Atherton LR

By Matt Lawton
September 29 2009

In a truly enthralling encounter at Crilly Park, two hours of football and even five penalties each couldn’t separate Genesis and neighbours Atherton LR, with Leigh eventually running out 4-3 penalty shoot out victors after an incredible game.

It was a game that was almost too good to be decided on the night, with the eventual result particularly harsh on a Laburnums side that belied their status of a league below their opponents and ultimately probably deserved to win the tie, given the pressure they put on Leigh throughout the second half and much of extra time.

After making eight changes to the side that beat Prescot Cables 6-0 in the league at the Leigh Sports Village Stadium on Saturday, it was a disjointed effort from a Leigh side that started particularly slowly, and were indebted to centre back Mark Ross on nineteen minutes when he hooked a Phil Hayworth shot off the line after the LR winger had capitalised on a dire Scott Sephton backpass that put goalkeeper Dean Porter under necessarily huge pressure.

Jordan Stepien scored a hat trick in Saturday's victory, but found himself on the right wing this evening, coming to close to providing an opening goal when he burst past left back Louis Edwards and delivered a teasing low cross that was palmed away from goal by ‘keeper Andrew Hewitt, with Chris Baguley waiting to pounce on any rebound.

Baguley didn't have to wait long to hit the net, however, putting Leigh in front when LR centre back Rees McNair slipped horribly when trying to control a long ball forward from Scott Sephton, allowing Baguley to snatch the ball and race through on goal, slotting the ball past Hewitt on twenty six minutes.

Playing downhill in the first half, Genesis thought they had a second goal shortly afterwards, only for Chris Thompson's strike to fly in to the side netting after being put in the clear by a great Stepien ball over the top from midfield, with Leigh leading by a goal at the break, with Stepien being replaced by Jack Dorney at the interval.

Having commanded much of the first half, it must have come as a huge shock to the Genesis side to see Laburnums come out with all guns blazing at the start of the second half, and they were level within a couple of minutes of the restart when Matt Carlisle failed to heed the earlier warning of Sephton's mistake and send a suicidal backpass from the halfway line that was never likely to reach Porter, allowing Phil Howard to gleefully take advantage and fire in to the net.

Shortly afterwards, Atherton found themselves in the lead when Porter spilled a corner at the feet of McNair, who made no mistake in sweeping the ball home.

Leigh were handed a lifeline with a little over twenty minutes remaining when Atherton right back Phil Johnson was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area after Tom Ince had flicked the ball up against him, with Chris Baguley levelling the scores from the spot.

However, less than minutes later and the game took another huge twist when a long ball forward caused confusion in the Leigh defence, leaving Dean Porter little option than to concede a free kick on the edge of his own area for a foul on a challenging striker, with Howard scoring his second of the evening with a curling free kick that was deflected in to the goal.

Just three minutes later and it was three goals apiece as Baguley emphatically grabbed his hat trick strike, the third Leigh player in three games to do so, as his low strike arrowed in to Hewitt's bottom corner. There was still time for substitute Jamie Baguley to shoot agonisingly after Tom Ince had made a break down the left flank, before Hewitt superbly tipped a Chris Thompson shot over the bar after a flowing counter attack late on, leaving the sides to contest a period of extra time in the hope of finding a victor.

After a largely uneventful first fifteen minutes, the game sprang back in to life in the second period of extra time as Baguley emulated Chris Thompson's achievement in last week's 6-1 League Cup victory over Warrington by scoring his fourth goal of the evening, lashing in the rebound from a Hewitt save after seeing his initial shot kept out.

If the Leigh faithful around Crilly Park thought that their ordeal was over and victory finally sealed, then they were to have a rude awakening barely a minute later when McNair thumped a header past Porter from a Howard corner for his second goal of the evening, deliriously celebrating behind the goal with a group of similarly ecstatic Laburnums followers.

With penalties looming, Leigh came within a whisker of cruelly snatching the tie when a speculative Dale Whitham shot thumped Hewitt's crossbar, but it was in some way fitting that such a terrific cup tie was to be decided by penalties, the ultimate test of a side's composure after an exhausting two hours of keenly-contested football previously.

In that sense, it was almost inevitable that the tie wouldn't be decided from the first five penalties, with Jamie Baguley seeing the first penalty of the contest saved by Hewitt's legs, with Jake Patton putting Atherton a goal ahead after the first round of penalties. Jack Dorney levelled the scores before Porter saved Mark Prince's attempt for one goal apiece from two attempts each.

Then followed a run of three penalties saved with Jonathan Smith, Phil Howard, and Chris Baguley all failing to add to the score, with Bradley Cooke putting Atherton 2-1 ahead after the fourth round of spot kicks. Chris Thompson brought it to 2-2 with Leigh's final penalty, leaving the pressure on Porter to keep his side in it, but he wasn't needed as Andrew Barker saw his penalty strike the crossbar and leave the game at sudden death.

Matt Carlisle confidently dispatched Leigh's first penalty, but this was equalised Jon Stephenson. On the seventh round of penalties, the game was decided when, with both sides almost running out of willing volunteers, Scott Sephton scored from the spot, leaving McNair, twice a scorer during the game, to bow to the pressure and fire his penalty horribly over the crossbar, leaving Leigh to celebrate an almost stolen victory, while Laburnums took the plaudits from both sets of fans after what was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining cup encounters, certainly in the Lancashire FA Trophy, in years.

After such excitement, widespread changes are expected to the Leigh side when they visit AFC Fylde for a 3pm kick off on Saturday afternoon, before Harrogate Railway Athletic travel over the Pennines to the Leigh Sports Village Stadium next Wednesday evening (7th October, 7:45pm kick off).

Leigh Genesis; Dean Porter, Scott Sephton, Matt Carlisle, Mark Ross, Jonathan Smith, Dale Whitham, Jordan Stepien (Jack Dorney), David Hill (Jamie Baguley), Chris Thompson, Chris Baguley, Lee Green (Tom Ince). Subs (not used); Kris King, Danny Morton