Match Reports - Season 2017/2018

1st Team Fixtures + Results, Scorers and Match Reports (where submitted).
Broughton Score First.

2nd Team Fixtures + Results, Scorers and Match Reports (where submitted).
Broughton Score First.

Sat. 19th Aug 2017	V	AFC Sherwood (a) 1 - 11 (ht.-) scorers : I. Vohra
Wed. 23rd Aug 2017	V	Canberra Corinthians (h) 2 - 10 (ht.2-4) scorers : C. Bell, P. Monks
Sat. 26th Aug 2017	V	Penwortham Town (h) 2 - 5 (ht.-) scorers : J. Lindo 2
Sat. 2nd Sept 2017	V	Hoole Utd Res (a) 0 - 3 (ht.-) scorers : -
Sat. 23rd Sept 2017	V	Southport & Ainsdale Amateurs Reserves (h) 2 - 2 (ht.1-1) scorers : M. Hudson, I. Vohra
		As the leaves begin to turn various autumnal shades, there, too, seems to be a change afoot in the fortunes of the second team. Firstly, we only had one player drop out on the morning of a game. And, secondly, even with that drop out, we still had the luxury of 14 players for a match day!! We had a couple of returning faces: Matt Newby returned after playing a few games last season, and Joe Robinson returned from a loved up Lanzarote trip to make up for his wonderful week of carnage in Pendle’s favourite holiday destination of Magaluf. We also had a couple of new faces in the squad. K impressed at training and earned a start and Sam Nightingale cut short his Friday night to 1:30 to join the squad. And, with Macs closing its doors, the team looked fresh and ready for a good 90 minutes. We started in a 4-3-3 formation and set about squeezing the play from the start and attacking with purpose. With Cumbo pulling the strings in the quarterback role, we soon started to threaten. Lewis Tannock began to get on the ball and find space and he tested the keeper with a long range effort early on. K also looked dangerous and had a sighter early doors. With this encouraging start, our confidence grew quickly. Suddenly, there was belief in the squad and we worked hard for each other. Rob Lever made sure we looked solid at the back and Greg smothered any half chance that happened to get through. Soon we were 1-0 up. A neat move down the right fed Pendle in the box. He did what he does best and held off the centre back and laid the ball off into the path of the impressive Mitch, who smashed it past the keeper from 10 yards out. However, we failed to build on that and let them back into the game within two minutes. Their pacy forward managed to find space and beat a helpless Greg in the goal. In previous games, this could have sparked the start of a collapse, but we regrouped and began to threaten again. Coinciding with the sad closure of Preston’s Premier under 18 nightspot, Charlie and Lewis looked fit and began to combine well, creating chances down the right hand side. K and Imi began seeing more of the ball and linking well with Pendle and we soon started to test their keeper again. Unfortunately, we failed to capitalise on the possession and soon our work rate dropped. Southport used their fullbacks to good effect and began to threaten down the flanks. This meant a change to 4-4-2 to shore things up and we entered the break at 1-1. Just before halftime, Cumbo had to come off with a sore ankle so Robbo came on for him and the instructions at half time were a reminder to keep the high line in defence and press them when we didn’t have the ball. And, pleasingly, this is what we did. Robbo , who clearly loves a tackle, and Lewis, who is looking more and more assured in the centre mid role, soon began to drive us forward from midfield. Matt Newby began to see a lot of the ball at left back and began feeding the forwards and chances began to fall our way again. Mitch, who looked sharp and dangerous, was played in a couple of times but was denied on both occasions by good tackles. Pendle was thoroughly enjoying winding up their back line so all seemed well. Any of their threats were easily snuffed out by our back 4. But, again, like the first half, we failed to capitalise on the pressure and our pressing soon resulted in us tiring and allowing the balance to swing towards Southport. Andy, who was worried that an overly fussy ref taking too long to speak to their number 8 would result in him missing a meal at 5, came off for Sam whose pace helped out the back four as Southport threatened on the break. However, as the game opened up, it was us who began to threaten again, and we soon found ourselves 2-1 up. Imi, who had a unusually quiet second half, was played in by Lewis and he coolly side-footed the ball past the onrushing keeper. With 20 minutes left, we knew we were tiring and we were soon under pressure as Southport pushed for an equaliser. Valdi came on for Imi to help out the defence and get some fresh legs on the pitch. Some good last ditch defending by Sam and superb shot stopping by Greg kept them out but we couldn’t hold out for long. A dubious free kick was given and their midfielder stepped up and curled it superbly in the far corner. With 10 minutes left, Sam’s early night caught up with him and he ran off the pitch to throw up the previous night’s shots. Andy Holding came back on and, along with the rest of the back four, kept the Southport attack at bay, and we saw out the remaining minutes to take a well-deserved point. After the game, the only negative was that nobody wanted to join Pendle for sausage and chips in the Bull, but it’s something we can work on. After the first couple of games, if that is the only negative, then this season of change could bring a welcome improvement. RA.
Sat. 30th Sept 2017	V	Standish St. Wilfrids Reserves (a) 2 - 0 (ht.1-0) scorers : J. Yates 2
		False 9's seem to be all the rage in modern football, but in the second team, it’s false dawns. After the promising result last week with a squad of 14, the fortunes of the second team seemingly looked promising. However, the same old problems soon appeared. The rumours of MACS shutting may be only that as first Charlie dropped out, citing a mysterious illness of a headache and an upset stomach. Then, Robbo mysteriously failed to appear. Doug was left with 9 but luckily we could draft in Sean, who played despite a bad ankle, Nik, Jamie, Monksy and Andy Horn. However, word of a second team renaissance must have reached Standish as when we arrived, we were greeted with the sight of a television camera. Upon investigation, it seems their number 8 had one game and one game only to prove he was good enough to earn a scholarship to the USA. With a resurgent second team, a bullish Cumbo and a soft and heavy pitch, he had no chance. The team started at 4-3-3. Valdi started at left back with Monksy, Rob Lever, Sam in defence. Andy Holding played the ‘holding’ role in the middle with Sean and Lewis in front of him. Jamie was centre forward and alongside him was Imi and Jayden. The talk before the game was to continue to play high and get the forwards pressing their back four. We also wanted to test their back line by getting in behind by using Jamie’s pace. And that’s what we did from the very start. We soon started to create chances as Cumbo and Lewis both fired shots in early. Jamie looked sharp and their back line struggled to deal with him. We soon found ourselves 1-0 up. A ball into the box saw their defender blatantly push one of our players and the ‘reffy’ didn’t hesitate and pointed to the spot. Jamie already bagsied penalties and he stepped forward, and, with Monks watching on, smashed the ball low and hard into the net. We continued to push from the restart and really got in the faces of Standish. Lewis and Cumbo worked tirelessly in the middle to break up play and start attacks and Andy was always on hand to mop up any danger and distribute the ball well. Imi and Jayden looked dangerous as we worked the ball forward quickly and looked to release Jamie at any opportunity. However, our final ball frequently let us down and we saw numerous chances go begging. Luckily, the back line looked solid and was superbly marshalled by a resurgent Rob Lever, an experienced Monkso and confident Greg, whose handling was impeccable in tricky conditions. This meant we were never really in trouble. Valdi and Sam dealt with any threats down the wing and all in all we looked comfortable. At half time the talk was to keep pressing Standish to win the ball back. We also needed to make better use of it and Imi and Jayden were told to play a little closer to Jamie to try and get a few more goals. Nik came on for Andy in the centre and was instructed to continue Andy’s good work of winning the ball and setting up attacks. Similar to last week, the boys responded well and we soon started to tear them apart. Jayden continued to look dangerous and a few through balls to him nearly provided us with a second. Lewis and Cumbo continued to destroy the chances of a scholarship and all that was missing was the final finish as we continued to create chance after chance. Sam managed to last a good 45 minutes longer than his brief vomit-inducing 10 minutes last week but a troublesome thigh injury meant a slimline Andy Horn came on at right back. And it was from here that we got the second goal. Jayden worked the ball back to Andy, who, unthinkably, switched the ball to his left foot, a foot that had previously been used simply for standing. However, this time he floated in an inch perfect ball for Jamie to nod in from 4 yards out. After that, Standish’s heads dropped and we were never really threatened. Andy came back on for the impressive Jayden and we saw out the game comfortably. The post-match talk was of the impressive work-rate on the heavy pitch as well as the poor lad whose American Dream was cruelly snatched away from him. Hopefully, next game, Doug’s Dream will come true and we will have a full squad to choose from. DB
Sat. 14th Oct. 2017	V	FC Bolton (h) 1 - 7 (ht.0-4) scorers : I. Vohra
		A casual observer, watching for most of the game would have assumed a very close score line – or even Broughton in the ascendency - however our early season ability to concede goals in batches came back to haunt us again. We knew that we had no recognised keeper before we started, but Marcus Balls failure to turn up – or even let us know he wasn’t turning up - put us on the back foot and was a crucial factor in the overall score. Rob Pom went in goals and actually had a good game, but a series of injuries starting as soon as the 15th minute meant that for much of the game we were carrying 2 people – and when Ryan Alston's achilles heel gave way again it was up to the manager to take the field for the last 10 minutes. The first half was reasonably well balanced. FC Bolton had more of the game, but defensively we were strong and for a while it seemed the game would be a low scoring affair - however we managed to concede 3 in 8 minutes and that changed the half time talk more than a little. Whatever Ryan and I said seemed to work and from the start Broughton were by far the better team for the next half hour. The surge started almost immediately when Imi Vohra fashioned an opening for himself and finished into the top corner. Pasiek, playing an unfamiliar creative midfielder role then sent Alston clear and his delicate cross was just missed by 2 on rushing attackers. Mitch Hudson had an outstanding game and went close on number of occasions and for a while everything looked positive, but then the lack of subs (they had 5) and the injuries started to tell as we tired. Rob Lever and Matt Newby had been immense defensively all game and though their levels remained high, people around started to leave spaces as tired legs became a factor. The final score was an unfair reflection on what had been for the most an encouraging 2nd half. db .
Sat. 4th Nov. 2017	V	Richmond (h) 4 - 3 (ht.3-1) scorers : A. Crossthwaite 2, I. Vohra, L. Tannock
		When the phone rang on Friday night and Doug’s name popped up, it was tempting not to answer. Normally, it is a tale of woe about how various players have dropped out including the goalkeeper. But, with a big sigh, I pressed answer. Imagine my surprise when a chirpy Doug, who was, frankly, buzzing his tits off, wanted to tell me all about how we had ‘at least 15.’ Still, we knew this meant nothing and by kick off we could easily drop down to 10. However, this wasn’t to be. All were present and correct by about 1:20, and although a non-appearance in the firsts meant we lost Jamie, we still had a squad-and a young squad at that-to choose from. We started 4-4-2. Greg, who makes a massive difference, in nets; Pommy, Rob, Faiz and Matt Newby at the back; Jayden, Lewis, Barnesy, Mitch in the middle; Andy C and Imi up front. Talk before hand was of playing football, attacking at pace and keeping a high line and pressing without the ball. But, unusually for us, we did not start well. Neat passing through the back got us nowhere as we squandered possession. We did not press in packs and Richmond soon started to put pressure on us. To stop the Richmond attacks, we switched to 4-3-3 and instantly looked more comfortable. We started to play a bit in their third of the pitch, and we soon took the lead. A clumsy tackle by their aging fullback on Jayden saw Pommy stood over the ball for the free kick. This folly was quickly noticed by the management who urged Crossthwaite to have a go. And he did, calmly side footing the ball into the far corner, with the management claiming an assist. But we fell back into bad habits and went back to being careless with the ball and Richmond soon equalised. We gave the ball away in midfield. Richmond picked it up and ran at our defence. We left too much space, unusually for us, in the back line and their forward went through on goal to slot it past a helpless Greg. However, this was the catalyst for us to play some pretty and incisive football. Andy won the ball back and played it into Imi. He beat his man and then played a neat backheel to Andy, who calmly slotted the ball into the far corner. And then it was 3. This time Imi was put through on goal and he missed the first opportunity but was on hand to knock in the rebound. And we weren’t even playing that well. But, for the long-suffering Doug, it was about time this happened. We even had a goal disallowed for either offside or impeding the goalkeeper, and we didn’t really protest much. So, at half time, we suggested a few tweaks of pressing in packs and getting the ball forward quicker to allow our back line to get up the pitch. Ellis had already come on for Jayden, who was struggling, and we also instructed the forward line to attack at pace. And that’s how we started. However, after 5 minutes, tiredness began to creep in and we stopped pressing. So, Andy Holding came on for Lewis to play the role he was named for, and Charlie came on for Pommy. However, little changed, and from two long throws, Richmond found themselves level. Confession: at this point the management could see our tiredness and feared the worst. However, promisingly, Richmond began to tire themselves too. We switched Imi for Lewis, and Charlie’s injury meant Pommy went back on and an injury to Ellis meant Jayden took the field again. Barnesy went down screaming with cramp but was soon up and winning back the ball. Instead of playing for a draw, the changes gave us fresh impetus, and we started looking dangerous. The management started to sense a winner. As the clock ticked down, we won a corner. From the resulting kick, our players challenged for he ball and it dropped to Matt Newby. He turned and fired an effort on goal. The keeper saved and the ball bounced towards Lewis. For somebody whose timing leaves a lot to be desired (judging by the amount he owes in fines), it was perfect here and he bundled the ball in with the last kick if the game. Cue Doug running down the line in a slow motion celebration that echoed David Hasselhoff running down the beach in Baywatch. In the changing rooms after, it was surprisingly quiet, but as one player noted, it was because the boys were knackered. Hopefully, the squad will be available next week as we look to win two on the bounce. RA
