BRNESC DOWN TO 12 PLAYERS DUE TO INJURY AND ILLNESS FACED EDGE HILL AT A SUN BAKED FLINDERS STREET,BRNESC STARTED AT A HIGH TEMPO AND IN THE 3 MIN PRESSDURE ON THE CENTRE BACK BY JOE STEPHENS FORCED THE DEFENDER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE BALL RITCHIE WAS QUICKLY ON TO IT AND WAS BROUGHT DOWN FOR A FREE KICK WHICH WAS HIT OVER THE WALL BUT STRAIGHT AT THE KEEPER.
THE KEEPER THEN HIT THE BALL AGAINST WHIT AS HE ATTEMPTED TO DRIBBLE THE BALL OUT OF HIS AREAA THE BALL TRICKLED
INCHES PAST THE POST .EDGE HILL SCORED AFTER 7 MINS WHEN AFTER A SPELL OF PRESSURE THE BALL WAS PLAYED DOWN THE LEFT THE WINGER GOT TO THE BALL AHEAD OF PADDY TURNED INSIDE AND PULLED THE BALL BACK FOR A TAP IN 1 0 EDGE HILL ,BRNESC SHOULD HAVE DEFENDED BETTER THE WINGER IN THE FIRST PLACE SHOULD NOT HAVE GOT TO TTHE BALL IN FRONT OF PADDY AND WE SHOULD HAVE REACTED BETTER WHEN HE ADVANCED INTO THE BOX.
BRNESC WERE PUSHED BACK AND HAD TO WORK HARD TO KEEP EDGE HILL AT BAY AND A MOVE BETWEEN RITCHIE AND FINN CULMINATED IN FINNS SHOT BEING BLOCKED EDGE OF THE BOX.MATTY THEN FUBLED A SHOT BUT REACTED QUICKLY TO GATHER THE BALL AT THE SECOND ATTEMPT.A BALL FROM THE RIGHT BY PADDY WAS FLICKED ON BY RITCHIE TO FINN WHOSE FIRST TIME EFFORT WAS CHARGED DOWN BY A DEFE3NDER EDGE HILL CONTINUED TO HAVE THE BETTER OF PLAY AND A SNAP SHOT THUDDED AGAINST THE POST WITH MATTY STRANDED IN A RARE BRNESC ATTACK WHIT BURST DOWN THE RIGHT DRIBBLED ALONG THE BYE LINE AND SHOULD REALLY HAVE SCORED HIS CROSS CUM SHOT GOING WIDE.
BRNESC WERE NOW UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE AND IT WAS ALL EDGE HILL AND THEY HIT THE WOODWORK AGAIN HITTING THE BAR FROM 25 YDS.TOTALLY AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY BRNESWC SCORED ,FINN WITH ONE OF HIS TRADE MARK,QUICLT TAKEN FREE KICKS WHICH THE KEEPER GOT HIS FINGER TIPS TO BUT COULDNT PREVENT CROSSING THE LINE 42 MINS 1 1
BRNESC THEN SHOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT ,JAMIE ASP UNDER NO PRESSURE PLAYED A WAYWARD BALL,DISTIN STYLE,BACK INTO HIS OWN HALF STRAIGHT TO A EDGE HILL FORWARD ,PHIL THEN UNWISELY STEPPED UP TO PLAY OFFSIDE ,THE LAD WAS ON, HE RUN THROUGH ROUNDED MATTY 2 1 EDGE HILL.
THE HALFTIME WHISTLE FOLLOWED THIS BODY BLOW AFTER DRAGGING THEM SELVES BACK INTO THE GAME A MOMENTS CARELESSNESS HAD UNDONE ALL THAT EFFORT AND SWEAT,
JOE BURKE REPLACED JACK DORAN AT THE START OF THE SECOND HALF,THE GAME WAS THE SAME AS THE FIRST ,EDGE HILL HAVING THE LIONS SHARE OF POSSESSION WITH BRNESCV STRIVING TO KEEP THEM AT BAY AND GET BACK INTO THE GAME.
