25th February 2006

 

Burnley United  (0)  2    Euxton Villa   (0)  1

                                     Lilley

 

Villa lost this game after contending with a strong wind in the first half, limiting the home side to long range efforts, but unfortunately losing out to a couple of break away goals while pushing hard for a winning goal themselves.

 

Burnley started the faster of the two sides, and with the wind at their backs they went looking for an early goal, coming close on eight minutes with a first time shot which flew just wide. Villa's first serious attempt on goal came after ten minutes when good approach play set up Mick Bradshaw, who saw his shot tipped over by the Burnley keeper. Two minutes later a great tackle by Craig Chambers on the right allowed him to play the ball down the right to Ryan Lilley, who beat his fullback before testing the keeper with a great shot.

 

The windy conditions prevented either side from establishing a pattern of play and the football became scrappy, Burnley did have a chance on thirty minutes when they were awarded a free kick, but the effort curled wide. The visitors best chance came ten minutes later when a cross found Ryan Lilley whose low shot was just wide of the target. Villa were content to get to the break with a clean sheet, which they managed quite comfortably, hoping for better things in the second half when they would have the advantage of the wind.

 

The second half saw Villa starting to put the home defence under pressure, with only a minute played Ryan Lilley and Sam Shone combined well , before the latter forced the keeper into saving his low shot. >From the resulting corner Rhys Crombie was unlucky to see his header go over the bar. Given the conditions it looked like one goal would be enough to win the game, Villa continued to press and came close again on 65 minutes when Sam Shone put a low shot just wide. This was immediately followed by good work on the left from Guy Clarkson who set up Ryan Lilley, but again the shot was saved. A minute later Burnley took the lead when from a throw in, a header looped into the top corner.

 

Villa increased the pressure and drew level three minutes later when Sam Shone broke down the left, his high cross was met by Ryan Lilley whose perfectly placed glancing header gave the home keeper no chance. The visitors were lifted by the goal and went in search of the winner, only to be knocked back again on seventy five minutes, when against the run of play , a speculative cross shot looped into the top corner. The visitors pressed again, Ross Dickinson came close with a header, and Guy Clarkson drove a free kick over the bar. Burnley saw out time, perhaps on the day a draw would have been a fair result, but Villa never really imposed themselves on the game, and all credit to the home side for taking their chances.

 

Team   -   Baker, C.Chambers, Dickinson, Crombie, Dowling, ( Clarkson ) Lilley, O'Loughlin, Bradshaw, Winstanley, ( Broadbent ) Shone, Martin, ( L.Conway )