Sat. 18th Nov. 2017	V	Standish St. Wilfrids Res (h) 3 - 3 (ht.3-1) scorers : J. Yates, I. Vohra, A. Crosthwaite
		On the way to the pitch, in discussion with Standish management, we had a mutual moaning session about availability of players. Yes he said, I had to turn 5 players away today as we already had 5 subs ! I thought it best to keep quiet. We did have a good 13 however as we had the return of Alston (from injury) and Heywood (from the Tour-de-France) and we set forth on a heavy pitch in good shape. Certainly the first 30 minutes were as good as we have been so far this year. Heywood rediscovered a little of past magic, our defence looked firm and Crossthwaite pulled them to pieces down the left. The pressure paid off after 20 minutes as following a corner and resultant melee, Vohra reacted first to force the ball home. 10 Minutes later Tannock broke up a Standish attack and released Crossthwaite down the flank. His perfectly weighted cross was met by Yates going at full tilt and the header shot past the keeper. The last 15 minutes were a little more even as Heywood slowed down (sore ankle issues) and Hudson had to come off temporarily following a knock. Against the run of play Standish got one back – slackness of marking being our enemy, but then as we started to get pushed back the 2 goal lead was restored. Heywood received the ball on the edge of the box and under a modicum of pressure crashed to the ground. The opposition weren’t convinced but a free kick was awarded and Crossthwaite scored with the help of a deflection The 2nd half was less pretty from our perspective. Our midfield dominance evaporated and with far too much room long passes started to put us under pressure. In a half reminiscent on Liverpools effort last night we slowly retreated and bit by bit the game was equalised. Eventually it could have gone either way. We still found ourselves with plenty opportunities to strike back, but the bar denied Crossthwaite and a little more calmness should have seen us increase our score. The final chance fell to Standish almost at the last kick. A one-on-one between forward and keeper Lopko left all Broughton fans with hearts in mouths, but Lopko stood tall till the last minute and the forward buckled under the pressure. db
Sat. 2nd Dec. 2017	V	FC Bolton (a) 2 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : J. King, L. Tannock
		Three drop outs on the morning of a game would normally have Doug weeping and screaming into his relic of a phone, but this time was different. All three were valid excuses and we did find some reserves. Luckily, we were able to call on Andy from the thirds, young Luke from the firsts and welcome Al Butler back from an extended holiday. This meant we went to Bolton with a strong 13. On a kid’s 3G pitch, we talked about pressing them high and attacking their vulnerable back line. With the keeper looking suspiciously like he had never been between a pair of posts before, the starting 11 were instructed to shoot on sight. We lined up 4-4-3 with Andy replacing the injured Greg in nets; a strong back line of Pommy, Monks, Rob and Newby; Andy Holding role, Butler (hungover but filled with yoghurt) and Lewis in centre Mid; Jayden (hungover), Imi, Luke up front. After a tough start to the season, we are finally starting to get a settled side. From the off, Bolton certainly looked vulnerable at the back and with Al and Lewis snapping into tackles in the middle we soon moved up the pitch and began to force errors. Our first chance fell to Luke, who pressed the keeper into making a mistake but was just unable to turn the ball into the net. Unlucky; although judging by Doug’s furious scream from the sideline, maybe he should’ve done better. However, we soon took the lead. Al won the ball high up the pitch and fed Lewis. His first touch set him up perfectly and he finished neatly and coolly past the goalkeeper. With the goalkeeper looking vulnerable and our back five, and Newby in particular, snuffing out any attacks, it seemed it was only a matter of time before our next goal. But, despite the management urging us to shoot on sight, we seemed reluctant, and Bolton started to look threatening with their pacy front 5. Our centre midfielders did their best but the movement from their centre 3 started to cause us problems and the game began to get scrappy. However, from a huge clearance forward everybody froze apart from Jayden and he stole in to lob the keeper for our second and give us some breathing space. Doug decided to change personnel after the goal and bring on me for Andy to try and get a handle on their centre three (an almost impossible task). And then just before half time, Jayden was the victim of a horror challenge and Charlie came on to replace him. Talk at halftime was to avoid getting dragged into their 5 a side game and continue to press the back 4 into making a mistake. And just to shoot! And that’s what we did. Imi worked his socks off up front, and with the support of the terrier-like Charlie and Labrador-like Pommy, Bolton soon got frustrated. The game fell back into the niggly and fitful style of he first half and we seemed in control. As the half went on, Lewis and Al were inches away from playing in our forwards and with us continuing to press, Imi was gifted a few decent chances that he was unable to take, including one where he seemed to deliberately hit it at the keeper who seemed to want to get out of the way. Pommy also missed a golden chance as he was played in on goal by yours truly. Caviar to a pig. When Bolton threatened, our back 4 easily halted them in their tracks and Andy pulled off some good saves and it seemed like we would see out the game easily. However, things changed when Lewis began to be targeted with some nasty rakings down the back of his legs. After responding to the provocation with a late challenge, he was shown the yellow card. And things got worse as Bolton continued to poke him and he snapped. Their forward flopped to the floor like a fish on a line and began screaming and writhing on the floor like he was in a Vietnam war film. The ref showed Lewis a second yellow and suddenly the dynamics changed. Soon after they got a scrappy equaliser and the pressure began to show. However, with Doug changing the formation and with experienced heads out there, we managed the game well and saw out the game comfortably. After the game, spirits were high and the atmosphere was good. It wasn’t the prettiest but, as Holloway once said, ‘we got for her in the taxi.’ And I suppose that’s all that matters. RA
Sat. 13th Jan. 2018 Cup Rd 1	V	New Longton Rovers Res (h) 1 - 0 (ht.1-0) scorers : M. Pendlebury
		LANCASTRIAN BRIGADE CUP Round 1 The usual batch of morning trading saw us start with a decent 13 albeit 2 of whom were new signings, infact everybody felt a little fresh faced given that we have had no game for over a month. We started well though and never came under any real problem defensively for most of the first half. The football played was good with Cummins in particular playing a pivotal role and a whole raft of passing and moving went on. We seemed to lack a cutting edge however and whilst a few chances came and went, Imi from a header and Alston a free kick, nothing really had their back line quaking in their boots. Eventually pressure did tell Pendlebury was on hand to force the ball home from a corner. Immediately after a series of shots hit the bar, keeper and then last man defence and it felt like they might buckle, but somehow we never forced it home. The second half was a more evenly match affair, but defensively we were pretty much a match for anything they had. An offside decision robbed Longtons best forward of a goal following a stand out finish, and then Cooper was required to make a couple of decent saves, however neither side really looked threatening enough to justify another goal and the game ended with Pendlebury’s strike as the decisive moment. db
Sat. 27th Jan. 2018	V	Hoole United Res (h) 1 - 1 (ht.1-1) scorers : J. Yates There is a Chinese proverb that, roughly translated, means ‘Be careful what you wish for’ and I think it aptly sums up Saturday’s game. Before the game most players were incredulous that Doug was checking the grass pitches for their suitability, especially with the lake outside the changing rooms. We all fancied playing on the impeccable 4G surface, but maybe Doug knew our fitness levels better than us. Before the game, Doug was in fine form. His team talk consisted of praising the quality of the 15 man squad whilst berating us for not replying to his messages. I can only imagine the frustration towards the casual manner of replying to the early morning Monday texts. However, we lined up with a strong 11 in a 4-3-3 formation and discussed making the spaces small without the ball on such a big pitch. We started well. Midfield linked up telepathically and fed the lively strike force of Imi, Jamie and Jayden. It looked like we meant business and we were unlucky not to create some early openings. However, a fitful couple of months and some players enjoying a Friday night soon began to take its toll and we lost control of the game. Too many players did not work hard off the ball and this dragged us all out of position. Too often their players found themselves in too much space and little balls over the top led to clear chances on goal for Hoole. We then gave the ball away sloppily and it was only down to a couple of good stops from Will and bad finishing that we remained in the game. However, against the run of play we took the lead. A decent delivery into the box found Jayden through on goal. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to take the chance and it landed to Jamie who calmly slotted the ball under the keeper from about 14 yards out. Despite this undeserved lead, we continued to struggle with our work rate not at its usual standard. We also soon began to lose bodies as Newby and Pommy had to go off with injuries and be replaced by Monksy and Charlie. We switched to 4-4-2 but we continued to be outnumbered in midfield and soon they equalised. At half time, Jayden had to come off with an injury and Ross came on for him. Newby, whose night on the red wine hadn’t affected him too much, replaced Andy Holding and Mitch replaced Imi. The team talk was, rightly, a bit of a bollocking. We switched back to 4-3-3 and set out determined to take the game back. And this is what we did. Monksy switched to centre back and him and Rob made sure we won the first ball to get us up the pitch. Cumbo started to bomb forward and Ross and Mitch started to press their back line and find space. We soon created our first chances. A good ball from Jamie set up Mitch at the far post but his weak effort didn’t test the keeper and went wide. Another good ball from Cumbo released Mitch again but he was half a yard off side. Ryan A had a shot from distance and we looked likely to take the lead. Charlie soon got injured and Andy came back on and this coincided with our best period of play. Our centre mids soon had another option as our fullbacks got into the game. Both Holding and Newby started to get forward as we pushed for an equaliser and began cutting their defence open at will. It was soon Cumbo’s turn to go close. A dangerous ball into the box found him unmarked and with shouts of ‘Zidane’ ringing in his ears he was unable to guide the volley on target, hurting himself in the process. Monksy had an effort, laughing as he did so, that went, well, high and wide and our neat football was pleasing to the eye and effective. Our final change saw Imi come back on for the Stella-fuelled Tannock as we searched for a break through. However, it wasn’t to be and if it wasn’t for the bravery of Will, who managed to get to a 50-50before their striker, we could well have lost it. Still, after the first half performance, it was very much a point gained, and as Andy pointed out, "we are unbeaten since October", which was unthinkable at the start of the season. RA
