This tie was originally a home fixture for Ladybridge but due to a waterlogged pitch at our Tempest Road ground our opposition agreed to switch to their pitch which was available and fit to play on. The game was played in dark, dank and windy conditions. Ladybridge had Patrick, Ollie and James Y available on the bench with Sam missing through injury (tight hamstring - get well soon). Ladybridge started the first half well and forced CA back frequently with Cole making some good runs down the left with crosses into the box that their keeper did well to deal with. Ladybridge continued to press forward and were unlucky not to take the lead when a free kick from 30 yards out taken by Caleb just sailed over the bar. The first goal was scored by Ladybridge when another smart run and cross down the left by Cole was only cleared by the CA defence out to Tom in an advanced position and he lifted the ball high above the despairing keeper to make it 1-0 to Ladybridge. Further pressure from Ladybridge in the next 10mins of the game saw efforts from Tom and James dealt with well by the defence and keeper respectively. The final goal action of the half was to come from a weak clearance from the CA defence that found Cole on the edge of the box and he took this clearance in his stride to stroke home a lovely effort past the CA keeper to make it 2-0 to Ladybridge at half time.
I can't be sure what the CA coaching staff said or changed at half time but CA came out with a real purpose to their play and enjoyed more possession and territory in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half than they did in all of the 1st. So it was no surprise that CA opened the scoring with some battling work by their midfield players who managed to split the Ladybridge defence and find a CA player in space and he unleashed an unstoppable drive over Conor to make it 2-1. Ladybridge started to get more of a foothold into the half after the goal and Cole was unlucky to see his free kick from 30 yards out go just over the bar. The 2nd half was becoming a real midfield battle and both teams enjoyed good possession and territory. CA were most unfortunate not to draw level when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Ladybridge box but the resulting effort from the kick hit the crossbar. Our last few games have been tight affairs and often we've managed to score the vital goal at the right time to secure the game for us and it was to prove the case again this afternoon. The move leading up to the Ladybridge goal was text book passing football that found James Y in space down the left hand side and his pin point pass to Dion was delivered into the heart of the CA box with real precision to find Cole free and he made no mistake slotting the ball home to make it 3-1 to Ladybridge.
Full Time - Curzon Ashton 1-3 Ladybridge
CA where a Jekyll and Hyde team today that saw a poor first half turned around completely with a real battling and effective effort in the 2nd. However, I thought their keeper was consistently good in both halves and his performance in the 1st particularly certainly helped to restrict Ladybridge to a two goal advantage. A big thank you to all at Curzon Ashton for getting this game played today, it’s very much appreciated by all at Ladybridge. Good luck to you all for the rest of the season.
Ladybridge will have benefitted greatly from actually getting this Cup-tie in today rather than a postponement before our biggest game of the season so far when we face Lytham Juniors (Maroons) in the Lancashire Youth Cup Final at Leyland. A fairly comfortable first half was contrasted with a real test in the 2nd that saw us complete a tricky win against good opposition - well done lads.
Next Fixture LFA Youth Cup Final Friday night 7pm at Leyland FC. All supporters welcome. No preview required from me........
Gordon
