On a day of horrendous weather conditions Brereton Lion made the trip down the M6 to last seasons promotion rivals Red White & Blue in a must win game in their bid for Premier League survival!
Heading over to Walsall with a squad of only 11 the Lion would have to really dig deep in this fixture. The game got underway in blustery sleet ridden conditions; however the Lion were not to be deterred by the elements and really went for it with the returning midfield maestro Salty pulling the strings and linking up well the evergreen Lezniak. Some neat teamwork saw Lezniak race clear and finish with aplomb, however only to be denied by a suspect offside shout. Dan Hackett playing the defensive midfield role was battling well and breaking up the hosts attempts of any attacks. When the rampant Wright raced clear to slot home, the Lion appeared have taken the lead, however yet again the lineman’s flag was yet again up, a very poor decision indeed! Chances came thick and fast for the Lion, Matty Hackett, Tommy and Sammy were clearly in the mood and really should have taken the lead before half time. The host’s offered very little, but when they did break forward Cushen and stand in centre half Cockayne were really switched onto the task in hand!
HALF TIME: RED WHITE & BLUE 0-0 BRERETON LION
The second half carried on as the first, real hunger and desire was on display. When Cowlishaw went on a mazy run down the right his shot looked to be goal bound, only to see the ball agonisingly roll past the post. Tommy Wright was running riot down the left flank, only to see numerous pull backs go unfound. Then on 65 minutes the inevitable happened, a lump upfield wasn’t dealt with by the Lion right back and the Red White and Blue forward controlled smartly before unleashing an unstoppable effort from 25 yards that flew into the top corner. Brereton Lion clearly feeling a case of injustice were not the let their heads drop and continued bombarding the RW&B defence. Lezniak was rolling back the years and was brilliant in midfield. When the Lion rattled the post and then the bar it appeared that it wouldn’t be their day, however when a clearance fell to Cowlishaw on the edge of the box he made no mistake thundering home to grab a much deserved equaliser!
FULL TIME: RED WHITE & BLUE 1-1 BRERETON LION
A real gutsy and hard working display in almost unplayable conditions at times the Lion completely bossed this fixture and in the words of their skipper “10-0 wouldn’t have flattered you today” said it all!!!
Big mentions to Salt and Lezniak in the middle of the park, linking up and showing some real quality on the ball. To the defence that looked solid throughout. Also it was good to see the blossoming partnership between Matty and Tommy, get them both on the same wavelength and no defence in the league would be able to handle the pace and skill! But overall, a big thanks to the lads that showed up when it would have been easier to stay in bed in such horrendous conditions.
