Record points haul despite stalemate
The Rammy players and staff are all smiles at the final whistle!
Second placed Rams and third placed LR played out a blank in our dead rubber final game of the regular season. But a 98 point haul has set a new record in the semi-pro era of the club, going one point better than the 97 amassed last season.
Ramsbottom United travelled to Atherton on Saturday to be rewarded with a trophy lift. The team assembled on the pitch to be presented with the North West Counties runners-up trophy for a remarkable season. It was celebrated with photographs and also with warm applause from their rivals and opponents. It was a sweet moment for Steve Wilkes, background staff, players, and all associated with the club.
The match itself started a few minutes later and played out on a heavy pitch developed into a scrappy and at times feisty encounter.
For the much-changed Rams, Terry Cummings and Corey Stacey made rare starts with the team donning their change red kit. An early shot from Cummings was the nearest they came before the home side, driven on by left winger Brooks, increasingly wrestled the initiative.
It looked as though Atherton had taken the lead when Romano wriggled into the area, chopping back to create space, before unleashing a ferocious drive towards the far corner. Astonishingly Brad Rose was equal to it. He was already on the move as Romano pulled the trigger and hurled himself leftwards at remarkable pace to beat the ball with a strong hand for a corner. From the resulting flag kick, a scramble ensued before Romano crashed a fierce shot goalwards. Rose was again the saviour, this time plunging low to force the ball away.
The Rams were to be grateful twice more in the following minutes to the talented and popular gloveman. Together with star men Maine Walder and Luke Barlow, Rose repelled wave after wave of home attacks. The visitors eventually forced the ball upwards and away without offering anything constructive themselves as the home side looked as if they would break through at any moment.
The Rams, however, held firm and reached half-time, somewhat fortuitously, at nil-nil.
Atherton, themselves mindful of the play offs, began to ring the changes with the impressive Romano and then Brooks substituted – and their cohesion impacted.
Wisely, Rams boss Steve Wilkes turned to the bench. Dan Forbes and Victor Dielenvuidi adding instant heft to a hitherto misfiring midfield – as the Rams began to look more solid.
Gradually with Walder offering a masterclass on transitioning, in turning defence into attack, the visitors started to produce a series of moves of their own. Terry Cummings had the best chance as a rare passing move opening up space on the edge of the box but he fired over the bar when well positioned.
Twenty-two goal Matt Dudley came on for a useful cameo, holding the ball up well as the ultras regained their voice with Leo Thompson increasingly involved on the left against tiring opposition.
The nearest the Rams came to scoring was a spell of pin-ball in the home penalty area, which, despite a number of attempts, was eventually cleared by the LR defence, whilst the home side, playing up the slope offered very little in the way of threats as the second half petered out.
In reality, with the two clubs final league positions already determined, this had a feeling of an end-of-season dead rubber, with both sides intent on ensuring that they remained injury-free going into next week’s play-off semi-finals.
The final whistle ensured a clean sheet and the taking of a point which represents a club record of ninety-eight accumulated over a wonderful and exciting season, one point and one place ahead of last season’s efforts.
The real winners of this shadow boxing exercise however may have been those that didn’t play. On this evidence Harvey Hayhurst and Jacob Holland -Wilkinson will be sorely needed for the play off semi-final next week for a match against rivals Chadderton – with significantly more at stake.
RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Rose, Jeanne, Thompson, Walder, Barlow, Whyte (Dielunvuidi), Cummings (Dudley), Walker, Stacey, Sephton, Cross-Adair (Forbes) Not used: Holland-Wilkinson, Hayhurst
GOALS: n/a
ATT: 343
