Saturday 23rd September 2006 Bootle 4 Ashton Athletic 0

Ashton came up against a more determined force on their travels to Liverpool with their opponents far more ruthless in front of goal when presented with goal scoring chances at critical times in the game.
Bootle took the initiative from the start and from the first corner, although the first cross was cleared it was returned into the box and a slight nudge on Rhead when attempting to clear was ignored by the referee to allow McDonald to cross for an easy finish by Eammon Price at the far post.
Bootle then dominated with Ashton struggling to find any rythmn through midfield. Good saves by Aaron Cameron and solid defending kept Ashton in the game and this provided a platform for Ashton to start playing themselves.
A critical 10 minute period of the match for Ashton produced half chances for Tom Potter, Simon Gallanders and then Peter Woodcock, but these were not converted, whilst a counter attack down the left from Bootle in the 29th minute produced a shot from Jamie Rainford that was too hot to handle for Cameron and Price was on hand again to tap in the rebound, with the static Ashton back line failed to respond to the threat.
Despite the set back Ashton then played their best football of the game and had a string of chances to reduce the deficit. A long range effort from Simon Gallanders was well stopped by the Bootle keeper. An excellent move down the left, with Pete Woodcock and Tom Potter combined well, and the resulting cross just alluded the advancing Tarpey on the edge of the 6 yard box.
Then from a short corner another Gallanders strike was deflected wide at full stretch by Bootle skipper Neil Mcqueen. The subsequent corner again had the Bootle defence rocking as a Steve Rothwell header was cleared off the line.
Bootle then had a couple of breakaways, but saves by Ashton keeper Cameron from Price and Joe Doran prevented Ashton from falling further behind. Just before the half time break another great run and cross by Gallanders found Dean Ennion in the box but his mistimed effort failed to trouble the Bootle keeper.

The second half got off with Ashton taking the innitiative, but with the Bootle defence in uncompromising mood the advances were repelled. Another key moment came in the 58th Minute as the excellent Gallanders made his only mistake of the match as an attempted quick free kick was cut out allowing Bootle to break away, out numbering the retreating Ashton defence and the influetial Paul McDonald getting his reward for an excellent all round performance with a well taken strike into the bottom corner.
Bootle were now able to play on the counter attack as Ashton tried everything to find a way back into the game, but it was Bootle who struck again, as from a long ball out of defence a simple flick on by McDonald found its way to his strike partner Price who completed his hat trick in the 65th minute with a thunderblot from the edge of the box into the roof of the net.
Credit the Ashton players however who continued to plug away at the Bootle goal, creating several good chances in the last 15 minutes of the match.
Substitute Dean Callaway sliced a chance wide after another good cross by Potter from the left, whilst the tireless Woodcock had 2 great efforts well blocked by the Bootle Goalkeeper, and then the Bootle skipper.
Dean Callaway then had two more efforts that went close in the dying minutes, the second after a great weaving run by Steve Bennett.
Ashton must now muscle up for the challenging trip to Padiham next Saturday (3PM kick off) and need to show better application in several areas to put alongside the pure effort shown by all the players throughout this game.
MoM for Ashton was Simon Gallanders whilst for Bootle Paul McDonald got the nod just ahead of Neil Mcqueen.

The Ashton Reserve team suffered a similar set back against a strong Padiham Reserve team going down by the same 0-4 scoreline, and as with the first team must bounce back for next weeks home game with Glossop North End Reserves 3pm Kick off.