Brooke sees off stubborn rivals
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE WEST DIVISION
RUNCORN LINNETS ....... 4 MARKET DRAYTON ....... 1
FOUR second-half goals - including a 14- minute hat-trick from the Pitching In Northern Premier League West’s leading marksman, Ryan Brooke - ensured that an unusally ineffective first 45 minutes by the Linnets could be quickly forgotten.
Runcorn need eight points from their five remaining league games to secure a promotion play-off spot which nobody dared to expect at the start of the season.
After an exciting 3-1 Tuesday night victory over Bootle, their then closest rivals for a promotion play-off place, Linnets welcomed already relegated Market Drayton Town to the APEC Taxis Stadium.
The opposition proved a source of great frustration during the opening 45 minutes as they defended manfully to resist Linnets.
The breakthrough arrived on 49 minutes when Iwan Murray advanced 30 yards into the Drayton half up the right touch line, until Brendon Price’s tackle conceded a throw-in, that found Brooke.
He flicked it on into the area for Dapo Olarewaju, whose low shot hit the boot of Care and looped up over Rawlins and into the net.
There was an element of luck in Dapo’s goal, but it was more than deserved for the 50 minutes he had spent tormenting the opposition.
Lloyd Marsh-Hughes replaced Eden Gumbs after 69 minutes and duly teed up Brooke, who delivered a first time shot into the top right corner of the net, leaving the ’keeper rooted to the spot.
Into the last quarter of an hour, Sean O’Mahony slipped a pass to Brooke outside the right edge of the six-yard box and the striker hit a first time shot from a tight angle, across the advancing ’keeper and inside the far post, to make it 3-0.
It was four when Peter Wylie pulled a cross back into the areaand Brooke dispatched another firsttime shot behind Rawlins and into the net for his 25th of the league season, and his 30th in all competitions.
There was for once insufficient urgency in the Linnets defence as Drayton found consolation.
Eshan Greer received a cross from deep, into the middle of the area.
His shot was stopped by Owen Mooney, but Greer was allowed plenty of time for another stab while the ’keeper was still on the floor, and he scored with ease.
The local derby at Warrington Rylands in seven days’ time will have a huge bearing on the promotion prospects of both teams.