Saturday 25 March League Challenge Cup - Semi-Finals Second Leg Flixton 1 (0) v (5) 5 Cammell Laird HT 0-3 Morgan 5 - Cooke 20 - McGuire 43 - Sheehan 75, 77 > Att 50 CLICK BELOW FOR PICS < < | | | > >

Pics 'Tony Taylor from Celebrity Images, Port Sunlight

Match Report Sat 25th March
Flixton 1 Cammell Laird 5

Lairds went into this important Moore & Co Construction Solicitors North West Counties League Challenge Cup Semi Final Second leg (there's a mouthful!!!) with plenty of confidence having beaten Flixton in the first leg by 5 goals without reply.

Surely you would think, Lairds would sit on the tie, have a breather and coast through to the final at Bury FC later in the month.

It doesn't really work like that at Lairds and the players were as hungry for goals as ever!

In front of a sparse crowd, Ronnie Morgan found himself clear of the bewildered Flixton defence and a clean shot past the goalkeeper put Lairds 1 to the better after just 5 minutes.
In the 20th minute a great cross from Anthony Hargreaves made contact with Ian Cooke's stooping frame which saw him nod in for the second.

You would not guess that the Flixton side were lying 4th in the Leagues' second division on either performance in this tie. In the 43rd minute Jamie McGuire was bustled and jostled on the edge of the box, at one point he had a defender on his back like a rucksack! He shook them all off however, to fire in his 34th goal of the season and Lairds' third of the afternoon.

Despite the cold rain starting at the start of the second half, it was pretty much the same story after the break. Jamie McGuire had a shot palmed away by Barrie George following a pinpoint cross from Ronnie Morgan. On 75 minutes, Jamie knocked a sweet ball over to Anthony Sheehan on the right who slammed the ball in for the 4th.

It could probably be forgiven for the Flixton lads to be concentrating on what they were going to watch on telly that night, as opposed to the 10 goals they needed to progress to the cup final. This could explain the most bizarre goal on 77 minutes, a ball through to Sheehan from McGuire left him one on one with Barry George, he came out to hoof the ball away but missed it completely!!! Sheehan chased after the ball and tapped it in from two inches out!

A free kick later given to Lairds on the edge of the box saw goalkeeper John Gillies come screaming up the pitch to take it. John calmly lofted the ball into the Trafford Centre and skulked back to his goal!!!
A late consolation goal by Leon Grandison wasn't really any consolation at all. Lairds comfortably through to Gigg Lane, Bury to defend the league Challenge Cup against Salford City later in the month.