A fortnight ago saw us probably play as poorly as we have done since pre-season commenced – but the 1-1 draw in Altrincham preserved our unbeaten run – and as we began to prepare for this latest instalment, Wayne, Callum and Brian were looking for much-improved performances across the board for this one. Today was seeing the visit of Astley & Tyldesley Reserves to Radcliffe Road and knowing that these hadn’t had the best starts to the season, everything was primed for a good day for the Blues. The lads started arriving in buoyant mood – and why shouldn’t they – but the bosses were adamant that we needed to be feeling this happy by 4pm…

The options within this squad are huge at the moment and right from the get-go, there were clear changes taking place for this one. A debateable decision made by the Management saw Pomf dropped for this one and quite rightly, the lad wasn’t too happy about it. But we want people to realise that a starting place is not going to be guaranteed for anybody this season and with competition being healthy for any squad that wants to be challenging, Chris felt the pinch this weekend. But fair play to the lad – he was still here supporting his team-mates and that’s the character that the bosses wanted to see. So as the lads came out to be put through their paces, it was young Matty Heaton that was given the gloves for this one. An emerging talent within the Chorley u21’s ranks, it was great of our friends and colleagues to once again allow him to adorn the County kit. With Ricky and Robbie’s bans coming to an end and Ste Palin and Adam Webber’s injuries nearly over, there shows the choices we have at our disposal. So when the lads came back in, the team was announced – and it saw us reverting back to Wayne’s favoured 4-2-3-1 shape. That mean that today saw us going with Rav and Aaron in at full-backs and the tried and tested partnership of Gatesie and skipper Matty Leigh as centre-halves. Liam and Alex Williams were to be the two sitting midfielders and with Callum Chadwick’s recent performances out on the right, he was once again given that role this afternoon. Lewis Hall took the left-hand berth and there was Robbo again in at CAM. Another surprise to the starting team was seeing the fit-again Josh Nicholson given a start up top – and with a quality bench that was made up of Ben Stewart, the returning Nathan, John Yates, Jude and Luke Harrison, we were good to go. As the stereo in the home changing-room blasted out some really awful music, the lads got themselves ready as the coaches issued their final instructions. Today was about thinking clever. With Josh up top, we had to play the ball on the floor in the channels – rather than lump it up top and expect him to fend off the big, bruising defenders in the green and white stripes. The way to win this today was going to be to play our football, quick and sharp passes and then ensuring we gave our team-mates options by which to pop off these balls. It was this that we forgot in Altrincham so it was this that we needed to get back to. The lads went out early and as they kept their muscles warm, it seemed an age before the away side joined us. The referee did the pleasantries and it was County who won the toss – so as Josh stood in the centre-circle all alone, a sharp blow of the whistle was all that was needed to get this game underway…

And within 68 seconds, County were in front. One of the chats in the changing-room was about how to set up when we won a corner – with Callum reminding our troops that we are yet to score from a corner this season – and just over a minute after the game had started, we scored from one! Some great running from Lewis saw him nip past their full-back who could do no more than force the ball out for a corner. Aaron went over to swing it in and there was Robbo to rise like a salmon and plant his header firmly into the roof of the visitor’s net. Talk about dream start. We were 1-0 up and we hadn’t even started really…

But then we showed some of the inexperience that comes with having such a young squad – because the visitors decided to make it a battle and rather than concentrate on our football, we fell into the trap. The referee was giving them plenty of free-kicks but we decided to just winge and moan and forget about the task in hand. Rav had made a couple of tackles that looked neither here or there – but his frustration boiled over and on 16 minutes, he got himself into the sin-bin – once again leaving us a man down. It is things like this that we really need to learn as having 11 players on the pitch is always the best course of action. Now a man down, it changed our game and meant we had to be sit a bit further back – allowing the Astley lads to get higher up the pitch. We were not playing our football, we were hitting it long towards Josh and hoping and we were getting involved in the niggly-side of the game that the coaches are trying so very hard to get out of them. We are a great team when focused on the prize – but when we decide to forget that and get involved, it will always be a 50/50 game. Lewis came off for a rest to be replaced by Nathan and on we went. It was very bitty and we couldn’t get into our rhythm – which was optimised when Gatesie decided to try and dribble out of defence and through midfield – only to take a whack to his knee and go down injured. And on 37 minutes the inevitable came – when the Astley lads forced the ball down their right and as it came into the box, it seemed that they had men left unmarked in the middle. The ball landed at the feet of Heaton-Coutinho and he slammed his shot against the inside of Matty’s far-post and into the back of our net. There it was. Proof that when we don’t do what we should, we are always vulnerable. 1-1 and it was game-on again…

Rav had come back on from his 10 minutes out but with the frustrations of being pegged back still raw in all our minds, he continued with his shenanigans – so Luke was brought on to see out the remainder of the first half and as the whistle went for the break, it was the County Managers that were in more need of getting their team back in…

