Saturday, February 24, 2007
Midfield Dynamos Power Old Boys to Victory
BGSOB 7-0 Golborne II
Cooke (6)
Hillary (16, 29)
Aitken (18)
Waywell (37, 42)
Foster (57)
The Old Boys continued their return to form by firing seven goals past Golborne on Saturday, thanks to an excellent midfield display.
Bury opened their account in the sixth minute, when striker Cooke scored his fifth of the season. The Bury front man was on hand to coolly fire past the visiting keeper, following excellent wide play on the Bury right hand side.
The Old Boys settled into a good rhythm and produced excellent passing moves throughout the first half. Hillary, Matthews, Larmett, Aitken and Waywell all combined effectively in midfield to create chance after chance for the home side.
With such pressure being created, the home side were winning a substantial amount of short corners, and it was from one of these set pieces that they increased their lead. For the second home game in succession Ian Hillary found the net with a powerful strike, with sixteen minutes gone.
Just two minutes later another short corner produced Bury’s third goal of the afternoon. This time Aitken took his chance as his shot found the bottom corner to give The Old Boys a comfortable lead.
Bury took this opportunity to experiment with changes in personnel, and as a result lost some of the fluency from their game. However, with six minutes to half time, a fourth goal was scored with Hillary grabbing his second of the day. A short corner routine appeared to have broken down, but the Bury midfielder showed excellent craft and skill to create space for himself. Having done the hard work Hillary fired an unstoppable drive into the net.
With clear instructions to keep the pressure up and to keep the passing game going, The Old Boys came out for the second half looking for more. Two minutes in, Golborne old boy, Mark Waywell found the net against his former club, flicking in another short corner.
With Larmett and Matthews combining superbly the home side continued to press the visitors back. Somewhat inevitably it was from another cross from the right that Waywell fired in the sixth goal of the game. Following a good save from the Golborne keeper, Waywell was the first to react as he fired the ball home.
The scoring was rounded off in the fifty-seventh minute with a superb team goal. Again Hillary, Larmett and Matthews were the architects as the ball was delivered into Foster’s path. With a superb finish into the bottom corner, Foster scored his second of the season, and the seventh of the day.
Although Bury went on to create more chances, no further goals materialised and credit must go to the under strength visitors, who tried their best to attack at any opportunity and kept the home defence on its toes.
Squad: Titlow, S. Shiekh, T. Sheikh, Cheung, Foster, Aitken, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Waywell, Cooke, Ainscow, Butler, Berry, Powers, McManus.
MOM: Matthews and Larmett
Cooke (6)
Hillary (16, 29)
Aitken (18)
Waywell (37, 42)
Foster (57)
The Old Boys continued their return to form by firing seven goals past Golborne on Saturday, thanks to an excellent midfield display.
Bury opened their account in the sixth minute, when striker Cooke scored his fifth of the season. The Bury front man was on hand to coolly fire past the visiting keeper, following excellent wide play on the Bury right hand side.
The Old Boys settled into a good rhythm and produced excellent passing moves throughout the first half. Hillary, Matthews, Larmett, Aitken and Waywell all combined effectively in midfield to create chance after chance for the home side.
With such pressure being created, the home side were winning a substantial amount of short corners, and it was from one of these set pieces that they increased their lead. For the second home game in succession Ian Hillary found the net with a powerful strike, with sixteen minutes gone.
Just two minutes later another short corner produced Bury’s third goal of the afternoon. This time Aitken took his chance as his shot found the bottom corner to give The Old Boys a comfortable lead.
Bury took this opportunity to experiment with changes in personnel, and as a result lost some of the fluency from their game. However, with six minutes to half time, a fourth goal was scored with Hillary grabbing his second of the day. A short corner routine appeared to have broken down, but the Bury midfielder showed excellent craft and skill to create space for himself. Having done the hard work Hillary fired an unstoppable drive into the net.
With clear instructions to keep the pressure up and to keep the passing game going, The Old Boys came out for the second half looking for more. Two minutes in, Golborne old boy, Mark Waywell found the net against his former club, flicking in another short corner.
With Larmett and Matthews combining superbly the home side continued to press the visitors back. Somewhat inevitably it was from another cross from the right that Waywell fired in the sixth goal of the game. Following a good save from the Golborne keeper, Waywell was the first to react as he fired the ball home.
The scoring was rounded off in the fifty-seventh minute with a superb team goal. Again Hillary, Larmett and Matthews were the architects as the ball was delivered into Foster’s path. With a superb finish into the bottom corner, Foster scored his second of the season, and the seventh of the day.
Although Bury went on to create more chances, no further goals materialised and credit must go to the under strength visitors, who tried their best to attack at any opportunity and kept the home defence on its toes.
Squad: Titlow, S. Shiekh, T. Sheikh, Cheung, Foster, Aitken, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Waywell, Cooke, Ainscow, Butler, Berry, Powers, McManus.