Sat. 24th Feb. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin Res (h) 2 - 1 (ht.2-0) scorers : I. Vohra, S. Cummins As the strength of the team slowly improves, the room for excuses diminishes, so whilst we did end up with 3 points from the game, the achievement level was at best patchy We started well though and Eccleston barely had a sniff in the first half. Pitch and weather were top notch and Broughton responded with a well balanced showing of pace (Jamie) midfield grit (Butler) and defensive determination (lever and monks). Alston and Cummins linked well in midfield and domination in that area was total. First chance fell to Vohra following a pin point cross from Tannock, but the ball was headed powerfully wide, but soon after, our best move of the game (and probably the season so far) saw the ball played from the back to Tannock to Jamie and his touch pass was taken on the burst by Cummins who calmly slotted home and our control had found it reward. 10 minutes later Vohra created some space in the box and his finish into the corner gave a scoreline that was wholly justified. At which point we expected to push on – but strangely a sort of dithery quality came into our game. Good players mis-hit 5 yard passes, or passed when a shot was clearly the best option or just generally stopped thinking. Half time came and we re-grouped and explored options. Pendle replaced a slightly injured Imi and his first contribution was to miss an open goal that would have got the half off to a flying start. But he wasn’t alone and though we created chances and were clearly the better team, Eccleston stayed in the game and managed to create a goal following a series of careless passages of play. We managed to see the game out however - though not before a final passage of inept play prompted a managerial touchline meltdown as the frustration of seeing good players do daft things finally became too much to hold in. A managerial dressing room apology was proffered and as Andy said – "we did win". db
Sat. 10th Mar. 2018 Cup Q.F.	V	Walmer Bridge Res (a) 0 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : -
		LANCASTRIAN BRIGADE CUP - Quarter Final
Sat. 17th Mar. 2018	V	Southport & Ainsdale Amateurs Reserves (a) 2 - 4 (ht.1-2) scorers : P. Monks, S. Cummins
		A trip to the seaside normally conjures up images of Flakes in ice creams, sandcastles and sunburnt faces. However, the reality was biting winds, snow and numerous drop outs (injuries, Pendle’s principled protest and Imi getting lost in the age of the Sat Nav) for our trip to Southport. Once again though, Doug worked his magic and we ended up with 12 and a decent 12 at that, which was lucky as their first team game was called off and they had 16. Once Charlie and Newby arrived from their detour (does nobody have Sat Nav on their phones anymore?!), we started off in the familiar 4-3-3 formation. Due to having no keeper, Monks, once again, put the team first and volunteered to go in nets. Back four was Charlie, Rob Horn, Matt and Mike; in midfield was Pommy, me and Cumbo; and up front was Dylan, Max and Jamie. Southport started well and attempted, and succeeded, to pull us out of position early on. A lack of work rate up front meant Southport soon took control of the game as the midfield got dragged out of position. Players were finding space and it was only thanks to some good last ditch defending from our centre halves that we remained in the game early on. However, the pressure did eventually tell as a through ball bobbled under Rob’s foot and their centre forward races onto it. Monks came out to try and halt him in his tracks but unfortunately caught him and the ref pointed the the spot. 1-0. That goal seemed to spark us into action. Suddenly, we decided to try and play and get the ball out to Dylan and Jamie. Both forwards looked dangerous as they ran at defenders and Southport were forced to retreat, giving us more space. Soon, we got ourselves back into the game. A ball from midfield released Jamie and he got in behind the Southport back line. He held up the ball to wait for support and in rushed Cumbo. Jamie’s neat ball inside found him in the box before he flicked the ball over the centre half and volleyed it into the top corner. 1-1. The game then began to settle down and we started to look a little more solid. Charlie and Mike did superbly well shackling their wingers; Rob and Matt cleaned up anything that got through, and our confidence carried on growing. However, Southport managed to take the lead. A free kick was floated into our box and with a cry of “Monksy’s!” our defence stopped. However, this was followed by, “No it’s not!” And then their player nodded it in at the back post. 2-1. At half time, Doug swapped Max for Rafael and we talked about pressing Southport earlier. And that is what we did. The game seemed a lot more condensed and we started to create a couple of openings. Monksy pulled off a good couple of saves and claimed any balls into the box comfortably. However, inevitably, we started to tire and their squad numbers came into play. We were soon 4-1 down and had lost two players to injury. Despite this, Cumbo continued to drive us on and we looked dangerous and it was only down to a poor final ball that we didn’t get anything. And then the Mad Monk came out of nets. Within a couple of minutes chaos descended. Chasing a ball into the corner, Peter decided to try the classic Monks Elbow. Their player went down and then Monks smashed the ball at their manager. All the players rushed over seeking first an apology from Monksy and then a card. The ref showed yellow. To add insult to injury, Monksy then went and scored a terrific header. A deep ball to the back post saw him rise and nod it skilfully over the onrushing keeper. 4-2. Then the red cards came. Fired up, their sub went in wildly on Matt who then decided the best course of action was to lean back and headbutt him. Their player looked shocked, probably because he thought nobody who wears tights could be so violent. Straight red. Next to go was one of their young subs. The ball went up into the air but instead of challenging Pom for the header, he went full karate kid and jammed his studs into Pommy’s leg. Their defence of “he’s only 18” wasn’t good enough to persuade the ref not to give him a red card. Then their already booked left back went in late and clumsily on me. The ref called him over and gave him a chance to explain himself. Again, Southport’s rhetorical skill wasn’t the best as he told the referee: “I know it’s a booking but it’s not a sending off” and off he went for his second bookable offence. The game was then held up for another 5 as he continued to assert that he shouldn’t be sent off even though it was a booking. And then it was all over. After the game, their “only 18” year olds continued to have a go, pushing Doug and and then smashing the ball at our players, and, inevitably, missing. So despite the result, Matt’s sending off, the horrendous conditions, the descent into savagery and the long drive back, we seemed fairly positive as we gave a decent account of ourselves.
Sat. 24th Mar. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin Res (a) 2 - 1 (ht.1-1) scorers : P. Monks, S. Cummins
		The previously resurgent Broughton bandwagon had shuddered to a bit of a halt over the previous 2 weeks, but despite the usual raft of “missing” with the usual raft of reasons, we started very much on the front foot. Cummins, Alston and Pomfret weaved some nice patterns around midfield and linked well with the front 3 of Pendle, Yates and Vohra. It was Vohra who fashioned the first opportunity for himself by skipping past a couple of defenders and sending in a scorcher that the keeper only heard whistle over his head - and whistle back again as it crunched against the bar and rebounded. We kept probing and played some of our best football of the season to stretch the Eccy defence. A breakthrough came after 20 minutes when Tannock sent a searching ball into the opposition 6 yard box. Yates reacted first and was taken down by the keeper and Monks put away the resulting penalty. Our back four with Monks and Nightingale looking cool and collected had rarely been threatened, but Eccleston did come more into the game as the half progressed and we were undone by a great crossfield ball and an equally good touch and finish. 1-1 at half time seemed about right but we were determined to improve. The second half was almost entirely ours. Tannock and Todd joined the secure defenders party and with midfield working as a unit we were rarely troubled. The knowledge of having a class keeper behind always gives a defence that extra lift The question was whether we could make our possession count - our achiles heel this season. Cummins was especially fired up and drove the team on. One can always tell when Sean is on his game as it usually involves a bollocking for management at some stage and with Pendle and Jamie also looking dangerous it was only a matter of time. The winning goal was created out wide by Yates, and having dispossesed the keeper, was coolly finished by Cummins. A few changes were rung as Edwards and Holding joined the game, but we saw out the game with gratifyingly little stress. db
Sat. 31st Mar. 2018	V	Canberra Corinthians (a) 4 - 0 (ht.2-0) scorers : L. Taylor 3, I. Vohra
		Two rare things happened on Saturday: 1. We had a strong 13 players. 2. We had to delay kick off while the opposition scratched together a team. Normally it is the other way around, but despite a few injuries and other reasons for absence (building aeroplanes, dodgy ankles and flu), we still managed to get together a good squad. We started with Greg in nets, Charlie, Monksy, Sam and Matt at the back; Barnsey, Cumbo, Lewis in centre midfield and Jamie, Imi and Mo Saluke up front. Despite this strong line up, this was to be an enjoyable game full of worst moments. Worst moment number one: Jamie having the munchies and eating a pork pie before kick off. Worst moment number two: Sam and Matta’s perseverance with tights. Talk before the game was to get the ball down on the floor quickly due to the biting crosswind and keep a tight three in the centre. And this is what we did from the off. Barnsey and Lewis snapped into tackles, played simple passes and allowed Cumbo to get forward early to support the sharp Luke upfront. Worst moment number three: Dennis opened his banana and, distracted by Pendle’s bobbleless hat, he was left helpless as the wind blew his banana in half and dropped into the mud. The back four looked solid and Canberra looked off the pace early as we started at a fast tempo and put them under pressure early on. Worst moment number four: Sam, who takes 5 minutes to forget he is not playing 7 a side, went sliding across the turf for a good 10 seconds without getting the ball. I blame the tights. We continued to press Canberra all over the pitch and Jamie and Imi threatened down the wings. It was only last ditch defending from Canberra and slightly misplaced passes from us that meant the score stayed 0-0. Worst moment number five: a lovely ball from Luke fed Imi who checked inside and with the keeper nowhere to be seen and the goal gaping, he calmly rolled the ball back to their defender to shouts of Polish swear words from Greg. However, with Canberra getting frustrated and Luke in a cheeky mood, his nutmeg invited the foul and we won a free kick. Luke stepped up and hit a vicious swirling free kick towards the head of Lewis. Their keeper got to it and punched it into his own net. 1-0. Worst moment number six: Lewis ran off celebrating ‘his’ goal. The crowd thought Broughton would go on and kill the game but Canberra started to hit the ball over the top and threaten. However, good ‘keeping from Greg and last ditch defending from Sam, Charlie Monks and Matt kept them out. Worst moment number seven: a big kick up field from them found Monks in acres of space. He either attempted to control the ball with his shin or pass the ball back to Greg with his shin. He doesn’t know which but it wasn’t pretty. After weathering a brief spell of Canberra pressure, Imi made amends. A lovely ball down the line found Imi in the box and he calmly slotted the ball home, taking a much harder chance than the one he had already missed. 2-0. Worst moment number eight: a good pass out of midfield released Mo Saluke and as Pendle remarked, “He’s going to chip him.”, Luke calmly passed the ball back to their goalkeeper, looking at the ground afterwards. At half time, the talk was to keep playing football and avoid getting dragged into their niggly fouls and confrontations and let them be their own worst enemy. As it was freezing, we introduced Andy del Horno and Kev Nev for Charlie and Barnesey. Worst moment number nine: Jamie going full Sunday league football and having a fag during the half time team talk. After the break, we soon settled back into our higher tempo and snappy passing game and began to look dangerous whenever we got forward. Cumbo continued his good recent form and got forward quickly, Lewis kept it nice and simple in midfield and Sam and Monksy dealt with any threat they had going forward. Soon we killed the game. Their number 4 continued to dive in and once again Luke skipped past him before coolly side footing the ball past the goalkeeper. Worst moment number 10: a floated free kick found Kev all alone at the back post. Unfortunately, the BAE sniper got to him and before he could head the ball in the open net, he crumpled onto the floor. Then it was four. Another through ball to Luke saw him skilfully round the goalkeeper and place the ball into the back of the net. 4-0. And then it all kicked off. But this time, unbelievably, our Mad Monk, who had been well behaved all game, was nowhere near it. Their centre forward had enough of their mouthy, wirey keeper and threatened to knock him out. The young keeper had to be restrained by their players, spat his dummy out, took off his gloves and walked off to the delight of the spectators on the sideline, making our statement at our half time look very prophetic. After that, we easily saw the game through to the end. After the game it led Doug to reflect on our earlier meeting in August where we got thumped. It was impossible to foresee a result like this then but with the good group of players we have now, things look rosey and it is enjoyable once again to be playing some good stuff. And, finally, it was left to the boys in the pub to decide worst moment. Which of the 10 would they choose?! None. With suspicions of a Monk fix, it was given to yours truly for turning up late to watch the game, despite informing management in advance and being there for kick off. Shambles. RA
Sat. 14th Apr. 2018	V	Appleby Bridge (a) 0 - 1 (ht.-)

