UNIFILLA CUP QUARTER FINAL

Radcliffe BoroM-I5, Lincoln UnitedM-I1

THERE is no disputing who the top club in the UniBond Division One is - and on this display Boro will strike fear into the hearts of most Premier sides.

The Blues, after a slow start, outplayed and outclassed their main rivals, Lincoln United, in a pulsating tie which exceeded expectations.

A league win would have been preferable to increase Boro's eight point gap at the top of the table but a place in the Unifilla semi-finals and an easy victory over the second-placed club was ample reward.

United started the livelier side on a slippy surface. Loz Greenhalgh cleared an early shot off the line and Andy Gray caught Boro's defence out with some tricky runs.

Slowly Boro began to find cracks in United's rearguard but not before the visitors had taken a 24th minute lead. Brendan McDaid towered above everyone to head home a corner.

Within five minutes, Jason Astley's through ball sent Ian Lunt clear. He clipped it past the 'keeper for a solo equaliser. Two deflections prevented Boro going further ahead before the floodgates opened in the second half.

On 56 minutes Lunt struck again, helped by United's keeper, Simon Waby, who had a nightmare.

The Boro striker's header was seemingly caught by Waby but it trickled from his hands and over the line for Lunt's 22nd goal of the campaign.

Waby redemeed himself minutes later to stop Lunt grabbing his hat-trick but he was again at fault when Levi Edwards' 70th minute effort sneaked just inside of the post.

Two minutes later and, after some heading practise from David Bean and Lunt, Lunt fired a ball forward which bounced over Waby. Substitute Andy Graham, returning to Boro for midweek fixtures, tapped it over the line for his first goal in his comeback game.

Lincoln's players were left shouting to try and gain some pride from the game but Boro had other ideas. Lincoln hardly strayed into Boro half despite their down hill advantage and, on 75 minutes, Jon Senior finished it off with a strike from the edge of the area for his third goal of the season.

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