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under 12’s updated 15th April next match away to Bridge on Wednesday

under 14’s updated 15th April home win 3-1 against Burnley Belvedere

under 15’s updated 15th April through to cup final

Match Report - Ramsbottom U14’s v Burnley Belvedere U14’s 15^th April 2007

In a long awaited encounter between the current leaders Burnley Belvedere and Ramsbottom in second place, it was Ramsbottom who took the honours with a 3-1 win at home.

Ramsbottom started the slower of the two teams and had only two real moves in the first 5 minutes before petering out. A long throw in by Luke Evans was poorly cleared by Belvedere and Ben Cawley picked the ball up, shooting just wide of the right hand post. Two minutes later a quick throw from Rammy’s keeper, Alex Greenhalgh found Luke Graham on the right. He chipped the ball to Joe Maycock who flicked on, giving Liam O’Connor a half chance at the Belvedere goal.

Belvedere put Ramsbottom under pressure for the next 15 minutes and the game became scrappy with high kicks and desperate defending in the Ramsbottom half. After 20 minutes, Ramsbottom suddenly began to play the type of football they are noted for. The defence linked well with the midfield payers of Andrew (Erco) Whitehouse, Matthew (Mattie) Mallen, George Frielick and Ben Cawley playing the ball along the floor with quick exchanges of passes between players. Belvedere had no answer to a series of attacks, and Erco had two chances in this period, one a shot saved by the keeper and the other, a header just going wide of the post.

Ramsbottom’s defence of Joe Jackson, Alex McCann, Luke Evans and Luke Graham were outstanding and although Belvedere attacked constantly in the last ten minutes of the first half, constant pressure from the defenders forced Belvedere to shoot wide of the target on no less than three occasions

Substitutions saw Chris Howard and Danny Aspinall come on to the pitch for the second half and they linked well in the midfield and out wide on the left. Ramsbottom settled well and began to press into the Belvedere half. A long throw in and two quick headers towards goal, saw Liam pick the ball up from 25 yards out and hit a beautifully struck shot into the top right hand corner of the Belvedere goal for Ramsbottom’s first goal. Burnley’s defence appeared to crack and, a good interchange of passes between Ben and Erco ended with Joe flicking the ball on to Aaron (Azza) Nuttall running through on goal. Azza brought the ball under control, chipped the keeper, and followed through to make it 2-0 to Ramsbottom.

In the 62nd minute Erco picked up a loose ball and shot just over the keeper. From the resulting goal kick, the ball was played out to Alex McCann on the right whose shot at goal from 33 yards floated over the keeper and into the top left hand corner of the Belvedere goal.

Ramsbottom kept ringing the changes with frequent substitutions but the players looked tired from their quarter final clash in Nottingham two days before.

Belvedere seemed to sense this and created a series of attacks on the Ramsbottom goal. A good interchange on the right hand side of the pitch saw Bradley Cookson pick the ball up within the Rammy penalty area and calmly shoot past Alex for Belvedere’s first and only goal. In the last five minutes of the game, Belvedere broke through Rammy’s defence on two or three occasions but failed to find the target, shooting wide or over the Ramsbottom crossbar.

Ramsbottom consolidate their place as second in the table but are only four points behind the leaders with three games in hand.

Match Report - Ramsbottom U14’s v Unsworth U14’s - 25.3.07

Ramsbottom took all three points after comprehensively beating Unsworth 5 – 2 away from home.

Unsworth started the better of the two teams and hit the crossbar after only two minutes of the game. Ramsbottom seemed to awake from their lethargy and created a series of plays at the other end which saw Mattie Mallen shoot just wide of the target.

Ramsbottom scored in the 10^th minute when Luke Evans threw a long ball into the goal mouth which Unsworth only cleared as far as Luke Graham. From 12 yards out Luke hit a low, hard shot, beating the keeper at the foot of the left hand post. 

Nothing really happened in the game until the 22^nd minute when another good throw-in from Luke Evans saw Andrew (Erco) Whitehouse shoot narrowly wide of the left hand post.

