but Joel Haworth’s penalty was saved and Hesketh scored to win the penalty shootout 6-5 – football is sometimes a cruel game and you don’t get what you deserve.
Rossendale’s season has now ended and they can be very proud of their efforts in this mini tournament by beating three premier teams and a superb comfortable win in the local derby against Haslingden St. Mary’s along the way, this surely should get them noticed by the watching West Lancs League committee, and with a possibility of a space in division one next season the Stags are hopeful of filling that space.
Hopefully the squad will stick together and get a full season in 21/22 to realise their ambitions of playing in a higher division.
Manager Ray Davis said: “Obviously I’m disappointed we haven’t got through to the final, especially when we were by far the better side, even on a day when we didn’t really play to the level we can. But that’s football unfortunately and the lottery that is penalties.
“At the end of the day though we’ve done really well against all the odds to get this far and beaten some good sides on the way with a particular highlight being the derby win over Haslingden St. Mary’s.
“I’ve just come out of the changing room and the boys are deflated in there, but I’ve just told them to remember this feeling and take it into the upcoming season where we can hopefully, finally win the league we’ve been clearly the best team in for the past two seasons.
“We will now have a rest, regroup and be ready for pre season to start at the end of June. There’s a lot of work that will go on at the club in pre season as the club grows and becomes better.
“There’s also an opportunity for new players to come to the club pre season and any players that feel they can improve the team is more than welcome at training just keep an eye out on the Rossendale Twitter page (@rossendalefc) for all the details.”