Bootle make it three league wins in a row after a comfortable 2-0 win against Atherton Colleries on a cold Tuesday night at The Berry Street Garage Stadium.
By Brendan Doyle, image by Paul Moran
The Bucks started the game off comfortable in possession and had a chance to take the lead early after just eight minutes with a Conor Harwood header from a Ben Hodkinson cross but the ball went just wide.
Another good chance fell for Bootle as a Sean Williams corner found the head of Hodkinson but the ball only hit the side netting.
After a quiet twenty minutes of play and no great chance for either side, Hodkinson had yet another headed chance towards goal but a highlight reel save from Ellis Litherland prevented The Bucks from taking the lead.
Bootle seemed to come really close to taking the lead just on the stroke of half time as Andy Scarisbrick hit the post from a low hit shot, but the offside flag was raised as Mackenzie O’Neil was in an offside position as he played the ball through to Scarisbrick.
Hodkinson also had another chance to put The Bucks ahead going into half time with a close range shot but his effort flew over the crossbar.
Atherton Colleries had their first major chance only a minute before the referee blew his whistle for the end of the first half as Lewis Mansell seemed through on goal but blazed his shot right over the Dodge Kop.
Just two minutes into the second half, Bootle took the lead after Mackenzie O’Neil made a magnificent run into the box to slot the ball into Conor Harwood in front of an open goal giving The Bucks the lead.
A few short minutes later, the visitors almost equalised as Oli Putnam received the ball unmarked in the Bootle area but hit his shot over the bar, a huge chance blown for an equaliser.
Sean Williams almost doubled Bootle’s lead as his curled shot just inside the Atherton Colleries area hit the crossbar. However, Sean Williams was involved in Bootle’s second goal as a Jay Cooper header met Williams’s corner and went past Ellis Litherland.
Lewis Mansell had a chance to pull one back for Atherton Colleries but his shot flew over the bar once again, the second big chance missed for the Colleries skipper.
Bootle almost went 3-0 up as Kieran Cartwright’s powerful shot was parried away by Ellis Litherland. In the later stages of the game, Colleries once again almost found the net from close range but the shot was heroically blocked by goalscorer Jay Cooper.
The scoreline finished 2-0 to Bootle, making an impressive start to the league campaign with three wins and three clean sheets in three league fixtures.