Luke Evans was subbed after a leg injury and George Frielick came on to the right side of midfield. In the 28^th minute, the ball was won in the midfield and played to Ben Cawley on the left hand side of the pitch. Ben played the ball back to Luke Graham who sent an inch perfect pass through to Joe Maycock, who rounded the keeper to score Rammy’s second goal of the game.

Two minutes later a cross from the right saw a mix up in the Unsworth defence and Ben was on hand to coolly head home from close range to make it 3 – 0 before half time.

The defence held together well in the first half with Joe Jackson and Alex McCann working well together in the centre of defence. Jordan Hussey and Luke Graham were equally strong and any attacks from the Unsworth forwards, especially the No 9 Aaron Derbyshire, were stifled before any serious plays developed. Similarly, Arran (Azza) Nuttall, Mattie, Erco and George worked hard in midfield, linking well with the back four and Ben and Joe up front.

At the start of the second half, Unsworth had the wind advantage and put it to good use. Several attacks on the Ramsbottom goal were stopped by Alex Greenhalgh with a good save and an excellent catch in the air from a long throw-in.

Early in the second half, George took a knock and had to be substituted by Tom Brenchley.

Ramsbottom came back at Unsworth in the 44^th minute with Jordan sending Tom off on a run down the right wing. Beating the full back, he crossed the ball into the edge of the penalty box where Erco had an excellent shot on goal saved brilliantly by the Unsworth keeper. A minute later Joe Jackson and Mattie broke down an Unsworth attack and laid the ball off to Joe Maycock. A strong run from midfield beating two defenders resulted in a shot on goal which again was saved by the Unsworth keeper.

In the 48^th minute, Aaron Derbyshire scored for Unsworth after a mix up in the Ramsbottom defence

Ramsbottom came straight back into the game and after a series of attacks; a free kick was awarded 25 yards out from the Unsworth goal. Jordan Hussey calmly stepped up and floated an inch perfect shot over the keeper and into the top right corner of the net.

Two minutes later, Unsworth were back in the game, scoring their second of the game when the referee awarded a dubious penalty for a push in the box.

Ramsbottom responded to this threat extremely well and played some of their best football in the last 10 minutes of the game. Joe had two strong runs on the Unsworth goal, hitting the post on one occasion and shooting directly at the keeper on the other, with Erco just pushing the ball narrowly past the post after the keeper spilled the ball.

Rammy’s reward came in the last minute of time when Mattie fought for the ball in midfield and laid the ball off to Ben. Ben attacked down the left hand side, rounded the full back and laid a beautiful pass off to Erco who slotted the ball home past the keeper from close range for Ramsbottom’s fifth and final goal.

Despite the strong winds and the bumpy condition of the pitch, Ramsbottom’s players deserve full credit for their continued commitment to play football throughout the game. Well done lads.

Match Report - Ramsbottom 1-0 Bolton Lads 

18^th March 2007

Ramsbottom secured all three points at the Riverside ground beating Bolton Lads 1-0 in a close fought game.

Ramsbottom started well with Joe Maycock shooting past the keeper after five minutes but was dubiously ruled offside by the referee. A minute later, Liam O’Connor chased a long ball from midfield towards the advancing keeper. The keeper’s clearance rebounded off Liam who followed up by heading into an empty net.

Bolton came back strongly into the game and Alex Greenhalgh in goal made a magnificent point blank save, turning the ball past the post for a corner. Bolton crossed the ball, only to hit the crossbar twice from two shots in quick succession with Ramsbottom eventually clearing the ball out of their own penalty area.

Rammy continued to create chances and Luke Graham headed wide in the 15^th minute. Two minutes later, Liam took the ball out left and crossed to Joe who headed narrowly wide of the post. The pitch began to cut up badly and play disintegrated slightly in the heavy conditions. Passing between midfield players became more and more difficult and play was switched to the wings in order to keep the attacks going towards the Bolton goal. Alex McCann had a powerful shot straight at the keeper and just before half time; Luke Evans crossed the ball from the left hand wing, only for the keeper to make a good save at the bottom left hand post following a header from Joe.

