MATCH REPORT: BURY YOUTH
SATURDAY 28th NOVEMBER 2009

LANCASHIRE FA YOUTH CUP FIRST ROUND

BURY - 2
LATICS - 0

After the disappointment of the FA Youth Cup exit, Latics fielded a much-changed and very young team to face Bury in the Lancashire FA Youth Cup at Chapel Road on Saturday; the emphasis clearly on getting the Rochdale loss out of the player's system.

Latics started the game very well, with David Mellor prominent as Athletic moved the ball very well with good pace, but little penetration to show for the dominance of possession.

Despite the positive start Latics Achilles heel once again surfaced, to present Bury with an undeserved lead.A soft free kick was given wide on the edge of the penalty area and the resulting cross-come-shot went over goalkeeper Shaun Routledge's head into the middle of the goal.

As has been the case throughout the season for the Young Latics players, they had to respond from a set back of their own making and as many times before this season they continued to play fine passing football, completely dominating a Bury side who were unbeaten in 10 games.

Unfortunately, a lack of cutting edge led to the team going into half time with a 1-0 deficit.

The second half began much the same way as the first with David Mellor once again the stand out performer for Athletic, in most of the good attacking play.

However, as the second half developed Latics began to lose a little bit of composure and for a 20-minute period midway through the half struggled to keep good possession of the ball.

Athletic kept pushing for an equaliser and had a goal disallowed for a dubious off side decision, one of many decisions that seemed to go against the team during the game, as well as seeing several corners come to nothing.

(Matt Carr Breaks)

From one corner the Bury 'keeper dropped the ball inside his own 6-yard box and several of the Latics players had a chance to put the ball into the back of the net, but none reacted quick enough, the 'keeper somehow able to reclaim the ball.

A similar situation happened within 5 minutes, but with a massively different outcome, Bury's 'keeper once again dropped the ball in his box, but this time managed to clear with his feet out to the edge of the area and within 7 seconds Bury had broke clear to score a second goal.

Goalkeeper, Shaun Routledge was desperately unlucky, as he made a fine save to keep out the first shot, but was powerless to stop the rebound being put home by the Bury forward.

(Shaun Routledge)

The counter attack effectively put Athletic out of the Cup, as they were unable to generate any clear chances to rescue the game late on.

Coach Tony Philliskirk said afterwards he was pleased with the response from Athletic after the disappointment of the FA Youth Cup exit, especially considering the average age of his young starting eleven, but was disappointed to see Latics be knocked out of the competition at the first hurdle.