MOM: Matthews and Larmett
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Old Boys Bounce Back
Prescot III.......0
BGSOB...........2
Hodbod (39)
Ainscow (57)
The Old Boys bounced back from their disappointment on Saturday with a much better performance on Sunday.
The absence of Waywell, Foster and Cooke was offset by the return of Aitken, Hillary and Larmett, who combined with Matthews and Hodbod to produce an excellent midfield display.
Titlow was again needed in goal early on, as he produced a good save from a short corner, but generally the defence performed well.
Despite their excellent first half play, Bury were unable to find the finishing touch. Superb midfield play saw many chances created but none were taken, although Powers and Hillary both tested the Prescot keeper with fine efforts.
Early in the second half The Old Boys made the break through. Another attack into the Prescot D saw the ball drop to Powers. The young striker produced an excellent piece of skill to by-pass the keeper and leave Hodbod with a simple finish.
Although Bury were pressing and creating, Prescot were still battling well and The Old Boys’ defence had to be on their guard.
However the game was sealed following a stunning piece of individual play from Hodbod. Having received the ball in midfield, the Bury man beat several opponents on his way to the D. Once he had drawn the keeper out, Hodbod then found the unmarked Ainscow who tucked the ball away to seal the victory.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, S. Shiekh, T. Sheikh, Berry, Hodbod, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Ainscow, Powers, McManus, Aitken.
MOM: Hodbod.
BGSOB...........2
Hodbod (39)
Ainscow (57)
The Old Boys bounced back from their disappointment on Saturday with a much better performance on Sunday.
The absence of Waywell, Foster and Cooke was offset by the return of Aitken, Hillary and Larmett, who combined with Matthews and Hodbod to produce an excellent midfield display.
Titlow was again needed in goal early on, as he produced a good save from a short corner, but generally the defence performed well.
Despite their excellent first half play, Bury were unable to find the finishing touch. Superb midfield play saw many chances created but none were taken, although Powers and Hillary both tested the Prescot keeper with fine efforts.
Early in the second half The Old Boys made the break through. Another attack into the Prescot D saw the ball drop to Powers. The young striker produced an excellent piece of skill to by-pass the keeper and leave Hodbod with a simple finish.
Although Bury were pressing and creating, Prescot were still battling well and The Old Boys’ defence had to be on their guard.
However the game was sealed following a stunning piece of individual play from Hodbod. Having received the ball in midfield, the Bury man beat several opponents on his way to the D. Once he had drawn the keeper out, Hodbod then found the unmarked Ainscow who tucked the ball away to seal the victory.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, S. Shiekh, T. Sheikh, Berry, Hodbod, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Ainscow, Powers, McManus, Aitken.
MOM: Hodbod.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Ormskirk Edge Tight Game
Ormskirk II........1
BGSOB.............0
Ormskirk took advantage of a lacklustre performance from Bury to secure three points on Saturday.
Missing the influential Hillary, Larmett and Aitken, The Old Boys’ first half display lacked the fluency which had seen off Didsbury the previous week. Bury needed the skill of Titlow in goal to make three good saves, before Ormskirk took the lead from a flicked short corner.
The second half saw the visitors came into the game more and exert greater pressure on Ormskirk. A much better display saw Bury create more chances, which should have culminated in an equaliser. Waywell’s shot was heading for the bottom corner, with the Ormskirk keeper stranded. However, before the ball could cross the line a defender’s foot kicked the ball clear.
With no flick awarded The Old Boys had to keep pushing for an equaliser, and they came very close right at the death, as Matthews’ reverse stick effort flew just wide of the post.
This was not The Old Boys at their best but the spirit and persistence shown could, and possibly should, have earned them a draw.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, S. Sheikh, T. Sheikh, Foster, Matthews, Hodbod, Berry, Ainscow, Waywell, Cooke, Powers, McManus.
MOM: Titlow.
BGSOB.............0
Ormskirk took advantage of a lacklustre performance from Bury to secure three points on Saturday.
Missing the influential Hillary, Larmett and Aitken, The Old Boys’ first half display lacked the fluency which had seen off Didsbury the previous week. Bury needed the skill of Titlow in goal to make three good saves, before Ormskirk took the lead from a flicked short corner.
The second half saw the visitors came into the game more and exert greater pressure on Ormskirk. A much better display saw Bury create more chances, which should have culminated in an equaliser. Waywell’s shot was heading for the bottom corner, with the Ormskirk keeper stranded. However, before the ball could cross the line a defender’s foot kicked the ball clear.
With no flick awarded The Old Boys had to keep pushing for an equaliser, and they came very close right at the death, as Matthews’ reverse stick effort flew just wide of the post.
This was not The Old Boys at their best but the spirit and persistence shown could, and possibly should, have earned them a draw.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, S. Sheikh, T. Sheikh, Foster, Matthews, Hodbod, Berry, Ainscow, Waywell, Cooke, Powers, McManus.
