Image credit: Braithwaite Photography
Colne’s game at Marine on Tuesday night had everything except an equaliser. Thunder, lightning, torrential rain of biblical proportions all contributed to a dramatic finale when the Reds almost snatched a goal which their play richly deserved.
The game had begun in typical fashion with Colne sounding a warning to their hosts in the second minute when Anthony Williams made a run into the home penalty area before seeing his shot cleared from the goalmouth. Marine took up the challenge and pushed forward, but found the Red's defence in confident form taking the sting out of their attacks' and keeping the ball with some good possession play.
As the game developed, Colne began to construct some good moves from midfield instigated by Ryan Taylor and Harry Winstanley for the forward runs of Olatunde Bayode and Paul Dugdale. On the half hour, however, the Reds survived a penalty appeal when Niall Cummins went down in the goalmouth under challenge and the referee waved aside Marine’s claims for a spot kick.
As play switched to the other end, Reece Webb-Foster released Bayode for a run up the left wing and his cross was cleared from the area with Williams poised to take advantage. Another raid up the left gave Webb-Foster a sight of goal, but his shot was blocked in the home penalty area.
As the second half began Colne enjoyed a good period of attacking play with more moves on the left wing producing crosses into the home area, but the Marine defence proved a hard nut to crack.
On the hour, Marine came close at the other end when Neil Kengni broke clear and looked a certain scorer, but Colne keeper Craig Ellison produced a brilliant double save to deny him a goal. Five minutes later, Ellison was again in action when Kengni again burst clear on a through ball and was denied by a great point blank save by the Colne keeper.
The Reds lost central defender Tom Dean through injury and after 73 minutes, Marine took the lead with a free kick from the right wing which took a deflection off a Colne head in the goalmouth and finished in the back of the net.
In the closing stages, Colne pushed forward looking for an equaliser and good crosses by Dugdale and Oli Roberts were scrambled clear by the Marine defence, with Taylor curling a good cross cum shot just wide of the far post. But as the heavens opened and the thunder crashed, the Reds increased the pressure with the wind and rain at their backs and an equaliser seemed on the cards. Three minutes into injury time, a free kick 30 yards out was struck beautifully by Webb-Foster with the last kick of the game, but crashed against the crossbar with the keeper beaten.
Colne F.C. Line Up:
Ellison / Turner / Dugdale / Winstanley / Dean* / Taylor / Russell** / Roberts/ Bayode / Webb-Foster / Williams
Subs:
Dodd* / Cannon-Noren / Brown / O'Halleron** / Brown
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