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Reds ease into last eight

FC United progressed into the Quarter Finals of the North West Counties League Challenge Cup with a comfortable 4-0 victory away at Colne in front of 1,470.

After a three week break Margy’s men were able to produce a convincing win with four different players finding their name on the score sheet.

The Reds started the game kicking up the slanted hill at the Holt House Stadium on a difficult pitch to play attractive football. The home side nearly took the lead after just three minutes. Anthony Murt found himself through on goal and forced a tremendous save from Sam Ashton. Seconds later the former Bolton Wanderers shot stopper saved the Reds again as he tipped James Blackburn’s header round the post for a corner.

Despite the early pressure from the home side it was Margy’s men who took the lead and it came after 21 minutes. Rob Nugent of all people found himself on the edge of the Colne box. The Reds centre half looked more like a centre forward as turned his marker and found the bottom corner of the goal to give his side the lead.

It was now FC United who were looking the more dangerous. Stuart Rudd winning every header in the air and Rory Patterson making himself a handful for the Colne defence.

It was Patterson who was centre of attention the last time these two sides met, after seeing red after a scuffle with the Colne bench. Patterson made amends on 57 minutes as he gave the reds a two goal advantage. The young Irishman latched on to a Sampson ball that cut through the Colne defence and made it look so easy as he coolly fired past the Colne ‘keeper Mark Crossley

If it wasn’t hard enough for Colne being two goals down their task just got tougher as full back Jason Heffernan received his second yellow of the game and was given his marching orders for an early bath.

United cashed in on their extra man advantage and produced a fine goal ten minutes from time. Ashton’s goal kick was played down the wing where full back Shaun Roscoe made a fine run to latch onto the ball. Roscoe then whipped a low cross into the box and it was an easy finish for Rudd to take his telly to 32 for the season.

The Reds capped their win three minutes from time when Dave Brown added his name to the score sheet in splendid fashion. Brown took the ball down on his knee, turned and fired past Crossley to send the army of FC United support into jubilation.

John Hill

Team information:

Colne
1 M Crossley
2 P Walker
3 J Heffernan
4 K Roberts
5 B Howarth
6 R Wright
7 S Cunningham
8 S Gizon (Capt.)
9 A Murt
10 J Blackburn
11 L Garbutt
Subs.
12 C Whitaker (for 2, 77 mins)
13
14 T Cockett (for 11,84)
15 M Cruz (for 10, 71)

FC United of Manchester
1 Sam Ashton
2 Liam Foster
3 Shaun Roscoe
4 Steven Spencer
5 David Chadwick (capt)
6 Robert Nugent
7 Rhodri Giggs
8 Gary Sampson
9 Stuart Rudd
10 David Swarbrick
11 Rory Patterson
Subs:
12 Joshua Howard (for 7, 83 mins)
14 Jamie Phoenix (for 10, 73 mins)
15 Dave Brown (for 9, 85 mins)



First Posted ~ 11:09 Tue 30 Jan 2007
News ID ~ 817
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021