At the start of the second half, Ramsbottom began to dominate the play and Andrew (Erco) Whitehouse ran through from midfield only to have a powerful shot at goal turned past the post off a defenders boot. Two minutes later good play between Ben Cawley and Liam saw Joe have a strong shot saved by the keeper and go for a corner.

In the 55^th minute, Erco picked up a loose ball, passed to Mattie Mallen who shot narrowly over the crossbar.

Bolton came back with a run through midfield but the striker finished weakly by shooting wide of the post. Many of the Bolton attacks came to little avail, with solid defending from full backs Jordan Hussey and George Frielick, with Joe Jackson, Luke Evans and later Alex McCann in the middle of the back four. George in particular, stuck to his man incessantly, winning loose ball and creating plays with Ben and Tom Brenchley.

With five minutes to go, Luke Graham released an inch perfect pass to Liam who shot straight at the keeper. Liam had a further chance 1 minute later but the Bolton keeper was in fine form, making a comfortable save.

Bolton threw everything they had at Ramsbottom and a break from midfield saw a low shot at the left hand post well saved by Alex in goal.

Just before the final whistle, good work by Tom on the right wing saw Liam cross to Erco who shot narrowly over the bar.

Ramsbottom take all three points and keep their form going, moving into second place in the table, just behind league leaders Burnley Belvedere.

Ramsbottom U14’s 6-0 Mosley Common 

11.3.07

After a series of cup matches, Ramsbottom U 14’s returned to league duty against middle of the table Mosley Common.

The first half saw Mosley start very strongly, and to their credit played some attractive football, linking defence, midfield and attackers in a number of plays that saw everything except a goal.

Ramsbottom seemed to want to play the high ball, but Mosley’s tall defence coped with everything that was put above head height. After 26 minutes, Mosley had the first real chance of the game. A good run down the left saw their striker shoot hard and low, but Alex Greenhalgh in the Ramsbottom net was up to it, pulling off a stunning save at the right hand post.

Ramsbottom’s midfield of Alex McCann, Ben Cawley, Mattie Mallen and Andrew (Erco) Whitehouse worked hard at containing the Mosley players, chasing and challenging at every opportunity.

In the last five minutes of the first half, Rammy started to show their class and a series of good moves produced a couple of corners to Ramsbottom. A header towards goal comfortably saved by the Mosley keeper and a shot on goal from Liam O’Connor went wide of the mark before the whistle went for half time.

At the start of the second half, Ramsbottom seemed like a different team. The defence pushed up and linked well with the midfield, creating some attractive plays threatening the Mosley goal.

The first goal came from some excellent football by Ramsbottom. Aaron (Azza) Nuttall ran into space on the left, laid the ball off to Mattie who intelligently switched the play across to the right hand side of the pitch. Joe Maycock picked the ball up and passed it to Erco who drove it into the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Two minutes later, Ramsbottom forced a corner and a header from Joe Jackson floated just over the right hand post. One minute later, the ball was only partially cleared by the Mosley defence and Joe Maycock struck a shot from 20 yards which bounced just before the keeper and into the bottom right corner of the net.

In the 56^th minute a long throw from Luke Evans found Joe who turned and crossed the ball to Mattie Mallen, who calmly controlled the ball and drilled the ball low into the right hand corner of the goal. 3 – 0 to Ramsbottom.

Three minutes later, Tom Brenchley picked up the ball on the right hand side, beat two defenders on his way towards goal and struck the ball into the top left hand corner of the net, scoring an excellent individual goal. With ten minutes to go, Danny Aspinall made his long awaited return on to the pitch after a major operation at the beginning of the season and linked up nicely with Mattie and Erco in midfield.

In the 65^th minute, another long throw from Luke found Erco and he turned and laid the ball off to Liam, who slotted the ball home from 7 yards out.

The final goal of the game came in the 68^th minute when Luke Graham had a good run from midfield ended abruptly by a foul. From the resulting free kick, Luke shot low and hard, beating the keeper’s outstretched hand making it 6 – 0.

