United near, but yet so far

Date published: 18 February 2010

Wednesday 17th February 2010
Unibond League Division One North
Leigh Genesis 4-3 Rossendale United

An end to end pulsating thriller at Chorley’s Victory Park ground saw Rossendale come out on the wrong end of a 4-3 score line but if the score had been reversed, no one would have had cause for complaint. The game started badly for Rossendale as within the first twenty minutes some slack defending gave away two early goals. Firstly, Radcliffe was left in the clear to beat Tom Brocklehurst in the United goal and then Matt Jansen followed up Radcliffe's effort when he was allowed to get on the end of a good cross from the right to put the hosts’ two goals in front.
Rossendale then produced a stirring comeback and new signing Sam Heap saw his curling shot, destined for the top corner, somehow clawed away by Drench in the Leigh goal for a corner. From the resulting corner, by other new signing David Owens, Heap got his revenge when he turned the ball into the net from close range. In first-half injury time Rossendale had a great opportunity to draw level but Shaun Williams saw his shot go way over the bar from inside the box.
After the break, Rossendale still pressed forward and a thirty-yard shot from Tom Clarkson was tipped over the bar by Drench and once again Rossendale scored from the resulting corner when Jason Hart, who had only been on the field for only three minutes as a substitute for Wilkinson, scored a bullet header in the top corner. Hart was again looking dangerous some nine minutes later when his shot hit the bar but Matt Walsh followed up to put Rossendale into a 3-2 lead.
However ex-Blackburn Rovers star Matt Jansen, then took the game by the scruff of the neck and strook two left foot long range efforts, the second of which would have won any goal of the month competition, to put Leigh back in front. Rossendale tried and tried to get an equaliser, but could not dig deep enough to find another goal and not for the first time this season, they were left to rue what might have been. 

Rossendale Line-up:

Tom Brocklehurst (GK), Nicholas Swriad, Keith Wedge, Jack Higgins, Tom Clarkson, Harry Bockarie, David Owens, Matt Walsh, Sam Heap, Ryan Wilkinson, Shaun Williams.

Substitutions: Jack Brierley (for Heap), Jason Hart (for Wilkinson), Leonard Rico-Richards (for Swraid)

Unused: Andrew Charlesworth, Jonathan Crompton.

Attendance: 61