Richardson Cup Round One. - 5th November 2005

  Euxton Villa 1  Burnley United 3

Although the visitors found themselves second best for long periods of this match, it is they who easily and deservedly progress to the next round because they were able to do what Villa were not, namely concentrate at the back for the full ninety minutes and take their chances when they came.

On a damp and blustery afternoon, Burnley found themselves playing into the breeze and defending the heavier end of a pitch only just declared playable. For the first fifteen or twenty minutes, it looked like the Euxton side might roll over them, as they pummelled the visitors with wave after wave of attack. Paul Loughlin had a shot blocked after good work from Ryan Lilley and Andy Farley, and a series of corners produced a number of half chances, with Ian Curwen heading just over from the best of those.

However, the Burnley side weathered the storm and drew confidence from Villa’s failure to capitalise on their territorial advantage. Then, just before the half hour, Villa lost the services of the injury prone Jamie Pennington, and the resultant re-shuffle, which involved withdrawing the influential Andy Farley into the defence, seemed to draw the Villa sting. The penetrating runs, particularly from Farley, David Heald and Stuart Bingham had been hurting the opposition, but suddenly those runs became fewer and less effective.

Play was now much more even, but still half time came without Justin Johnston having been seriously tested. Meanwhile Heald saw a wild shot fly high and wide after a quick Bingham free kick, and Bingham himself had a shot just beat the bar from thirty yards.

The second half began with a strong contender for miss of the season. Good work from Lilley down the right saw him entice the keeper from his line before squaring the ball to Curwen in front of a gaping empty net, but, well, sometimes its just not your day. Five minutes later Johnston was called on for his first serious involvement after a defensive mistake. His fine stop only brought temporary relief however, as less than a minute later woeful covering allowed Dickenson too much time and space, and although Johnston parried the initial shot, the striker coolly headed the rebound over his head.  Against the run of play? Certainly, but worse was to follow.  Less than five minutes later, statuesque defending from a routine corner saw Burnley notch a second via Crockerham, though there was a suspicion of Curewn og about it.

Villa now had to push on, and in so doing risked further punishment at the back. Lilley crashed one off the bar from thirty yards having worked the opening for himself, and Curwen had another good chance from a Loughlin knock down. However, the abject capitulation which led Blackburn scoring the visitor’s third was painful to watch, and although Lilley struck woodwork again late on and indeed Villa did claw one back a couple of minutes from time when the ref gave a sympathetic penalty when Curwen fell over in the box, Sam Bolton’s clinical conversion could do little to alleviate the disappointment at such  a tame exit from the tournament.

Villa Line-up: Johnston, Pennington (Swift 27), Davies, Bolton, L.Chambers (Salisbury 62), Heald, Farley, Loughlin, Bingham (Marquis 80), Curwen, Lilley.