Sat. 28th Apr. 2018	V	AFC Sherwood (h) 2 - 4 (ht.0-1) scorers : J. Yates 2 A loss, but one from which we can draw great credit, and as a measure of progress made over the season this was surely a defining moment. The 10-1 loss in the first game now seems but a distant and horrible memory We started with a clear game plan and everybody bought into the ethic required such that for 40 minutes the Broughton goal was relatively untroubled. Those chances that were conceded were capably dealt with by Ross Webster, normally a midfielder of this parish, making his first appearance as keeper for a couple of years. Best worked hard up front for us and our breaks from midfield were threatening, but generally not quite decisive enough to force any real problems for the Sherwood defence. Best came closest with a bending shot that just went wide and he and Cummins forced last ditch blocks to keep the game scoreless. With 5 to go to halftime the deadlock was broken when a free kick from the edge of the box found an unmarked attacker and we disappointingly went in one down There was clearly no need to change shape, but Sherwood started the 2nd half on the front foot and some committed defending was required. Edmonds Nightingale Todd - Like Walsh and Kev Cummins put it all on the line to keep things tight and Webster pulled out a class save from a goal bound free kick. We weathered the storm and Alston, Barnes and Sean Cummins especially started to gather and keep possession long enough to fashion real chances. Our reward came after the hour mark when Vohra drove a shot goal ward and a deflection dropped to Yates who put us level. At this point it seemed in the balance, but a couple of subs gave Sherwood fresh momentum and 2 goals followed, one a classic shot from well outside the box. It could have gone badly at this point but we dug in, showed character, and from a through ball by Tannock, Yates beat the offside track to draw a foul from the keeper. Despite a somewhat hysterical reaction from our opponents support, Yates kept his cool and brought us back into the game with 20 minutes to go. Sherwood however had by far the better of the final period and torn between the need to defend and find a way to get a goal things started to unravel slightly. Tiredness played a part, but still only one goal was conceded and we left the field weary but with justifiable pride in our efforts. db
Sat. 5th May 2018	V	Richmond (a) 0 - 5 (ht.0-3) scorers : -