It is all too easy to focus on the midfield players and forwards in a convincing win, but many of the plays were set up by the outstanding Ramsbottom back four. Joe Jackson and Luke Evans in the middle and George Frielick and Jordan Hussey (left and right backs respectively), were outstanding on the day. Although the team didn’t gel until the second half, Mosley’s attacks were quashed by the Ramsbottom defence time and time again. On the few occasions their strikers did get through, Alex Greenhalgh in goal was on top form pulling off a couple of outstanding saves.

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED UNDER 14’S WIN THE LFA COUNTY CUP

Ramsbottom beat Hindsford 2 – 0 in a close fought encounter to win the U14’s Lancashire Youth Cup Final for the second year running at the Lancashire FA county ground, Leyland. From the kick off, Ramsbottom looked the more dangerous side and in the first few minutes a combination of passes through midfield and the right wing saw Mattie Mallen shoot over the bar. Five minutes later, Joe Maycock crossed for Ben Cawley to shoot at goal, only to be saved comfortably by the Hindsford keeper.

Play began to swing back to Hindsford and attacks down the left wing saw two attempts on Ramsbottom’s goal both go wide of the mark.

Ramsbottom came back and after 14 minutes Joe beat the right back, rounded the keeper and slotted home from a tight angle, only for the linesman to rule offside. Two minutes later Liam O’Connor picked the ball up from just inside the Hindsford half, beat off a couple of tackles and shot narrowly wide of the right hand post.

For the next 20 minutes both teams appeared to become nervous and moves from both sides frequently broke down with good defending from both teams. Hindsford had two strong shots straight at the Ramsbottom keeper but Alex Greenhalgh caught both shots comfortably. Just before the stroke of half time, Andrew Whitehouse (Erco) picked the ball up in midfield, moved out to the right hand side and then cut back in across the penalty area. Mattie, running in from midfield, intercepted the ball and had a shot on goal which floated narrowly over the crossbar.

Ramsbottom started strongly in the second half and won a throw-in 25 yards from the goal line. A quick throw by Joe saw Liam collect the ball, beat the left back and with only the keeper to beat placed the ball to the keepers left. Fortunately for Hindsford, the keeper saved with his foot and the ball was eventually cleared after a goalmouth scramble. Ramsbottom seemed determined to keep the pressure on and Tom Brenchley had two good runs down the right wing but good defending prevented the ball being crossed into the box. After 50 minutes, a corner to Ramsbottom was cleared only as far as the edge of the area and Jordan Hussey unleashed a shot which just went wide of the right hand post. Five minutes later, another long throw from Luke Evans, was flicked on by Liam and Joe headed onto the crossbar, the ball going to safety for a goal kick.

Hindsford now mounted a series of attacks on the Ramsbottom goal and won two or three quick corners. A shot from five yards out saw a fantastic save by Alex G, palming the ball onto the crossbar and together with some desperate defending the ball was eventually cleared from the Ramsbottom penalty area.

Ramsbottom finally scored in the 67^th minute, when Arran (Azza) Nuttall picked the ball up in midfield and threaded the ball through the defence to Liam who beat the sweeper with a bust of pace and shot home past the advancing keeper.

Three minutes later, the ball was pushed towards the Hindsford penalty area where Mattie laid the ball off for Luke Graham to score a stunning goal in the top right corner of the net.

The heart went out of Hindsford’s play and Ramsbottom played out the last minutes of injury time without being put under any further pressure.

Overall, the team played well on the night, but all credit must be given to Ramsbottom’s defenders including Joe Jackson; Luke Evans; George Frielick; Jordan Hussey and Alex McCann who contained the Hindsford attackers on more than one occasion.

Congratulations to the lads on the night and especially to Manager Pete Jackson and Assistant Coach Dave Aspinall, for their continuing commitment and inspiration to the team and we wish them well in keeping the lads on track in their quest for the League title and the Jubilee Cup.

