Cables dumped last season's Unibond League champions out of the
Liverpool Senior Cup with ease. The scoreline would almost certainly
have been higher if not for a man of the match performance from
Burscough goalkeeper Zak Hibbert.
The first eleven minutes of the match were one-way traffic with Thomas Moore shooting wide, Eamonn Price having a shot blocked by the goalkeeper's legs, Karl Bell heading over the bar, and Ryan Wade forcing the first of many good saves from Hibbert.
Burscough had their first chance of the match after 13 minutes when Chris Robinson shot wide. Six minutes later Ciaran Kilheeney ran down the left for Burscough but was dispossessed by Karl Bell before he could create a goal-scoring opportunity.
After 24 minutes came the breakthrough that Cables' dominance deserved. Ryan Wade put the ball through to Gavin Lynch who shot home from close range. Cables 1 Burscough 0.
Cables continued to push forward to try to double their lead and Wade nearly did so after 27 minutes but Hibbert stopped the shot with his legs.
Burscough nearly levelled the scores when Sean Clancy crossed the ball from the left to Craig Noone who volleyed wide. This was closely followed by a corner which was headed against the bar. But Burscough's spell ended in dramatic fashion when Thomas Moore cleared a free kick off the line. The ball was immediately despatched to the other end of the pitch where Moore was on hand to blast it into the net from the edge of the penalty area: Cables 2 Burscough 0.
Cables' two-goal cushion only lasted two minutes: Kilheeney's close-range shot made the half-time score Cables 2 Burscough 1.
The two-goal advantage was restored almost immediately after the break when Wade ran down the right before crossing the ball to Eamonn Price who shot home: 3-1.
Richie Mottram proved that Hibbert wasn't the only goalkeeper having a good game when he convincingly held the ball from a corner taken from the right after 57 minutes. Nine minutes later Chris Price received the ball from a corner and Mottram did well to block the shot.
After 67 minutes Kilheeney scored his and Burscough's second. This led to a certain anxiety amongst Cables' supporters as the home side showed signs of tiring. Sam McNutt, who had come on for Lynch, nearly put their minds at rest with his 84th minute shot, but once again
Hibbert saved Burscough.
The last clear-cut chance of the match came after one minute of stoppage time when Mottram saved from Craig Noone. The final whistle was greeted with a relieved cheer from the home supporters: final score Cables 3 Burscough 2.
Entertainment: **** out of five
Man of the match: Ryan Wade
Mark Syder
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