Thu. 17th May 2018	V	Appleby Bridge (h) 1 - 1 (ht.0-0) scorers : S. Cummins
		The early evening summer sunshine provided the perfect backdrop to the final game of the season against already promoted Appley Bridge. It also reflected our outlook towards next season as despite a couple of late drop outs and a mysterious no-show, we had a healthy squad to choose from. We started in our accustomed 4-3-3 formation. Greg (who decided to notify us of his illness as we started the warm up) was in nets. At the back, we had Charlie, Sam, Gav and the newly shaven-headed Newby (who, admirably, persevered with tights right up until the warm up). In midfield, we had Alston, Rob Lever and Cumdog, and up front was Ross, Luke Taylor and Jamie. From the off, it was clear Appley Bridge didn’t fancy it. The middle three of Alston, Lever and a snarling Cumdog (more about him later) got into the faces of the Appley midfield, and any in-roads the opposition made were swiftly snuffed out by the back four and the under-the-weather Greg. Soon Appley Bridge began to get frustrated. Moans of: “The pitch is too bobbly” and “The sun is too bright” and “We’re getting dragged down to their level” soon gave way to them arguing among themselves as we continued to frustrate them. However, with the ball, we were impatient and quickly gave it back to them as we often panicked in possession. This has been a familiar story this season: too often we fail to have confidence in ourselves and give other teams too much respect. To try to keep more of the ball, Doug, much to Cumdog’s annoyance, switched the personnel round. Rob, who was forced to play in the unfamiliar midfield role thanks to Tannock’s no-show (theories for this are: he went north on the M6, he thought the game was on Saturday, he decided to go to Baluga instead for cheap 2-for-1 cocktails) was switched to right back. Ross came into centre midfield and Charlie was moved further up the pitch. This seemed to work as we started to get closer to the isolated figure of Luke, Rob looked more comfortable at full back and we started to link defence and attack through midfield. Soon we were threatening Appley Bridge. Luke had a couple of speculative efforts and with Alston and Ross getting on the ball frequently, Cumbo was allowed to bomb forward and support the forwards. At half time, this need for belief was discussed further. Suddenly, we started to have confidence in ourselves and talk was not of stopping them but going on to win the game - and so that is what we tried to do. Cumbo took a leaf out of Pendle’s playbook and started to get under Appley’s skin; Jayden came on for Charlie to give us more of an attacking edge, and we started on the front foot. We quickly began to create. Jayden looked sharp and linked up well with Luke and Jamie and the team benefited from the sitting midfielders allowing Cumbo to be more offensive and direct his hostility towards the Appley back four. It wasn’t long before we took the lead. Jamie was released down the left channel and he put on the after burners to speed past their full back. He got to the by-line and drew the keeper before squaring it, much to Appley’s annoyance, to the antagonistic Cumbo who side-footed it into an empty net, celebrating wildly as he did so. We then continued to press. Luke, Cumbo and Jayden all drew some tasty fouls as Appley got frustrated at their silky skills. We looked odds on to get the next goal as the confidence began to flow and we started producing some quick, incisive football. Any half-threat Appley offered was easily dealt with by the back four, and Greg claimed anything that happened to get through. Then we fell victim to a bizarre refereeing decision. An Appley corner was harmlessly floated in, and as we cleared, the ref paused and pointed to the spot. He claimed to see a push from Newby but nobody else did. Their forward put the ball into the net from the resulting penalty. 1-1. However, we didn’t let our heads drop and Cumbo continued his one man mission to get himself smacked. We were able to bring on Billy for the tiring Jamie as we searched for a winner. The game began to get stretched as both teams poured forward. However, the back four and Greg (who have all been excellent all season) stood firm and restricted any chances to long range speculative efforts. In the last moments of our game and season, it was us that could have won it. After another foul on Cumbo saw us awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Taylor delivered an inch-perfect free kick towards the head of Billy. He rose, salmon-like, and just looped his header over the bar. So, a long, hard season drew to a close as the May sunshine dipped below the trees. It was telling that as we left the pitch, instead of being pleased at holding a team that had only dropped three points all season, we were disappointed with the result. However, the spirit was soon restored in the changing rooms as we looked forward to the next season. As Doug scanned the faces of the changing rooms, an optimistic look crept on to his face (or at least that’s what I thought it was). From the lows of the first two games in August, he could now see the buds of a decent footballing team. We drifted to Owd Nells for a final couple of pints to finish the season. We couldn’t pick a man of the match as everybody played well and there were no worst moments. Actually, there was Lewis Tannock’s no-show, which coming so soon after his Skelmersdale incident is almost unforgiveable - and, of course, we still have people wearing tights. RA

