RAMS RECLAIM TOP SPOT
Harvey Hayhurst celebrates his goal that doubled the Rams advantage.
Results elsewhere made that they started the game in second place, and even though it’s far too early to start talking about must-win games but the fact that the cherished leadership had been overtaken means pressure is starting to increase. If the Rams wanted to return to the top, then nothing else than a victory would suffice.
The crowd, augmented by a welcome number of the Rams youth teams, led for a great atmosphere with the match played out in something resembling all four seasons, with dramatic weather ranging from torrential rain to cloud and even some patches of bright sunshine.
The opening exchanges were good, with some raids down right with Rams finding willing runners all over the pitch.
After seven minutes a free kick deep in the Rams half was planted forward with a deep, raking diagonal ball from captain Andy Teague. It was cushioned by Uppal who laid back into the path of Tom Hoyle. Hoyle, scorer against the Isle of Man and again at Barnoldswick, composed himself and rifled a low shot across the keeper and the ball nestled in the net in front of the delighted home supporters for a great start.
More was to follow as the Rams kept up the pressure with some lovely free flowing football.
After nineteen minutes, Oscar Radcliffe on the right, played a one two from a throw in and was able to deliver a deep cross towards the far post. Not for the first time this season fellow wing back, Harvey Hayhurst, read the cross on the run to head back across the keeper and see the ball find the far corner of the net and double the Rams lead.
At this stage it looked like the game might turn into a rout but Cheadle, to their credit, remained composed, continued to play neat possession-based football, building from the back in an unhurried manner. Sadly, for them, most moves were frustrated by a combination of a poor final pass or forwards wandering offside.
Most of their threat emerged from a series of dangerous in swinging corners, causing the home side real defensive problems, although a couple of long-range drives missed the target by inches.
Half time came with a two-nil lead to the Rams, and a chance for manager Steve Wilkes to acknowledge tired limbs that had caused the team to relinquish a lead in midweek. Uppal had worked well in the first half, was replaced by Oumar Camara for the second, where he immediately started to impose himself.
The match continued in an open manner, with Cheadle’s possession countered by the hard-working Rams keeping a good shape and creating chances themselves not least from some fine footwork from Tom Hoyle, taking him into the box before the chance was cleared.
Debutant Oliver Putnam came on for Hoyle and was unlucky when put through by Camara. He picked his spot and, as a goal looked certain, saw it come back off the cross bar with the follow up cleared.
A few minutes later Putnam got even closer when he rounded the keeper and shot goalwards only to see a tumbling defender clear it somehow off the line -with a strong call for a penalty waved away by referee Corrie.
Fellow substitute Harry Wright-Ocana was perhaps unlucky a few minutes later when tracking back to commit a card-able foul but there was surprise when the referee awarded a red, meaning Rams would have to play at the remaining minutes with only 10 men.
Perhaps buoyed by their man advantage Cheadle pushed forward, and Rams were to be grateful for their young keeper, Brad Rose, in the closing minutes.
Rose made an astonishing acrobatic stage at the Isle of Man land followed up with another excellent low save in midweek. Here he was the last man facing the Cheadle centre forward six yards out while the flag stayed down. As the crowd waited for the net to bulge, Rose flung himself low across the goal-line to keep the ball out with a combination of knees and legs, a terrific block and the two-nil lead intact.
There was to be one final twist, deep into the fifth minute of injury time. An in-swinging corner sailed over everybody, keeper included, until it was cleared. The liner had a good position, and indicated the ball had fully crossed the line for a Cheadle goal.
It didn’t matter for as soon as the game restarted, the next action of referee was to blow the whistle and to give the Rams a deserved victory.
The league this year is a slog, it is only mid-October but after a remarkable 20 games, the Rams regained the lead at the top of the table with a healthy 43 points.
They go again at home against AFC Liverpool, on Tuesday evening.
Manager Steve Wilkes shared his thoughts after the game: “A really good performance on the back of the week we have just had. We knew Cheadle like to have a little of the ball and play out from the back, so we set the lads up to nullify that, and the did it to a man.
“To be two up in the first twenty minutes, after setting traps, was pleasing to see.
“Second half they’ve had a lot more of the ball but we could have and should have made it three or four with the chances we created.
“Disappointed obviously, conceding with the last kick of the game, but that’s twenty league games in and it’s a healthy return.”
RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Rose, Radcliffe (Wright 81), Hayhurst, Teague, S. Sephton, Meadowcroft, Lynch (M Jackson 57), L Sephton, Uppal (Camara 45), Whyte (Tinker 87), Hoyle (Putnam 67)
Att: 291
