Party in full swing ahead of play-offs
ACLUB record home league crowd gave Runcorn Linnets the most fervent of send-offs into the Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division play-offs.
Final-day results meant that Linnets narrowly missed out on the top-three finish that had been possible heading into the last 90 minutes of the regular season.
But there wasn’t a single word of complaint among the 1,015 present at APEC Taxis Stadium on Saturday - from the vast majority, supporting the Yellow and Greens, quite the opposite; only appreciation and pride at the achievements of Calum McIntyre and his men.
Linnets had welcomed Colne on the final day of the 38-game campaign knowing that they would have at least one more match to come - having qualified for the promotion play-offs with their 1-0 win at Prescot Cables on Easter Monday.
At kick-off, the play-off semi-final permutations were still incredibly up in the air, the picture having further improved for Runcorn as Marine’s three-point deduction had elevated Linnets into fourth spot.
Depending on the results of games, involving the top sides, Linnets could have faced a home semi-final on Tuesday against Marine or Leek Town - or an away tie against either of them, Workington or Warrington Rylands.
By half-time, the jeopardy was as good as over. Leek Town were 3-0 up at Marine, which meant that, barring an incredible Marine comeback, Runcorn would be travelling to Leek on Tuesday night,
Nobody could pretend that the last game of the season had been a classic, but the fact that the ball just wouldn’t go into the net did nothing to dim Runcorn jubilation after the final whistle.
Players, management and staff came together as a family once more, to celebrate Linnets’ highest finish and biggest points haul in the NPL and Ryan Brooke’s status as the league’s top scorer.