As a football fan, it's this kind of match that really gives you that tingle in the belly. The one that you definitely DO NOT WANT to lose. Because as we awoke this morning, time had come. The talking and the chat was over. And now it was time for business. Today saw us not only welcoming our biggest and closest rivals to Moss Park - but the winners of this one today would progress into the FJ Williams Trophy Final at the expense of their nearest neighbours. This is what it is all about...

Moss Park was buzzing early doors - as the visitors had arrived early and were quickly out onto the pitch to warm up. The crowds started to gather and this really had ignited the interest of the local community as there was at least 100 spectators packed into the place before kick-off. As usual though, our boys looked at ease and as they began to came out to complete their stretches, they looked as though this was just any other game. And when the starting 11 was announced, it saw us only make change to the team that started that cup defeat against Ramsbottom Hounds seven days ago. In came Craig McClelland at right-back in place of the absent Connor Bowling and the rest was as it was. The bench was packed with quality as well - with the likes of Liam,. both Dillon and Dylan and Ethan - who was unlucky not to get starting berth this week - to choose from when we wanted to switch things up a little. The visitors definitely looked up for this as well and as they came out with their mascots, there really was a good feel to this. As long as it was us celebrating in about 90 minutes, that's all that mattered. The referee - the one and only Mr Jordan Locke - was joined by his assistants and as they called the captains forward, the crowd bedded themselves in for what proved to be a cagey game of football..

The team changed ends at the toss - and within 60 seconds of the start, the first challenge of note came in - with the Wanderers' centre-half Cameron Cleary nearly taking Ellis' head off as he tried to hoof the ball away. Chaddy took the resulting free-kick - and struck it about 2 feet over Enty's bar from about 20 yards out. Was this the pattern that was going to play out now?

The first 10 minutes saw the ball played all in the Wanderers' half as we pressed forward early and tried to get our wingers into the game. Tommy Ward was up against their right-back Edmund Walsh and we knew that if we could get the ball out to our left, then we'd have a good chance of getting in behind them. Credit to Mr Walsh though - he dug in and worked hard to keep our top scorer quiet so we kept switching it from wing to wing to see if we could get Ste free down our right. Ellis was busy making their centre-halves concentrating. It had been a positive start and the home fans were quietly optimistic...

We won a free-kick on 16 minutes when they took Ellis out as we surged forward and as Tommy lined it up, the angle looked perfect. About 20 yards from goal and two yards right on the middle, they lined a big wall up and our man sized up where to put it. As he made his run-up, you could hear the United fans debating whether it would be top-left or top-right - but he elected to try and guess that the wall would jump and tried to go under it and the Wanderers players guessed it right and cleared it easily. A good chance though...

The next chance came on 22 minutes when we played a long ball into the box from our right and as Ste Palin went to head it back to his keeper, it was a little short - and Ellis was onto it in a flash. He just couldn't twist his body quickly enough to get proper connection to the ball though - and a keeper of Enty's quality isn't going to allow anybody time and he was out to smother it before it could come to anything. We were seeing plenty of half-chances but the visitors were defending stoutly and it was going to take something to break through them if this continued...

There was a great battle going on in the middle of the park - as Taylor and Co. were competing with Alex Williams and Mitch in there - and there were some proper tasty challenges going in. Both sets of players were appreciative of what this game meant though and it was being played with a good nature - so far. And on 43 minutes, we had a glorious chance to go into the break with the lead when Ellis got hold of the ball, bustled himself free of their marking and fed a great ball into the channel for Ste to race onto. He took it towards goal and as he let go of his shot, there was Ben Birch to get across to block it and get it out for a corner. That came swirling in but once more, the team in red defended it well and as the ball was hammered down our end, that was another half-chance that came to nothing. Pretty much the story of the first-half really and as the referee blew his whistle to bring things to a break, this was going to be an interesting 45 minutest come. The fans were quietly murmuring around how it would go straight to penalties if it was still all-square after that - but that wasn't our plan...

Half-time: BREIGHTMET UNITED 0--0 Breightmet Wanderers AFC

That had been closer than any of us would have liked or expected and despite all of the play being in their half, there wasn't anything clear-cut that we could say deserved us to be in front. We'd played some nice football and were definitely on top - but we had to relax a little, forget the occasion and treat it as any other game. Although they hadn't even had a sniff of our goal yet, there was enough about them to make sure that made us pay for any lapse in concentration - so it was now about going out there and getting the job done. No changes were made as the 11 were given the chance to go back out there and as the second half began, this next 45 minutes or so would determine so, so much in the course of this season...