3rd Team Results, Scorers and Match Reports
Broughton Score First.

Sat. 26th Aug 2017	V	Walmer Bridge Res (h) 1 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : N. Balch
		We finally got the season underway at the third attempt after a few players that had done everything they could to avoid pre-season came out of the woodwork. A wide range of excuses were used including getting married - some people will do anything to avoid getting fit! We had lost a couple of players that had been promoted to the reserves after they impressed in our recent friendlies. We started the game brightly and looked threatening with Nalch and Best causing early problems. It was the forward two that worked together to create the opener after a Best pass took the 'keeper out of the match and Balch finished well with two defenders on the line to beat. In typical Broughton fashion we stated to sit further and further back and the gaps in midfield began to get bigger and bigger as Gav and Bowerman were over-ran in the middle of the pitch. However, we looked to be the better side at half-time. The visitors improved after the break and missed two or three very good chances. We had chances of our own with Best hitting the bar the closest we came to doubling our lead. We did see the game out fairly comfortably but improvements will be needed as other teams won't pass up as many chances as we got away with at the start of the second half. Special mention to Luke who was excellent at right-back. MB
Sat. 2nd Sept 2017	V	Tarleton Corinthians (h) 0 - 9 (ht.-) scorers : -
		-
Sat. 23rd Sept 2017	V	Bolton United Res (a) 2 - 2 (Bolton withdrew from league so results removed) scorers : R. Czerczak, L. Walsh
		-
Sat. 30th Sept 2017	V	Ribchester Rovers Reserves (a) 6 - 3 (ht.4-2) scorers : A. Best 4, N. Balch 2
		Another away match for the super Reds and this time we were at the most glamorous of destinations, Ribchester Rovers. It’s the only pitch and changing room set-up that made the old Broughton pitches look like Wembley. We turned up expecting a squad of 13 but one of our centre-backs didn't turn up so we were left with manager Jay as the only sub. We started really well and scored in the first minute after a great ball from Matt Ryan found Besty who scored his first of the season. The hosts equalised after we gave the ball away cheaply and failed to clear the ball on a couple of occasions before their forward shot well past Sprake. We restored our advantage quickly after Bowerman forced their full-back into a mistake, giving the ball to Balch who hit a sublime pass, taking the whole defence out of the game, to Best who controlled the ball well and scored his second. We increased our lead when Best turned provider and found Balch at the back post who scored into the empty net. Best completed his hat-trick heading in a superb cross from Catlow. Ribchester pulled one back before the break with a free-kick from just outside the area. Another goal after the break reduced our lead to one goal but after that we stepped up a gear and took control of the match again. Balch scored his second with a well taken goal from just inside the area and Best got his fourth after beating the offside trap and drilling it past the ‘keeper. Other match highlights include Boff kicking a kid, Rafa hugging a hoodie and Bowerman hitting the bar. This was a good result against a team that are better than their league table position suggests, particularly as they had 3 or 4 subs that they rotated and we didn’t use any on a heavy pitch. MB
Sat. 14th Oct. 2017	V	Newman College Reserves (a) 4 - 1 (ht.1-0) scorers : A. Best 2, L. Walsh, M. Ryan
		Our third away match in a row took us to Newman College reserves and we arrived with a strong squad and hopefully we could get another 3 points. We started the stronger side without creating too many chances. The game swung in our favour when Best was dragged down when through on goal and the referee didn’t hesitate in showing the Newman defender a red card. We took advantage shortly after when Matt Ryan (who had somehow convinced manager Jay that him starting up-front was a good idea) controlled a long ball from ‘keeper Sprake before turning and shooting between the legs of the Newman goalkeeper. We missed a few chances to double our lead with Best missing the best chance at the back post and Ryan had another ruled out for offside. The Newman stopper did make 3 or 4 good saves to keep the game close. Newman were much improved after the break and we struggled to make the extra man count. Once we made a couple of subs, the fresh legs started to make a difference as Newman started to tire after working hard to stay in the match. Walsh scored from close range to double the lead and that ended the match as a contest. Best scored from close range after intercepting a back pass. Then Best scored another after a defensive mistake. The gloss was taken from the score line as Newman scored in the last couple of minutes with a well taken strike. Another good 3 points for the mighty reds ! MB
Sat. 21st Oct. 2017	V	International Allstars (a) 1 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : A. Best
		-
Sat. 28th Oct. 2017	V	Sir Tom Finney (h) 3 - 4 (ht.2-3) scorers : A. Best, N. Balch, R. Czercerak
		Home match against top of the league, a team that have scored plenty of goals this season. We got off to the worst possible start by conceding 3 goals in the first 10 minutes. The visitors started well and scored a couple of decent goals and a penalty. We grew into the match after that and pulled one back after Best lobbed the ‘keeper from distance. We halved their advantage when Balch scored from a tight angle inside the box. In the second half both teams had chances to score again without success. STF did double their lead again in the last few minutes before Czercerak pulled another back in injury time. We played really well for 80 minutes against a good team but our terrible start made it difficult. MB
Sat. 11th Nov. 2017	V	Walmer Bridge Reserves (a) 8 - 2 (ht.2-2) scorers : A. Whittaker 3, A. Best 2, M. Ryan, M. Hubbersty, G. Gregory
		To everyone’s surprise the match was on at Walmer Bridge, a venue we have traditionally struggled to get a full team to, as a pre-season hammering here demonstrated. We did turn up with 12 players, and a fairly well balanced 12 at that despite not having our “good forward” Balch. We started as the better team but found ourselves a goal down after a good through ball cut open our defence and their forward finished the one-on-one. We were soon level after Vohra worked well in the box to find a cut-back to Whittaker who finished from close range. We went ahead when Gregory leapt like a salmon to head home a Best cross. Gregory should have scored another shortly after from another corner but he shot well from 6 yards. The hosts equalised with a close range header from a cross. At half time we knew that only a slight improvement was needed to come out on top in this match. With our two forwards and two wide players we had plenty of goals in us even though we “only have one good player”. We went ahead again when Whittaker volleyed in a Ryan cross to score the goal of the game. We doubled our lead as provider turned scorer as Ryan headed in a Best cross. Walmer Bridge were awarded the softest penalty since Northern Ireland v Switzerland but their forward, on his hat-trick, hit it high and wide. We instantly punished them with Best scoring from a Czercerak through ball. Hubberstey scored our sixth from outside the box with a well hit shot. Czercerak dispossessed their full-back on the half way line, dribbled the ball into the area and passed across goal from Best to score his second and our seventh. Whittaker completed his hat-trick in the closing stages, finishing in the bottom corner and injuring himself in the process. Special mention for stand-in left-back Walsh who was our man of the match in a game in which everyone played well and to Sprake, Boff, Bowerman and Adamson who weren’t involved in the goals but still played their part. This is the standard required for the rest of the season. MB
Sat. 18th Nov. 2017	V	Ribchester Rovers Reserves (h) 1 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : R. Czerczak
Sat. 13th Jan. 2018 Cup Rd 1	V	Tarleton Corinthinans (a) 0 - 5 (ht.0-1) scorers :
		LANCASTRIAN BRIGADE CUP Round 1 We started the New Year with a cup game away against the side currently second in our division, Tarleton; a team that hammered us at home earlier in the season. We did have a decent enough side out despite losing a couple of players to other Broughton sides. We set up to try and frustrate a team that we expected to have most of the procession and we did that for large spells of the first half. We limited the hosts to very few chances with the best actually falling to us after Best put their ‘keeper under pressure forcing him into a poor clearance which fell to Ryan but his shot from the edge of the area was dragged well wide. Tarleton were gifted their opener when the referee pointed to the spot following a fair tackle which bemused everyone on the pitch. The spot kick was scored with a shot right down the middle. At half-time we were still in the match and fancied our chances as we’d now have the wind behind us. However, the game was over after a contest within five minutes of the restart. A soft shot somehow squeezed in and another went in quickly after as we were still trying to work out how the second went in. A fourth was scored not too long after and they got their fifth with the last kick of the game. We played okay up until the referee gave them that soft penalty and we needed things to go for us if we were going to progress. The referee also managed to red card Ryan after the match for smiling. At least we can now focus on our usual mid-table finish in the league. mb
Sat. 20th Jan. 2018	V	Astley (a) 4 - 2 (ht.2-1) scorers : A. Best 3, M. Smith
		Back into league action after last weeks cup defeat and the match was switched to an all-weather pitch because of the recent heavy rain. We started the match on the front foot and dominated for large spells but were a little sloppy and didn't get the goals we should have early on. We did eventually get the opener after Smith headed in a rebound after the 'keeper made a save from Best. At this point we should have pulled away. We had a good goal disallowed for offside and Pomfret missed a good chance from a header at the back post. The hosts punished us by scoring on the break with their forward heading in after Sprake had saved the initial shot. We continued to dominate and came close few times with Best hitting the crossbar from a free-kick and then firing wide from another free-kick, this time a bit closer to the edge of the area. We did re-take the lead with Best scoring from close range following a Smith pass in the box. We were good value for our lead at half-time but we felt we should have been more than 1 goal ahead. Astley equalised early in the second half with a screamer from outside the area. We made a couple of subs and this helped us take control of the match again. Best scored his second with a cool lob from the edge of the area. Best completed his hat-tick and killed off the match shortly after with another good finish. A decent performance all round but it could be better. MB
Sat. 3rd Feb. 2018	V	Newman College Reserves (h) 2 - 6 (ht.2-3) scorers : A. Best 2
		We were back on an all-weather pitch for the second game in a row thanks to the recent ice-blast. We were missing a couple of key performers from the last match which left us with a team that picked itself. We started brightly and took the lead through Best who hammered in from inside the area. Newman equalised after their forward dribbled past two defenders and his mis-hit shot somehow beat Sprake who was braced for shot we were all expecting. Newman took the lead quickly after with us giving the ball away easily at the back that as our early good start came to an end. We did get back on level terms with Best scoring again with another well hit shot. Newman took the lead again just before half-time after we lost the ball cheaply in midfield. An exchange of opinions at half-time had us fired up for the second half and our best chance of the half came in the first few minutes: left-winger Bowerman skipped past a couple of challenges before passing to Gregory in the box, who dummied the ball leaving it for Best who had the chance for his hat-trick but the ‘keeper saved. Newman doubled their advantage shortly after that after another mistake at the back. After that is was pretty much all Newman as their younger squad, and multiple fresh subs (no first team game for them) took control. They added another two goals but it could have been more had it not been for Sprake saving a few one-on-one chances. We can play better than this but we need to cut out the costly mistakes. MB
Sat. 17th Feb. 2018	V	Astley (h) 3 - 2 (ht.2-1) scorers : G. Gregory, N. Dawson, L. Walsh
		We had the perfect opportunity to bounce back from our poor performance against Newman with a home game against the leagues bottom side, although they did win their first match of the season last week with a 4-0 hammering of Ribchester. We managed to find 3 subs which was good considering we only had 10 players available on the morning of the match. We started with a strong XI and dominated the early stages of the match with all the play in the Astley half. The deadlock was broken when Best found centre-back Gregory in a crowded box following a corner and the defender took a touch which took him round the ‘keeper allowing him to score into the empty net. We continued to dominate and winger Walsh scored with a great finish after he’d beat the offside trap to go one-on-one with their ‘keeper. We should have finished the game at that point but in typical Broughton fashion we started to get sloppy and allowed Astley to get back into the match. They pulled one back with their first real chance when their forward scored from a tight angle when it looked like he was going to put the ball across the face of the goal. We started the second half better than we finished the first half and restored our two goal advantage after some good play from Walsh found Dawson in the box who duly finished from a few yards out. Astley pulled another goal back when we gave away the ball cheaply on the halfway line and their forward finished well two passes later. We had plenty of chances to kill the game off and Astley didn’t really look like scoring an equaliser but we really should have been more comfortable at the end then we were. The win moves us up to 5th (4th with the 3 points we had deducted). MB
Sat. 10th Mar. 2018	V	International Allstars (h) 6 - 4 (ht.3-3) scorers : A. Best 3, N. Dawson 3
		With the Beast from the East a distant memory, we resumed action in the league in our quest for a top 4 finish (that's what it's all about in England, isn't it?). We were at home against International Allstars who started the day level on points with us, although they had played a few more than us. We were missing a few players which meant another game for 1st team manager Nik Dawson. We got off to the worst possible start and found ourselves a goal behind within a minute of the game starting. It was almost although a warm-up of hammering multiple balls at Sprake doesn’t get us quite ready for the start of the match. We quickly took control of the match and equalised when Dawson volleyed in from the edge of the area. We were soon ahead when Dawson struck another good goal from 15 yards out. We had further chances to pull ahead from Bowerman who glanced one header wide and then missed another header from a yard out. The Allstars ‘keeper gave Best some verbal abuse and our star forward responded in the best way possible by scoring from 30 yards out a few minutes later. It should have been plain sailing at that point but our regular reader will know fine well that is not the Broughton way. We allowed the visitors back into the match and two quick goals in the final minutes of the first half meant we went into the break level. We started the second half well and (here’s something I thought I’d never write), left-midfielder Bowerman tormented the Allstars right-back who had come on at the break, winning a number of free-kicks. With the third free-kick in as many minutes Best crossed into the box and a defender pushed a Broughton player and the referee has no option but to point to the spot. Best scored with a shot down the middle and we are ahead again. Best completed his hat-trick to restore our two-goal advantage but we allowed Allstars to get back into the match. We were sitting deeper and deeper as the game wore on but Dawson completed his hat-trick to finish off our opponents. A good win in the end but we need to stop allowing teams back into the match as much as we keep doing. A top 4 finish is in our hands and we would be sitting 3rd if we hadn’t been deducted points at the start of the season. MB.
Sat. 17th Mar. 2018	V	Sir Tom Finney (a) 0 - 6 (ht.0-3) scorers : -
		Playing away to top of the league in a blizzard with half of our usual team missing including the goalkeeper and three quarters of the defence. Poor first half performance, better in the second where we should have scored a couple of goals. Awful match. Move on to next week. The good news is that we've moved up to third in the league due to Bolton United dropping out the league and our rivals losing the points they picked up against them, whilst we only lost the 1 point from our away draw at the start of the season. MB
Sat. 24th Mar. 2018	V	New Longton Rovers Reserves (h) 3 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : A. Best 2, M. Hudson
		-
Wed. 11th Apr. 2018	V	Tarleton Corinthians (a) 3 - 6 (ht.2-1) scorers : B. Gregory, M. Bowerman, I. Vohra
		We’ve reached the part of the season we enjoy the most; mid-week away matches. As always, getting a team to the arse end of Preston, through rush hour traffic is a challenge and is not really the ideal preparation when playing the new league leaders who have a 100% record in the division. We did manage to get a decent XI on the pitch but a few subs would have been useful against a much younger side than what we had. We started the match in a disciplined fashion reducing the amount of chances to shots outside the area. Sprake did make a couple of good saves, including a one-on-one when it looked like the hosts would take the lead. We went ahead when a Gregory cross snuck into the far corner. This rattled the league leaders but we held firm with T. Bowerman making a number of important tackles and clearances. We won a free-kick on the edge of the area. Best had his shot well saved and Vohra looked certain to score from the rebound but a defender reached the ball first, deciding to dribble out rather than clear it. The defender was tackled by M. Bowerman who then doubled the lead with a well-placed shot off the back post. Tarleton pulled one back in the last few minutes of the half. The second half started with Tarleton putting us under a lot of pressure. A flying Catlow header on the line prevented a goal and Sprake made a couple more key saves. We restored our two-goal lead when Vohra lobbed the ‘keeper from 35 yards after 10 minutes of the second half. By this point we had a few tired legs and a lack of options on the bench. By comparison, Tarleton were able to call on a few subs which allowed them to both freshen things up and change their tactics. Tarleton responded quickly to our third goal to make it 3-2, which was shortly followed by a soft penalty decision (not the first one we’ve had against us at Carr Lane this season) which was scored. We had a couple of half chances at this point but it was mainly one-way traffic and a further three goals were scored which made the game look much less competitive than it was. The better team won but they had to work very hard for it. On to Saturday for our final game of the season. A point should be enough to secure us a third place finish. MB
Sat. 14th Apr. 2018	V	New Longton Rovers Reserves (a) 0 - 2 (ht.0-0) scorers : -
		Final game of the season against a side we beat a few weeks ago. The New Longton pitch was unplayable so the game was moved to Myerscough. We started the match poorly and the visitors had all the chances. They really should have been a couple of goals up before we got into the match. They put their best chance over from a couple of yards out, Sprake made a couple of good saves and T. Bowerman saved us with some good defending when they broke with 3 on 1. Our best chance fell to Best who went round the ‘keeper but missed the empty net from the edge of the area. We got to the break level and it flattered us. We changed from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 to try and get some support to Best but it didn’t help as we went behind just after the restart. We did get back into the match and it was much more even with both sides creating chances. Best, who has just about been our only goal threat all season, was having one of those matches where it just wasn’t happening for him. On another day, he’d have had a hat-trick. New Longton doubled their lead and killed the game. It was probably our worst performance of the season and wasn’t a great way to end what has been a fairly decent season. Looking ahead to next season, we probably just need a few sets of younger legs as most of this team is over 30, with some well over 40. We also need to try and have some options on the bench every week and learn how to best use the rolling subs rule. MB

