Welcome win sees Town lift gloom

RUNCORN TOWN ............ 1 AFC LIVERPOOL ............. 0

RUNCORN Town progressed to the 3rd round of the Macron Cup with a 1-0 win against AFC Liverpool at the Viridor Community Stadium.

Town started on the front foot and in the first minute Brandon Lockett won the ball and fired a shot from 20 yards just wide of the far post.

AFC Liverpool also had a decent chance early on as Max Fisher’s shot was pushed away for a corner by Adam Reid.

There were few clear chances in the first quarter of the game. On 21 minutes AFC Liverpool’s Callum Schorah put in a cross to the far post where Jordan Monthe slipped but managed to get a head to the ball which was saved by Adam Reid.

A minute later Town took the lead with a well worked goal. From a throw in on the right the ball was worked all the way out to the left and Liam Turner’s diagonal ball was perfect for Tom Ruffer to take a touch and fire across the keeper into the far corner.

Monthe had another shot saved when he cut in from the left, but Adam Reid was again able to hold onto the shot. For Town Levi Chiduku’s looping shot from disatance was over the bar.

The torrential rain subsided towards half time and this made for a slightly better second half.

It was the visitors who had the better of the chances. Early on Schorah’s shot from 25 yards was narrowly wide of the target. Then Johnny

Bravo’s shot from the edge of the box was pushed over the bar by Reid.

Town’s best chance of scoring was on the counter and they almost did just that when Levi Chiduku received a pass from Turner, beat the defender and almost found the top corner. Late on sub Zak El-Beshri found a bit of space running onto Lockett’s pass, but his shot was wide of the goal.

In the next round we will be at home to Barnton, Irlam or South Liverpool on a date to be confirmed.

Joint Manger Niall McGuinness was pleased with the performance as a whole and the result.

“I’m happy for the players more than anything,” he said. “It’s been a very difficult few months for them with so many comings and goings and trying to get a settled dressing room and side has been difficult.

“The pressure was off them and I asked them to go and enjoy it and just express themselves as a group. I felt they did that – it was a dogged performance and they stuck together. To finally get a home win was great for everyone and to keep a clean sheet was very pleasing from a management point of view.”