The passage of play continued to follow that of the first-half - with us playing the football and the team in red banked in and defended well -and it was becoming more and more like a chess game as the minutes went by. This first goal would be crucial as it would give the team that scored it the impetus and make the others come out a bit more in search of the equaliser. And on 55 minutes, it came. We surged forward down our left and as the ball was played into Chaddy, he looked to be clean through on goal - until Ste Palin came across and as he attempted to take the ball, all he could do was entwine his legs around our midfielder's and as he hit the deck, we all waited for what seemed like an eternity - until the whistle blew loudly and the referee pointed directly to the spot. The United fans were estastic whereas the travelling fan held their heads in their hands. Tommy picked the ball up and as he placed it down confidently, all that stood between us and the lead was that man Enty. The whistle went again and BANG! - although their keeper went the right way, he just couldn't extend his arm long after to stop it going into the corner of his net. 1-0 and we were in front! With something to hold onto now, surely we could see this one through...

As expected, going behind made the visitors come out more and in truth, they started to play a but better then. Throwing on the likes of Yatesy and Ben Schofield helped their cause - but the next chance of note also came our way. We won another free-kick about 25 yards from goal and this time it was our skipper Curtis that went over to take it. Again - Wanderers lined up a big wall - but this time Mr Harbord managed to get it up and over them - and as it was heading into the top corner, it took a fantastic save from Enty to palm it away just in time. The second goal would surely clinch it - and that was so very nearly it...

Ste Barlow and Tommy then came off to warm rounds of applause as Dillon and Ethan took their places on the pitch but by now, it was a midfield battle with neither side on top and pretty much nothing to report upon. There was some good football with both sides looking to go forward still and the visitors had a loud claim for a penalty turned down with the referee adjudged it to have been a clean tackle inside the box - when on another day that could have so easily gone against us - and then Yatesy had a good effort fly about a yard past Lee-Max's left-hand upright. This was still very much Game On so we needed to keep focused here...

More changes came as we threw Liam into the mix - with Ellis coming off - and as the game continued, the more the anticipation grew. And with 68 minutes on the clock, the visitors had a great chance to equalise when Yatesy was put through with a great ball and as he approached our box, Lee-Max came out to narrow the angle - and somehow the ball ended up going wide of the target. Too close for comfort though and Wink and Dunc were quick to remind their players off that..

73 gone and Taylor came off so that Dylan could get a slice of the action and with both teams cautious of the other, the game wasn't seeing any goal-scoring opportunities. We did see a flash-point though as with 78 minutes gone, we went to make our way up our left and as we played the ball between them, that man Palin came in with another shocking challenge that saw a bit of argy-bargy and after consulting at length with his Assistant Referee, the man in the middle called their No. 8 over - and brandished the second yellow followed by the red card at him. That just made the last 10 minutes or so a little easier that's for sure. As expected, he received the proper Moss Park rapture as does anybody that gets sent off against us and as the game re-started, we knew we just had to keep the ball now and that spot in the Final would be ours...

As the team in red kept pushing forward in search of the goal that would take this to a penalty-shootout, it was leaving gaps in behind them - especially with a man less - and on 85 minutes, Ethan had a good chance to seal it when he took hold of a good pass about 22 yards from goal, turned sharply and fired it goal-bound - only to see it go agonisingly wide of the post with Enty beaten. That would have won it that...

That was that in truth though as not much else happened between then and the referee blowing the final whistle - but when he did, it was us that were celebrating! Not only had we just won the El Breightmetico - but we were into the FJ Williams Trophy Final! That will do! We know that it wasn't our best performance by far - and credit to the visitors for stopping us playing - but a win is a win and when so much was at stake, then we'll take any win. The handshakes were done with pride and as both teams left the field, the large crowd quite rightly showed their appreciation. That was probably a lot closer than some people had expected and both sets of players deserved to be praised. But there's only one team that can go to the Final to take on Cartshaft FC - and that's us!

As the lads came in, they knew that wasn't a vintage display that will be talked about for years to come - but the result was important today and we got it. Chaddy was awarded to Tom Gallagher Ltd Man of the Match and we all made our way into the Clubhouse to celebrate. Onto the next one now. Back to league action next Sunday as we welcome Fox & Pine Villa to Moss Park and three points there really would help us place one hand more firmly on that league title. The Cup Final can wait. We've more business to attend to first...

#OnceUnitedNeverDivided

Breightmet United Football Club

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