Clarets Successful in Alliance Cup Opener

Last updated : 03 October 2010 By Andy Ashworth
Two goals for Joe Jackson
Last year was a very poor showing in the Alliance Cup as we fell at the first hurdle, losing on penalties to Wigan on a typically wet and windy Gawthorpe morning. This time around we won 3-0 against lower league opposition and the scoreline could have been even better.

The game gave us a first view of goalkeeper Josh Cook, on the bench as a schoolboy for much of last year, but himself injured for the opening months of the season. In front of him was a pretty strong mixture of 1st and 2nd years set out in our regular 4-5-1 (or 4-3-3 dependant on how full your glass is) formation.

Two minutes in we pierced the Spirite defence and it really should have been a goal. Dave Lynch won the ball and slid the ball through the merest of openings, releasing Joe Jackson 1-on-1. He went for precision with a shot into the far corner but the keeper spread as he slid and his big toe deflected the shot inches wide.

It was only brief respite though and by the fifth minute we were in the lead. Again Lynch was involved in the middle battling for possession. A ricochet off his face fell into the path of Shay McCartan who had drifted in off the wing. He took the ball in his stride, looked up and fired into the far corner from around 25 yards.

Chesterfield kicked off and squandered the ball, giving us another immediate attack. McCartan moved down the left wing, again cutting inside as he approached the box. He played it back to Lynch who dinked a cross over to an aerial Joe Jackson to power a close range header home.

At this point it looked as though a rout could be on the cards. Chesterfield were not showing much attacking threat and we were playing good football. On twenty minutes we should have extended our lead but a linesman's flag prevented it. A Joe McKee free kick on the left wing caused mayhem in the box before Ross Wilson nodded it towards goal. The keeper would never have got to it, but Jackson, one the line, saw his instincts take over and he applied a touch when obviously offside and the flag went up.

The Spirites had their first chance around half an hour in. A free kick of ours was repelled and the visitors broke. Their number ten ended the moved with a snap shot from distance which just drifted high and wide, but could have caused Cook problems if on target. It served as a gentle reminder for us as we went back down and scored a third just minutes later. A long ball over the top was horribly misjudged by the Chesterfield defence, who just decided to ignore it. Jackson didn't though and he broke through and blasted through the keeper from a narrow angle.

The visitors were clearly given stern words during the break as the 2nd half was a much less one sided affair. For large portions it was much more scrappy as they closed down quicker and broke up our passing play. Ed Williams was forced from the field with an injury to be replaced by Steve Edwards. This led to a re shuffle on the back line as Edwards went to left back and Curtis Woods moved over to right.

Chesterfield had a gilt edged chance just after the changes as the ball broke to the number ten in the area and he inexplicably side footed over from 10 yards with just the keeper to beat. This was the signal for more changes on the Burnley bench as McCartan and Archie Love were replaced by Steven Hewitt and Alex Mullin.

We had a brief period of dominance and Jackson found himself out of luck in his quest for a hat trick. Firstly he fashioned a 1-on-1 chance but saw the keeper get just enough on his shot to slow its progress towards goal, allowing a defender to hack clear. The he saw a snapshot from a right wing cross brilliantly saved at the near post.

Towards the end of the game there was a bit of a flashpoint as the Spirite number 8 decided his afternoon wouldn't be complete without kicking someone, so he chose our biggest lad in Tom Anderson and twice went in late with studs up. The result was a booking for him and sore ankles for Anderson who had to be restrained by his team mates when he tried to 'discuss' the challenges with the perpetrator.

Team:- Josh Cook, Ed Williams (Steve Edwards), Curtis Woods, Alex Coleman, Tom Anderson, Dave Lynch, Joe McKee, Archie Love (Alex Mullin), Shay McCartan (Steven Hewitt), Ross Wilson, Joe Jackson.
Subs not used:- Ben Woodhead, Neil Yadolahi