Irlam v AFC Liverpool, 16th August 2016

It was the first meeting between the two sides in over five years. Until the final few minutes, I would have said a draw would have been about right.  The way Irlam dominated the second half though left me thinking we had been lucky to hang on to the point we earned.
We started off well, but we could not make anything from our early dominance.  Irlam then came into things, and a Kieron Brislam error allowed them to take the lead on thirty eight minutes.

We then responded well over the next seven minutes.  Mark Kirby chased what looked like a lost cause down the right to win a corner.  The corner came in, and it eventually bounced for Jonathan Swatton to smash us level.

Before half time Mini Adegbenro beat their keeper to a loose ball, before despatching it into the net to give us a deserved half time lead.

The second half saw the home side very much dominate, after they rode an early second half scare from Mini roaming in on the left.  Irlam equalised through a Christian Lawlor strike, which was a well taken strike across Josh O'Connell into his bottom right corner.

 The whole match should have been decided on an incident around the 78th minute, when Lawlor lobbed Josh.  Due to it being August and the pitch being dry, the ball bounced in the goalmouth and over the bar.  Had they taken the lead then, I am not sure we could have come back, such was their second half dominance.

As it was, we were back in front a few minutes later as Freddie Potter seemingly beat the offside trap from a through ball to slot it home.  However, I was later told by our Club Secretary he had been clearly offside.

Irlam did earn a deserved equaliser in the last minute through that man Christian Lawlor.  It was a finish very similar to his first one.  In the build up to their goal, Mikey White did commit a foul by holding back a man.  The ref played on, and the goal was scored by Lawlor.

 Remarkably we could have won it right at the death, as Mini Adegbenro headed wide after a cross from the right.  But in all honesty, we didn't deserve it.  In fact, I would suggest that Irlam probably edged it.

Furthermore, as I have indicated, the chance when Lawlor lobbed O'Connell and missed, was probably the difference between them winning and drawing.

During the evening's proceedings, we rattlers did have a bit of banter with some of the local Irlam folk.  One of them remarked that we were not rattling anymore, when they equalised for the second time!  I promptly rattled again!


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