Town lose to Skem as Linnets soar again
RUNCORN Town were beaten 5-2 by high flying Skelmersdale United at JMO Sports Park. Liam Turner and Levi Chiduku came into the side for John Davies and Gary Roberts.
Town started well and took an early lead. Liam Turner’s long throw wasn’t dealt with and Richie Foulkes flicked on for Tom Ruffer to poke home.
Town increased their lead on 29 minutes. Skelmersdale were caught in possession playing out from the back - Sam Hughes did well to nick the ball and pulled back to Joe Holt to thump home from 20 yards.
Skelmersdale came back into the game and began to create chances. On 31 minutes Callum Preston’s shot from distance was pushed away by Adam Reid.
Then Reid made another save to deny Michael Howard and Danny Mitchley’s follow up shot was blocked by Turner
On 35 minutes Mitchley got one back for Skelmersdale with a decent finish from the edge of the box.
Skelmersdale equalised on 53 minutes. Lloyd Ellams got free down the left and his ball into the box was cleared out to Joe Nicholson who fired in from the edge of the box.
Town responded and almost went back ahead on the hour when Holt’s shot was saved then Ruffer’s header was cleared off the line. Another chance came shortly after from Holt’s corner which was headed wide by Richie Foulkes.
A minute later Skelmersdale went ahead for the first time. Elliot Morris cut in from the right and his ball across goal was tucked away by Mitchley at the far post.
Town were getting penned in by the gale force wind and driving rain. Michael Howard’s free kick from 25 yards was not far over the bar. Then Howard shot into side netting and Mitchley’s shot from the edge of box was saved by Reid.
The pressure finally led to a fourth goal on 68 minutes. Skelmersdale counter attacked from a Town corner and Howard was put through on goal to finish past Reid.
In injury time Skelmersdale sealed the win - Elliot Morris running onto a through ball from Alex Griffiths and smashing his shot past Reid.
Meanwhile, Runcorn Linnets returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-0 win against Markey Drayton, writes Bill Davies.
After fighting hard for two points from their last four Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division games, and deserving more, Linnets made the journey to Shropshire with reasonable expectations of cementing their play-off qualifying position with three more.
Market Drayton were propping up the table with only seven points from 26 games to date, and were 19 points from improbable safety.
By the end of this game, it had to be assumed that the current Town defence and goalkeeper had not been responsible for a goal difference of minus 60, as they restricted an entirely dominant Runcorn side to a win that was ultimately comfortable, but never a demolition.
Linnets breakthrough came from the penalty spot, five minutes before the break.
Iwan Murray’s solo run into the area was halted by a blatant trip from behind, and Joe Lynch buried the spot-kick, hard and low to the left of the ‘keeper.
Linnets continued the onslaught up to half-time.
The last action of the half saw the ball in the Market Drayton net, MarshHughes converting Lynch’s cross. This time, Lloyd actually was offside.
The second half began as the first had been spent, with the yellow and green in control and on the attack.
Ryan Brooke won the ball out of nothing, to the right of the Town area, and pulled it back for Murray.
He delivered into the area, where Lynch’s shot bounced off the turf and lost the power to beat Rawlins.
The half was four minutes old when Linnets’ latest ‘keeper Mooney played a superbly-targeted long ball to Brooke on the halfway line.
He flicked it on into the path of Murray, who charged on into the penalty area, feinted past Jones, and buried a shot inside the left post beyond the grasp of Rawlins.
Runcorn Linnets retained fifth place in the league, with ten games remaining, and an eight-point cushion to secure a place in the play-offs.
A home fixture against Bootle will be the next step in a promotion charge that, back in August, nobody could reasonably have expected.