POS	1sts - Premier Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Southport & Ainsdale Ams	20	17	1	2	76	18	58	52
2	Bolton United	20	15	2	3	68	30	38	47
3	Preston Wanderers	20	14	2	4	68	46	22	44
4	Newman College	20	8	4	8	38	47	-9	28
5	Standish St. Wilfreds	20	7	5	8	52	49	3	26
6	Hoole United	20	8	2	10	32	48	-16	26
7	Broughton Amateurs	20	7	2	11	36	55	-19	23
8	Eccleston & Heskin	20	6	3	11	53	55	-2	21
9	Ribchester Rovers	20	5	4	11	42	52	-10	19
10	Chipping	20	4	5	11	29	49	-20	17
11	Hurlston Hall	20	2	4	11	27	72	-45	4*
* = Points Adjustment

Sat. 19th Aug 2017	V	Farrington Villa (a) 5 - 1 (ht.3-1) scorers : J. Yates, S. Horn, M. Tegema, L. Taylor, U. Bux
Tue. 22nd Aug 2017	V	Newman College (a) 4 - 0 (ht.3-0) scorers : U. Bux 2, M. Tegema, A. Butterworth
Sat. 26th Aug 2017	V	Hurlston Hall (a) 3 - 5 (ht.-) scorers : U. Bux, A. Crossthwaite, L. Taylor
Sat. 2nd Sept 2017	V	Southport & Ainsdale Ams (h) 1 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : L. Taylor
Sat. 16th Sept 2017 LFA Cup Rd 1	V	FC Littleborough (a) 4 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : A Crosswaite 3, S Cummins
		LANCASHIRE FA - AMATEUR CUP Round 1
Sat. 23rd Sept 2017	V	Hoole United (a) 2 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : L. Taylor 2
Sat. 14th Oct 2017 LFA Cup Rd 2	V	Whinney Hill (h) 4 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : L. Taylor, T. Barnes, M. Tegema, C. Murch
		LANCASHIRE FA - AMATEUR CUP Round 2
Sat. 21st Oct. 2017	V	Hurlston Hall (h) 5 - 0 (ht.2-0) scorers : K. Alenezy 2, U. Bux, M. Tegema, T. Barnes
		The few hardy souls who braved the abysmal weather were rewarded with a spirited display of determination and no little ability as the Broughton boys reversed the early season defeat suffered at the hands of Hurlston. It was with some surprise the pitch was declared fit for play and despite the worsening conditions it held up to the end. We started against the wind (a good decision) and played with confidence and a calmness especially along the back four where Gilly, Parker, Cummins and Owens passed the ball along the back line and kept the Hurlston forwards doing pointless “doggies” as they tried to cut out our calm controlled play. Where pressure grew to great, Lopko in goals also displayed a calmness on the ball that would have gratified Pep Guardiola, but on occasions gave Broughton's gaffer, Nik Dawson, mild heart attacks as the ball was passed around and close to the Hurlston forwards. Our first attack after 5 mins saw Bux comprehensively outfox his defender and 5 mins later repeated the trick to force a last ditch clearance. Horn took the resulting corner and Alcezny rose unopposed to head in. With the strengthening wind at their back Hurlston pushed forward and Lopko need some immaculate handling to field swirling crosses and freekicks. Hurlston should have equalised when a cross evaded all defensive efforts and a bit more effort from the winger would have inevitably gained a tap in. They did think they had equalised soon after when 2 efforts in quick succession came close to crossing the line. The liner (me actually) didn’t think the ball had crossed the line – and neither did the ref - but it was really close and who knows what goal line technology would have said? Either way it was soon forgotten as the next Broughton attack saw a through ball inexpertly fielded by the Hurlston keeper – and Alcezny skipped joyfully in to tap home the loose ball. This seemed to kill off some of the opposition spirit and the half was seen out without further threat By now the wind was properly howling and the rain torrential and this also seemed to dampen the spirits. In truth the standard of both teams suffered. Tegema continued to buzz around with great effect. Captain Stu Horn seemed to spend a good part of the half prostrate on the ground having been the recipient of a double figure number of fouls – and on the odd occasion he was vertical – managed to get a few in of his own. In one of their very few attacks Hurlston managed to force a penalty - but Lopko saved well to his left and meanwhile at the other end the pressure grew bit by bit (along with the wind) Tegema killed the game by launching a vicious shot that skipped off the ground to evade a despairing dive. 5 minutes later Horn again waved his magic left foot and the free kick landed perfectly for Barnes to volley home and Umar Bux finished things with a trademark left foot top corner effort. The wind grew to 50mph and all concerned rushed for shelter. db
Sat. 28th Oct 2017 LFA Cup Rd 3	V	Winstanley St. Aidans (a) 2 - 6 (ht.0-3) scorers : A. Owens, J. King
		LANCASHIRE FA - AMATEUR CUP Round 3 There are days when the pre match arrangements go like clockwork, and there are days when they don’t. This game categorically fell into the latter. First the keeper never turned up. True he was making his debut, but a phone call would have been a minor but important courtesy. Given he had confirmed the night before there is little excuse. One player got lost and didn’t arrive till after kick off, all of which meant that a stressed and justifiably disappointed manager had to take the gloves and re-organise the team all in one go. The opposition were more than capable of taking advantage - and did so with a high energy forcing game that pinned us back from the first minute. We rode our luck for a while and keeper Dawson got various hands and feet in the way of goal bound efforts - but it couldn’t last - and after 10 minutes the floodgate opened. A fast attack full of pace and movement left our midfield and defence chasing shadows, this was swiftly followed by a speculative long range effort that caught the wind and sailed into the top corner and then another scything move to make it 3. It looked grim and potentially very likely to be a cricket score, but the deputy gaffers re-organised and slowly and unbelievably the tide turned. It turned to such an extent that we were clearly the better side for the last twenty odd minutes of the half. Some slick build up play created a number of gilt edge chances but we failed to take them and would rue these misses later. Talk of the break was of maintaining the pressure and control. It took 3 minutes for this to crumble as, in a replica of the start to the first half, we watched our opponents process down the field and a smart finish effectively killed the game. Control of the game did see saw from one side to the other for a while and we did score a couple of goals to give some hope. Owens challenged an inswinging corner to score our first and debutant Jaydn King from the reserves reacted sharply and coolly to finish a chance created by Taylor - but we never exerted any constant pressure and Winstanly once again finished well on top. db
Sat. 4th Nov. 2017	V	Chipping (h) 2 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : L. Taylor, A. Horn
		-
Sat. 11th Nov. 2017 GH Cup Rd 1	V	Anchorsholme (h) 0 - 7 (ht.-) scorers : -
		GUILDHALL CUP ROUND 1
Sat. 18th Nov. 2017	V	Chipping (a) 2 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : R. Micklethwaite, A. Owens
Sat. 9th Dec. 2017	V	Preston Wanderers (h) 1 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : A. Richards
Sat. 6th Jan. 2018	V	Bolton United (h) 3 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : L. Parker, K. Cummins, L. Taylor
Sat. 13th Jan. 2018	V	Preston Wanderers (a) 1 - 6 (ht.-) scorers : A. Crossthwaite
Sat. 20th Jan. 2018	V	Standish St. Wilfrids (h) 2 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : R. Micklethwaite 2
Sat. 3rd Feb. 2018	V	Bolton United (a) 2 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : S. Horn, M. Rossall
		-
Sat. 24th Feb. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin (a) 0 - 5 (ht.-) scorers : -
		-
Sat. 17th Mar. 2018	V	Ribchester Rovers (h) 3 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : N. Dawson 2, A. Richards
		-
Sat. 24th Mar. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin (h) 1 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : A. Whittaker
		-
Sat. 7th Apr. 2018	V	Southport & Ainsdale Ams (a) 1 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : S. Horn