THE DEFENCE WERE UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE AS THE HALF UNFOLDE WORKING MANFTLLY TO DENY EDGE HILL ANOTHER GAME THE MIDFIELD ,ANONYMOUSIN THE FIRST HALF WERE GETTING A TOE HOLD IN MIDFIELD AND PUSHING EDGE HILL BACKWARDS AT TIMES .ON THE HOUR JOE STEPHENS SHOT FROM 30 YDS ,WIDE ,WHEN A PASS TO RITCHIE WAS THE BETTR OPTION,HE WAS UNMARKED ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX
OUT OF THE BLUE RITCHIE STRUCK A MAGNIFICENT 25YD VOLLEY INTO THE TOP CORNER PAST THE HAPLESS KEEPER ,FROM JOE STEPHENS PASS ,TO MAKE IT 2 2
EDGE HILL STRUCK BACK AND MATTYS FINGERTIP SAVE PUSHED THE BALL ONTO THE BAR AND OVER FOR A CORNER AS THEY POURED FORWARD TO REGAIN THE LEAD.
BRNESC THEN REPLIED WITH A FINE CROSSFIELD BALL FROM JAY,HAVING A MUCH BETTER SECOND HALF,WAS INCHES AWAY FROM THE UNMARKED FINN.EDGE HILL THEN HIT THE BAR AGAIN BRNESC EVENTUALLY SCRAMBLING THE BALL AWAY
EDGE HILL THE N MADE IT 3 2 WHEN BRNESC WERE SLOW TO GATHER A LOOSE BALL IN MIDFIELD AND STOOD OF THE EDGE HILL PLAYER AS HE STRODE TOWARDS THE BRNESC BOX HE REQUIRED NO INVITATION AND UNLEASHED A 25 YD SHOT PASTTHE DIVE OF MATTY TO MAKE IT 3 2 EDGE HILL
BRNESC WERRE STUNNED AND ONCE AGAIN CAME UNDER PRESSURE FROM EDGE HILL,TO THEIR CREDIT THEY WERE HAVING A LITTLE NORE OF THE BALL ASC THE GAME ENTERD ITS LAST TEN MINS
IN THE 87 MIN PHIL SCORED WHEN PADDYS BALL ,FROM THE RIGHT WAS FLICKED INTO THE BOX BY RITCHIE WERE PHIL REACTED QUICKER THAN THE OPPONENTS AND STABBED THE BALL INTO THE CIRNER IF THE NET TO MAKE IT 3 3
TO SAY EDGE HILL WERRE STUNNED WAS A MASSIVE UNDERSTATEMENT THEY WERE DEVESTATED ,ON THE DAY THEY HAD THE LIONS SHARE OF POSSESSION ,HIT THE WOODWORK 4 TIMES BUT COULDNT KILL OF A BRNESWC TEAM WHO REFUSED TO BE BEATEN AND INYTHE LAST MINUTE JOE BURKE WAS SENT CLEAR BY RITCHIES ASTUTE PASS AND WAS FOILED BY A COMBINATTION OF KEEPER AND DEFENDER BUT SHOULD HAVE NETTED AND PLUNGED EDGE HILL INTO MORE DESPAIR.
IN TRUTH NOT A GREAT PERFORMANCE BUT THE NEVER SAY DIE ATTITUDE WITH A LOT OF LUCK GOT A POINT IN THE END,ITS NOT OUR PROBLEMTHET EDGE HILL MISSED CHANCES AND PAYED THE PRICE ITS HAPPENED TO BRNESC ON MANY OCCASSIONS THATS FOOTBALL
M O M NOT MANY CANDIDATES BUT PHIL OLIVER DESERVEDLY GETS IT STRONG AND RESILIENT FOR THE 90 MINS HE WITH HIS CENTRE BACK PARTNER CHRIS WHITSTOOD IMMENSE PRESSURE TO KEEP BRNESC IN THE GAME AND POPPED UP WITH THE LATE EQUALISER,
EDGE HILL MANAGER SAID AFTER THE GAME "YOUR TEAM SHOULD DO THE LOTTERY TONIGHT" I AGREE "BRING ON THE EURO MILLIONS"!!!
