AFC Liverpool v Barnoldswick Town, 1st November 2014

Barlick took the lead on 43 minutes, having only had a couple of shots from distance at our goal throughout the first half.  For our part, a Jack Sinnott header was palmed onto the post by the keeper, and Ronnie Morgan missed yet another penalty.  All that happened in the first 10 minutes.

During the first half, Barlick also survived a couple of goalmouth scrambles, and at least a couple of shots on goal which went just wide.  Papakuz (our cameraman) said to me at half time that he feared the worst when Jack's header was palmed onto the post.  For the record, I did feel that the challenge which led to the penalty was just outside the area.

The second half got delayed a bit due to the ref and his assistants being a bit delayed.  When they did emerge, they did get a rattle and a hoot from the horn. 

As the second half did get underway, it seemed AFC's luck would still be out at first.  Suddenly, Ryan Cox's 53rd minute shot across goal appeared to hit a bobble in front of the diving goalkeeper.  The ball bounced over the keepers' hands and into the corner, and we were level.  So would our luck change at last?

We then continued to waste chances, and Barlick started to get a foothold into game once more.  Their number 10 was especially dangerous, and they created two chances to go back into the lead.  The first chance was denied by a Ryan Jones flying save.  The second opportunity almost saw a one on one opportunity.  Thankfully, Mike Girvan got back in the nick of time to deflect the effort away.

Bringing Sean Calland on for Ronnie did prove to be the decisive turning point, as two late goals from the substitute did settle the match.  The first Calland goal (when he had only been on the pitch a minute) was a left foot curler from the inside right channel, which was an absolute beauty.  The second goal saw him played in on the left, before slotting home to make it 3-1.

Before the match decisively turned back into our favour with the Calland substitution, Dave the Rattler referred to Barlick as the luckiest team ever.  Whereas, Alan the Rattler felt a little sorry for Barlick, due to the effort they put in.  Personally, I felt we probably should have scored more than the 9 goals we managed at St Helens Town earlier in the season.

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