Half-time: BOLTON COUNTY RESERVES 1-1 Astley & Tyldesley Reserves

The mood was a bit more sombre in that changing-room now we can tell you. And when Wayne, Cal and Brian set about their work, they did it in no uncertain terms. We had left this room 50 minutes ago knowing what we needed to do – and we hadn’t done any of it. We were guilty of getting involved. We were forgetting to play our football. And we were just going through the motions expecting everything to fall into place. That will never happen and any team needs to earn the right to win a football match. Now we had to do as the bosses were saying – as this unbeaten run cannot be ended playing as badly as we had done. We were lowering our levels and that had to stop. Yatesy came on in place of young Josh and Nathan was tasked with supporting him a bit more but not playing up front. We could then overload the left-hand side of the pitch and try and get more of the ball in the attacking areas. With Wayne’s words ringing in their ears, again it was County out there first and ready to put right what we’d not done all game so far – and that was play football…

And within 4 minutes of the re-start, we had re-taken the lead – would you believe it from another corner? The coaches had asked Liam and Alex Williams to dictate the game a lot more from their central berths and the latter played a superb ball out to Nathan on the left. He raced at their full-back who did well to win his tackle and play the ball out for a corner – again on lur left. This time Nathan went across to take it and as we all waited for him to swing it in, he fooled us all – by playing it low ad hard towards the near-post. There Gatesie had made a darting run off the shoulder of his marker and as the ball bounced about 8 yards from goal, there was our No.5 to smash his half-volley into the back of the their net leaving their keeper no chance of stopping it! A great finish and Gatesie’s first goal in County colours. As his team-mates rushed to congratulate him, the Management team were pacing up and down the line. We needed to defend this now and if we could relax and play our football, there was the platform by which to do it. 2-1…

That goal saw us visibly release the shackles – and we started to ping the ball around the park like we know we can. Liam and Alex were dominating that midfield battle now and although their No.6 was still making sure they knew they were in a game, we were starting to see a lot more of the ball in good areas now. And with 53 minutes gone, we increased our lead with another fine goal. The ball was played out towards Callum on the right and with an instant flick with the outside of his foot, he played Yatesy clean through. There was still a lot of work to do though and as he approached their advancing keeper, he dribbled it around him with ease. The defenders had got back well though and as they stood on the goal-line, it looked as though there was no room for John to squeeze his shot. So he didn’t bother – and he made one of their defenders come out to shut him down – before dribbling it around him as well and slamming his shot into the roof of the net via the underside of the crossbar. Two goals in two games for Mr Yates and more importantly – we had a cushion now. This was more like it. 3-1…

Nathan had really shook things up out on our left and on the hour-mark, he was again pivotal in another great move from County. As he raced down the line, their full-back struggled to keep up with him – and he squared the ball at just the right moment inside to Robbo. Instantly Robbo fed it on as he saw Callum charging towards their box – and as he laid it off, there was Mr Chadwick to smash his shot in from all of 22 yards that gave their No.1 absolutely no chance of stopping it. A superb strike and proof that it looks as though we’ve converted him to a winger! 4-1 and surely we wouldn’t throw this away now…

All of the attacking play was coming from us now as it appeared that the visitors knew this one was done – but still we poured forward looking for more. Another fine move saw the ball land at Robbo’s feet again and he drove a great shot in that their keeper did well to parry – but we didn’t have anybody reacting quick enough and as the ball bobbled around their six-yard box, there was nobody following it in so the chance was gone. Ben then came into the fray in place of the tiring Alex Williams – who had run and run all game again – and with 13 minutes to go, this was about seeing this through now…

Once again Nathan was involved in our next attack – as we won a free-kick out on the right. Our winger seemed to hit a cross-come-shot that looked to deceive their keeper – but he adjusted his feet quickly enough to manage to tip it onto the bar and away for yet another corner. Across went Mr Bancroft and as he swung it in, there was Ben to slam his shot home from about 8 yards out! His second of the season and that was surely that now. 5-1 to Bolton County and that was job done – eventually…

Jude and Lewis came on in place of Liam and the Man of the Match Callum Chadwick and there was still time for some great ‘showboating’ from our Matty in net – who had seen a long ball from the Astley team roll harmlessly into his feet. He stood there. And stood there. And still stood there as he held the ball at his feet awaiting an away player to close him down. But they never did and for about 30 seconds he just stood there. Great knowledge of the game and excellent game-management from somebody so young. There was still time for us to nearly grab a sixth as well when Luke played a great through-ball into the run of Yatesy – but this time he could only hit his shot straight at the Astley keeper and the chance was gone. And that was that. Not long after, the man in the middle blew his whistle to end the game and it was County that claimed all three points – three points that didn’t look likely at half-time. The handshakes were done with pride and as both teams left the field of play, ithat unbeaten run was still intact and we move onto the 2nd round of the Lancashire FA Amateur Cup – with a trip over to take on Rochdalians at Springfield Playing Fields. If we play like we did in this second-half, then the hope is it will be our name in the hat for the third round draw. The lads gathered in the changing-rooms obviously still buoyant – and that idea of us being just as happy as before the game had come to fruition. We’re still unbeaten since July people – and that’s exactly what we were hoping to achieve as we arrived this afternoon. Great stuff – in the end…

Another successful day at the office then – after we had made it hard for ourselves in those first 45. We need to make sure that we start from that very first whistle every week in future now – and do not get involved in any of the silly stuff – as when we concentrate and focus, it’s going to take a very good team to beat us. A massive thanks to the bank of County ultras that are starting to come down and cheer us on now and we hope to grow and develop that over the course of this season as well. Things are shaping up nicely – and we’re really pleased to be able to say that…

#UpTheCounty!