Ramsbottom v Unsworth - 25.2.07

Ramsbottom continued to make progress in the league by beating Unsworth 5 – 1 away from home. Unsworth had the better start, and threw everything they had at the Ramsbottom goal. After Unsworth went close on two occasions, Ramsbottom awoke to the danger and shifted into a higher gear.

The midfield began to take control through Mattie Mallen and Andrew (Erco) Whitehouse when the ball was played to Liam O’Connor on the right hand side of the pitch. A pin point cross was met by Joe Maycock on the volley from three yards out, giving the keeper no chance.

Good work by Jordan Hussey and Tom Brenchley set up further chances for Joe and Erco on the Unsworth goal. After 30 minutes, a good throw from the right hand touch line from Alex McCann, and a flick on across goal saw Ben Cawley slot the ball passed the keeper to make it 2 – 0.

Ramsbottom continued to dominate, and good inter-passing between George Frielick and Ben saw the ball to Erco who let loose a terrific strike narrowly missing the top right corner of the net.

A minute before half time, a strong, flat throw from Alex went straight to Joe at the near post who flicked the ball in on the volley. The half finished with a strong run from Liam, beating two men but finished with a shot straight at the keeper.

Straight from the kick off, Ramsbottom won a corner and a cross from Ben saw Liam head over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Jordan sent a long ball down the right hand wing to Erco, who quickly turned and put an inch perfect pass across the goal where Joe ran in to slot home his third of the match.

The best move of the match came in the 55^th minute, when Azza, Joe, Liam and Erco linked together a series of passes into the Unsworth penalty area where Erco had a shot at the Unsworth goal parried away by the keeper. The ball came out to Liam but he couldn’t control the bouncing ball and shot wide of the target.

To their credit Unsworth kept up the pressure on the Ramsbottom goal by looking to feed the ball through to their striker. It is only down to the work of Joe Jackson, George and especially Alex M that the No. 9 was kept quiet for long periods of the game

In the 64^th minute Ramsbottom won a corner and Danny Aspinall curled the ball into the goal area for Chris Howard to score Ramsbottom’s fifth goal of the game.

Unsworth attacked straight from the restart and No.9 Aaron Derbyshire broke through the Ramsbottom defence and gave Alex Greenhalgh no chance with a thunderous shot into the top corner of the net.

Just before the full time whistle, Ramsbottom had two further chances when Alex and Azza came close, shooting narrowly over the crossbar.

Pete Jackson, Ramsbottom’s manager praised the lads for their efforts with special mention to Alex McCann for his performance in the match.

Match Report - Ramsbottom U14’s v Seedfield U15’s

LIONS DISTRICT CUP WINNERS

Wednesday 21st February 2007

Ramsbottom U14’s met Seedfield U15’s in the district final of the Lions, U 15 National Knockout competition and ran out as winners 5 -2 on the night. The game was played at Ramsbottom under floodlights in good weather and on an excellent pitch.

Ramsbottom got off to a great start with a series of attacks on the Seedfield goal. In the first 10 minutes a series of runs on goal resulted in shots from Chris Howard and Joe Maycock and only luck, desperate defending and a couple of good saves by the keeper kept the scores level.

Seedfield were a bigger and stronger team but each attack broke down due to the commitment from all the Ramsbottom players. They were quick to compete for the ball and set up a number of attacks on the Seedfield goal.

To their credit, Seedfield set up a series of attacks, especially down the right hand side but the Ramsbottom defence was too strong and restricted the attackers to long range shots on goal. Luke Graham, Luke Evans, Joe Jackson and Jordan Hussey were all outstanding, continually breaking down the Seedfield attacks, and the releasing the ball to their midfield team mates.

Mattie Mallen, Andrew Whitehouse and Alex McCann worked tirelessly in the centre of the pitch putting in a series of great tackles to win the ball, continually linking well with the Ramsbottom forwards.

Against the run of play, Seedfield scored in the 22^nd minute from a through ball from midfield. Joe Pierson collected the ball and calmly chipped the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the Ramsbottom net.