Sat. 14th Apr. 2018	V	Hoole United (h) 1 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : J. Yates
		-
Sat. 21st Apr. 2018	V	Ribchester Rovers (a) 0 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : -
		-
Sat. 5th May 2018	V	Standish St. Wilfrids (a) 1 - 5 (ht.-) scorers : T. Barnes
		-
Sat. 12th May 2018	V	Newman (h) 1 - 3 (ht.-) scorers : L. Parker
		-

POS	2nds - Division Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	AFC Sherwood	18	16	1	1	99	29	70	49
2	Appleby Bridge	18	15	2	1	60	16	44	47
3	Southport & Ainsdale Res	18	9	3	6	40	43	-3	27*
4	Hoole United Res	18	6	4	8	37	41	-4	22
5	Eccleston & Heskin Res	18	6	4	8	43	51	-8	22
6	Canberra Corinthians	18	4	7	7	40	46	-6	19
7	Broughton Ams Res	18	6	4	8	31	57	-26	19*
8	FC Bolton	18	5	2	11	47	58	-11	17
9	Richmond FC	18	4	2	12	35	66	-31	14
10	Standish St. Wilfreds Res	18	3	3	12	26	51	-25	9*
* = Points Adjustment

POS	3rds - Division Three	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Tarleton Corinthians	16	14	0	2	85	23	62	42
2	Sir Tom Finney	16	13	1	2	88	36	52	40
3	Walmer Bridge Res	16	7	1	8	41	43	-2	22
4	Broughton Amateurs 'A'	16	8	0	8	45	52	-7	21*
5	Newman College Res	16	6	2	8	46	57	-11	20
6	New Longton Rovers Res	16	5	5	6	32	44	-12	20
7	International Allstars	16	4	3	9	49	57	-8	15
8	Ribchester Rovers Res	16	3	3	10	28	60	-32	12
9	Astley	16	3	3	10	41	83	-42	12
* = Points Adjustment

Youth Team Results, Scorers and Match Reports - if submitted. Broughton Score First.
Sun. 3rd Sep 2017 Cup Rd 1	V	AFC Fylde (h) 0 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : -
		SYNDICATE TRUST YOUTH CUP - Round 1
Sun. 17th Sept. 2017	V	Fleetwood Town Rangers (a) 4 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : E.Hudson, J. O'Flaherty, H. Moosa, M. Wignall
		First league game of season for the Under 18's and we are off to a good start. The goals were shared out and we ended up with a very convincing win. Let's hope we can continue in this positive way.
Sun. 24th Sept. 2017 LFA Rd 2	V	Fleetwood Town Rangers (h) 2 - 6 (ht.-) scorers : N. Hicks, M. Wignall
		LFA SUNDAY YOUTH TROPHY - Round 2
Sun. 1st Oct 2017	V	BAE Warton (a) 1 - 8 (ht.-) scorers : W. Hayworth
Sun. 8th Oct. 2017	V	Foxhall (h) 1 - 3 (ht.-) scorers : M. Rezaei
Sun. 29th Oct 2017	V	Wyre Villa (a) 4 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : W.Hayworth (2), N.Hicks, M.Wignall
Sun. 19th Nov. 2017	V	Appleby Bridge (h) 3 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : W.Hayworth 2, M.Rezaei
Sun. 3rd Dec. 2017	V	Poulton (a) 3 - 2 (ht.-) scorers : J. Hamill, P. Milroy, J. Robinson
Sun. 14th Jan. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin (a) 2 - 3 (ht.-) scorers : M. Wignal, H. Moosa
Sun.18th Feb. 2018	V	Eccleston & Heskin (h) 2 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : J.Esigenti, B.Trafford
Thu.5th Apr. 2018	V	Garstang (h) 3 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : M. Bryden 2, M. Wignall
Thu. 12th Apr. 2018	V	Wyre Villa (h) 2 - 4 (ht.-) scorers : M. Bryden 2
Sun. 15th Apr. 2018 LFA Semi	V	Bolton County (h) 2 - 6 (ht.-) scorers : M. Bryden, M. Wignall
		LFA SYNDICATE TRUST YOUTH TROPHY - Semi Final
Thu. 19th Apr. 2018	V	Foxhall (a) KO: 6.30pm (ht.-) scorers : -
Sun. 22nd Apr. 2018	V	Poulton (h) 5 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : A.Munnelly 3, M.Wignall, M.Rezaei
Tue. 24th Apr. 2018	V	BAE Warton (h) 0 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : -
Sun. 29th Apr. 2018	V	Winstanley Warriors Reds (h) 2 - 7 (ht.-) scorers : N. Hicks 2
Thu. 3rd May 2018	V	Garstang (a) 3 - 0 (ht.-) scorers : J. O'Flaherty, M. Rezaei, M. Brydon
Sun. 6th May 2018	V	Fleetwood Town Rangers (h) 0 - 1 (ht.-) scorers : -
FIXTURES TO BE ARRANGED :
Sun. TBD 2018 Cup QF	V	Eccleston & Heskin (a) KO: 11.00am (ht.-) scorers : -
		SYNDICATE TRUST YOUTH TROPHY - Quarter Final
TBA. 2018	V	Winstanley Warriors Reds (a) KO: 11.00am (ht.-) scorers : -

POS	U18's - Youth Division White	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Winstanley Warriors Reds	16	15	0	1	53	13	40	45
2	BAE Warton YFC	16	13	1	2	57	14	43	40
3	Wyre Villa	16	8	4	4	45	38	7	28
4	Foxhall	16	7	3	6	32	25	7	24
5	Garstang	16	5	1	10	42	47	-5	16
6	Broughton Amateurs	16	5	1	10	32	41	-9	16
7	Fleetwood Town Rangers	16	3	5	8	24	37	-13	14
8	Eccleston & Heskin	16	3	3	10	34	67	-33	12
9	Poulton	16	2	2	12	23	60	-37	9

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY DATE TBA		Broughton v ?? (-) - scorers: -
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY DATE TBA		Broughton v ?? (-) - scorers: - Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report. Match Report.
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY DATE TBA		Broughton v ?? (-) - scorers: -