All looked well when we arrived at the Unibond League ground although the rain was starting to fall. After a couple of drinks in the social club it was a shock to find surface water on the pitch around five minutes before kick off.
Apparently this was the first rain for ten days and it was already beginning to look as though we could have some problems before the night was out.
We did get underway though and handed
He hesitated though but Danny Coyne raced out to come to his rescue but hit his clearance straight onto Neal who could only watch it bounce off him and into the net from twenty yards.
It spurred the home side on and they should have added a second through veteran Stuart Barlow but his effort came back off the bar. That gave the Clarets the kick start they needed and we got on top after that but we were unable to get ourselves level.
Chances were missed, shots were blocked but by half time the home side still led and to make matters worse Joe Booth left the field with an achilles tendon injury.
The pitch had gone worse and it was by now in the same state as it had been when the two games were called off in January. There seemed to be little hope of carrying on but incredibly the two sides returned for the second half with Alex Taylor on for the injured Booth.
Conditions were getting worse and twice the Clarets would have been certain scorers but for the ball holding in the water. Eventually though we did level and what a good goal it was. Marc Pugh won the ball and played in Kyle Lafferty down the right who in turn crossed low for
A win was surely on the cards but we were thankful to Ryan Townsend for a great challenge after the ball held up to aid a
With around seventy minutes gone the referee started to look anxiously at his watch and eventually with just seventeen minutes to go he did what he should have done long before and called it off.
So three visits and just 73 minutes football – mind you we did pick up a collectors’ item – a programme from the postponed game in January.
The teams were,
Stockport Unprofessionals: Neil Cutler, Liam Brownhill, Jamie Kay, Damien Allen, Danny Griffin, Colin McAllister, James Callery, Jordan Hadfield, Chris Armstrong, Stuart Barlow, Adam Oakes. Subs: Paul Douglas, Craig Duncan, Paul Pearson, Ashley Crank, Scott Best.
Burnley: Danny Coyne, Joel Pilkington, Neal Trotman, Ryan Townsend, Paul Scott, Marc Pugh, Joe Booth (Alex Taylor), Nicky Platt, Martin Reilly (Tom Ince), Cayne Hanley, Kyle Lafferty. Subs not used: Mark Crossley, Darrell Avery, Mark Yates.