Ben Cawley, Tom Brenchley, George Frielick, Arran ‘Azza’ Nuttall and Danny Aspinall came on as substitutes in the second half and didn’t disappoint. Ben Cawley and Tom continued to provide the width that Ramsbottom had had in the first half and George was solid at the back, pushing forward regularly to create plays with Mathew Mallen, Andrew ‘Erco’ Whitehouse and later on with Danny Aspinall.

Ramsbottom started the second half as they had finished and began to dominate the game. Joe Maycock had two chances saved by the keeper, Tom Brenchley hit the bar in the 43^rd minute and a minute later Liam O’Connor had a shot on goal, again saved by the keeper. In the 50^th minute, a run from midfield by Andrew Whitehouse saw him unleash a right foot shot from 20 yards that rattled the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Joe and Liam, continued to cause considerable problems for the Seedfield defence, and the breakthrough came in the 53^rd minute, when Andrew Whitehouse slotted the ball through the defence for Liam to calmly place the ball past the keeper.

In the 67^th minute, a series of excellent passes between the forwards resulted in an excellent goal from Ben Cawley, giving Ramsbottom a vital 2 - 1 lead.

One minute later another through ball saw Liam O’Connor round the keeper and score his second, slotting the ball from a tight angle into an empty goal.

Seedfield responded for a short time with a shot on goal, but keeper Alex Greenhalgh was forever alert and watched the ball past the left hand post.

Ramsbottom were now dominating the game, and following a cross from the right by Arran Nuttall, Joe Maycock shot low into the right hand corner of the goal.

Two minutes later, Liam O’Connor beat two players and passed the ball across goal for Joe Maycock to score his second of the game.

Seedfield scored a consolation goal, with Joe Pierson scoring his second after a quickly taken free kick.

The final whistle blew after 70 minutes with Ramsbottom running out deserved winners on the night.

Ramsbottom U14’s 2  Hindsford 2 (after extra time)

Sunday 18th February 2007

Ramsbottom win 4: 2 after penalties

Ramsbottom U14’s success continued in the Jubilee Cup with a win away from home against Hindsford in a close fought game. After only two minutes a goalmouth scramble saw Hindsford clear their goal after two clear chances were missed. After 17 minutes of continued pressure, a Ramsbottom corner cleared as far as the edge of the area was met by Mat Mallen running in from midfield, striking a thunderous right foot shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

At this point, Ramsbottom seemed to sit back on their lead and allowed Hindsford back into the game. Although Andrew Whitehouse and Mat Mallen worked tirelessly in midfield for Ramsbottom, Hindsford seemed to have that extra man and were often first to the ball. After 25 minutes, a free kick to Hindsford from 30 yards out was floated into the Ramsbottom penalty area where a defensive mix up resulted in an own goal. The first half finished with no further chances for either team.

Ramsbottom dominated the opening of the second half, and had three clear chances in the first ten minutes. Ben Cawley saw an excellent effort narrowly go over the crossbar, and Liam O’Connor had two shots saved by the Hindsford keeper.

The game became scrappy and Ramsbottom struggled to string any great series of passes together. Both defences held firm with Joe Law winning most of the high balls for Hindsford, clearing his lines time and time again. Likewise, Ramsbottom’s back four of Joe Jackson, Luke Evans, Jordan Hussey, Luke Graham and substitute George Frielick were solid throughout and denied any attempts by the Hindsford strikers on goal

Extra time saw Ramsbottom rejuvenated and dominate the opening five minutes. A cross headed on by Andrew Whitehouse saw a shot from Arran Nuttall well saved by the Hindsford keeper, but Liam O’Connor following up slotted the ball home from close range. Mat Mallen and George Frielick showed great commitment and determination trying to create moves forward but Ramsbottom seemed short of ideas and the game deteriorated with no team creating any clear chances until 2 minutes from the end. From a free kick, Joe Law beat the Ramsbottom defence with a well placed header bringing both teams level. The score remained 2 apiece as the whistle went after extra time.

As the game moved into penalties, Alex Greenhalgh made an important save and gave Ramsbottom a slight advantage over the home team. Although both teams missed a further penalty each, Ramsbottom retained the advantage winning 4:2 and progress into the next round.