Ramsbottom United...1

St Helens Town...1

A GOAL two minutes from the end of normal time took the shine off Andy Grimshaw's first match in charge of Ramsbottom United, writes STEVE BOTT.

The former Rams midfielder took over after previous boss Mike Kelly decided to step down after last Saturday's 0-0 draw at Alsager.

And everything was going swimmingly as the Rams' defence kept St Helens danger man Lee Cooper in check and Russell Brierley put the home side ahead with a classic header on 39 minutes.

United failed to capitalise on this in the second half and allowed St Helens to come into the game more and more until an equaliser became almost inevitable.

Cooper had given an early indication of the threat he posed in the third minute when he sent a shot screaming just over from Danny Salt's right wing cross.

While play was fairly open and end-to-end, that was the closest we got to a goal until the 25th minute when Rams' midfielder Mark Brown, with his back to goal, flicked the ball against the underside of the bar from Scott Thomas's free-kick.

Cooper replied nine minutes later when he turned onto Chris Bermingham's unorthodox high pass into the box, only to shoot straight at Ramsbottom keeper Simon Marsh.

He was rueing that missed opportunity five minutes later when Brierley headed home firmly after Thomas's smart cross from the left put the chance on a plate for the Rams' striker.

While Brierley won praise for his finish, a save from Marsh two minutes from the break brought gasps of admiration from the crowd as he somehow got his tall frame down quickly to smother a shot from Steve Leahy that looked destined for the back of the net following a goalmouth melee.

Marsh was in action again four minutes into the second half, saving a header from Paul Heavey, but there was precious little goalmouth action after that until the 78th minute.

Cooper turned Liam Bowden and got in a shot that Marsh blocked. The Rams keeper showed great reactions to get across and save the follow up from Heavey.

There was precious little he could do about the St Helens equaliser though as Matt Farrell's initial effort pinged off the right-hand post and rolled across the face of goal for substitute Graham Mitchell to tap home.

The Rams had a chance to snatch victory three minutes into stoppage time, but Phil Wood got across well to cover the near post and force Dale Fielding to blaze over the bar.

A pity the Rams' otherwise excellent defence couldn't have held out for a few minutes longer to give Grimshaw a start he could really be proud of, but there were still plenty of positives for him to work on.

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Marsh 8, Goodall 6, Fielding 7, Bowden 7, Walsh 7, McCoy 7, Brown 7, Thomas 7, Brierley 6, Lomax 6, Walker 6. Substitutes: Reilly, Orrell, Blore.

The Rams are at home again on Saturday (October 12) when they entertain Flixton in a league game (kick-off 3pm).