Marine 1 Radcliffe Borough 3

Unibond League Premier Division

BORO kicked-off the festive season with an excellent performance at Rossett Park.

With an injury hit squad, Kevin Glendon was only able to name two substitutes - Dean Crowther and Phil Denney.

However, the team carried over the form they showed in the Unibond Cup defeat at Burscough, but this time emerged worthy winners.

Steve Foster could have given his side an early lead, but instead shot wide when in a good position.

With Scott Wilson again dominating midfield, his team-mates were allowed to spread the ball around almost at will.

In particular this allowed Richard Battersby and Lee Duffy to charge down the flanks and put the home defence on the backfoot time and again.

Boro finally broke through on 25 minutes, when Kilheeney's tame shot slipped through the home keeper's grasp and into the net.

Minutes later it should have been 2-0, but Foster this time headed straight at the keeper.

Such was Boro's dominance that Marine only came into the game in the dying minutes of the half, and even then they found Boro stopper Danny Hurst in fine form.

Marine pushed an extra man into midfield for the second half, which had an immediate effect, as they equalised within two minutes of the restart.

It helped to restore their confidence and they then managed to keep Radcliffe at arm's length until the hour mark.

That's when Duffy blazed a shot over the bar with the keeper nowhere to be seen.

But Boro did regain the lead 10 minutes later.

Battersby took the ball from just inside his own half to the edge of the Marine 18-yard box, before passing to Foster, who in turn found Gary Sampson, and he fired home from an acute angle

With Marine by now looking dejected, Foster finally found the target with a contender for goal of the season.

On the edge of the box, and surrounded by three defenders, he somehow managed to curl a shot into the top corner to make it an impressive end to the 2004 for Boro.

BORO: Hurst, Duffy, Battersby, Hill, Kelly, McGuire, Wilson, Sampson, Forrest, Foster, Kilheeney. Substitutes: Crowther, Denney.

This Saturday, January 1, 2005, Boro see in the New Year by entertaining high-flying Hyde United at Stainton Park, kick-off 3pm.

The Tigers are currently third in the Unibond Premier table, with 44 points from 22 games.

Their attack is spearheaded by the leagues leading goalscorer, former Oldham Athletic striker Neil Tolson, who boasts 12 league and three cup goals for a total of 21 - four more than Radcliffes Steve Foster.

Back in September United beat Boro 3-0 at the Ewen Fields, with goals from Gaynor and McNeil (2).

That is followed by the visit of Leek Town on Monday, January 3, 2005, kick-off again 3pm.

The Blues are currently in fifth spot, with 36 points from just 19 games.

When the two met back in August at the Uprights Solicitors Stadium, they fought out a 0-0 draw

JOHN KNOTT