MOM: Titlow.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
BURY BACK TO WINNING WAYS
BGSOB 4-1 Didsbury Northern VI
Waywell (25)
Hillary (35)
Larmett (46)
Hodbod (61)
The Old Boys got their season back on track on Saturday with a dominant display against Didsbury. After three weeks of playing good hockey but not converting enough chances, Bury managed to find their finishing touch.
The home team went into the game making several enforced changes. Aitken, Hopwood, Ainscow, Butler, Berry and Shori were all missing, meaning that The Old Boys were forced to change formation as well as personnel. However, far from disrupting the side, the changes allowed Bury to play possibly their best hockey of the season. Passing, movement and communication were all excellent, as Didsbury were subjected to severe pressure from the opening minutes.
Initially it seemed as if Bury’s poor run might continue. The opening twenty minutes saw chance after chance created with the midfield four of Hodbod, Larmett, Matthews and Hillary linking well with Cooke and Waywell. However, good work from the Didsbury keeper and several near misses meant that Bury failed to capitalise on their good approach play.
With twenty-five minutes gone the home side eventually got the break through. Excellent build up play saw the ball delivered to Waywell and the forward drove towards the D. With the defence back peddling, Waywell cleverly took his chance and fired a reverse stick shot into the bottom corner, scoring his first goal for the club.
Just before half time The Old Boys doubled their lead from their fourth short corner. Following Hodbod’s near miss from the previous corner, Hillary made no mistake as he dispatched the ball into the net, giving Bury a well deserved two goal cushion.
The second half saw the visitors looking to exert more pressure but the excellent defensive performances of Cheung, Foster and Tariq Sheikh meant that Titlow remained relatively untroubled. The one save he had to make however was outstanding, as he showed super reflexes to keep out a stinging drive.
More incisive build up play saw the home side increase their lead in the forty-sixth minute. Good interchanges down the left ended with a cross being driven in to the far post. Coming in off the right wing, James Larmett was on hand to flick the ball over the advancing keeper, for his fourth of the season.
The victory was sealed in the sixty-first minute when Hodbod capped another fine display with a precise drive from the top of the D into the bottom corner.
In the final minute Didsbury scored a consolation goal as the Bury defence finally allowed them a little too much space and their striker touched the ball past the on rushing Titlow.
Altogether this was an impressive display, against a Didsbury side who had held Bolton the previous week. The Old Boys must maintain this standard in the coming weeks if they are to push their way back into the promotion picture.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, Foster, T. Sheikh, S. Sheikh, Hodbod, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Waywell, Cooke, Powers, McManus.
Waywell (25)
Hillary (35)
Larmett (46)
Hodbod (61)
The Old Boys got their season back on track on Saturday with a dominant display against Didsbury. After three weeks of playing good hockey but not converting enough chances, Bury managed to find their finishing touch.
The home team went into the game making several enforced changes. Aitken, Hopwood, Ainscow, Butler, Berry and Shori were all missing, meaning that The Old Boys were forced to change formation as well as personnel. However, far from disrupting the side, the changes allowed Bury to play possibly their best hockey of the season. Passing, movement and communication were all excellent, as Didsbury were subjected to severe pressure from the opening minutes.
Initially it seemed as if Bury’s poor run might continue. The opening twenty minutes saw chance after chance created with the midfield four of Hodbod, Larmett, Matthews and Hillary linking well with Cooke and Waywell. However, good work from the Didsbury keeper and several near misses meant that Bury failed to capitalise on their good approach play.
With twenty-five minutes gone the home side eventually got the break through. Excellent build up play saw the ball delivered to Waywell and the forward drove towards the D. With the defence back peddling, Waywell cleverly took his chance and fired a reverse stick shot into the bottom corner, scoring his first goal for the club.
Just before half time The Old Boys doubled their lead from their fourth short corner. Following Hodbod’s near miss from the previous corner, Hillary made no mistake as he dispatched the ball into the net, giving Bury a well deserved two goal cushion.
The second half saw the visitors looking to exert more pressure but the excellent defensive performances of Cheung, Foster and Tariq Sheikh meant that Titlow remained relatively untroubled. The one save he had to make however was outstanding, as he showed super reflexes to keep out a stinging drive.
More incisive build up play saw the home side increase their lead in the forty-sixth minute. Good interchanges down the left ended with a cross being driven in to the far post. Coming in off the right wing, James Larmett was on hand to flick the ball over the advancing keeper, for his fourth of the season.
The victory was sealed in the sixty-first minute when Hodbod capped another fine display with a precise drive from the top of the D into the bottom corner.
In the final minute Didsbury scored a consolation goal as the Bury defence finally allowed them a little too much space and their striker touched the ball past the on rushing Titlow.
Altogether this was an impressive display, against a Didsbury side who had held Bolton the previous week. The Old Boys must maintain this standard in the coming weeks if they are to push their way back into the promotion picture.
Match Day Squad: Titlow, Cheung, Foster, T. Sheikh, S. Sheikh, Hodbod, Matthews, Hillary, Larmett, Waywell, Cooke, Powers, McManus.
