LDV Vans Trophy Northern Section second round

Bury 2 Notts County 3

(County win on Golden Goal)

SOME players have first team debuts to remember, some to forget and you couldn't have witnessed two more contrasting examples than those seen at Gigg Lane on Tuesday night. Firstly, there was youngster David Borley, a skilful and inventive midfielder who looked the potential class act everyone who has seen him performing in the Shakers reserves for the past two seasons have been saying he is.

And at the other end of the scale there was rookie 'keeper Glynn Garner whose extra time howler gifted Notts County their golden goal winner to leave him distraught on what should have been a night to remember.

In Garner's defence, it was a ghastly night to be a goalkeeper.

The first half was dominated by a gale force wind while in the second period and extra time the match was played out in a virtual monsoon. And it was the saturated pitch conditions that played a part in his gaffe four minutes from the end of extra time.

An innocuous ball ran straight to him and ninety nine times out of a hundred it would have been a straightforward take for the former Llanelli man.

But when the ball skidded off the wet surface and Garner arrived at the ball too quickly for the conditions and it somehow spilled off his chest into the path of former Manchester City striker Danny Allsopp and the grateful Aussie fired into an empty net - albeit past co-striker Tony Hackworth who was in an offside position.

It was a heartbreaking way to lose a game the Shakers should have wrapped up well before then.

Just minutes earlier Jon Newby squandered two superb chances to put the Magpies out.

His first saw him race clear on goal and with only Steve Mildenhall to beat blast the ball against the 'keeper's legs.

Then he struck a first time effort on the turn narrowly wide with the goal at his mercy after the County defence left him with time and space.

Add to that a first half header that struck the crossbar and you'll gather it just wasn't to be for the former Liverpool striker. Sam Collins was another man who was out of luck on the night. Twice he could only watch with dismay as he powered in two goalbound headers only to have them cleared off the goalline by Notts defenders.

It seemed the gods of football had decreed that one trip to Cardiff a season is enough for the men from Gigg Lane!

The night looked promising enough as early as ten minutes into the game when Ian Lawson calmly slotted home after a magnificent run and reverse pass from the mercurial Borley.

But after 32 minutes slack defending returned with a vengeance after Saturday's shutout and Hackworth was allowed to force the ball home from close range after Allsopp was allowed an unimpeded run into the box.

Allsopp put Notts in the lead just before the hour mark when he was first to react to Darren Caskey's near post corner kick and forced the ball home through a crowd of players. But that goal seemed to waken the Shakers from their second half torpor and Danny Swailes levelled two minutes later with a looping header from skipper Paul Reid's precision free kick.

The Shakers went on to dominate the rest of the second half and had numerous chances to grab a winner.

Collins curled a right foot effort from the edge of the box that Mildenhall had to be alert to save and Reid completely missed his kick with the goal at his mercy after another mazy Newby run opened up the visitors' defence.

"It wasn't a great spectacle or one for the purists but we created enough chances to have won the game," said manager Andy Preece.

"We gave away two sloppy goals but once we pulled it back seemed to regain our confidence.

"But what happened to Glynn can happen to anybody and he had a good game all night and didn't do anything wrong until that happened.

"But that's what happens if you are a 'keeper, if you make a mistake like that you get punished. He'll learn from that and bounce back."

"As for David Borley he was the one man who was getting us playing and did a lot of good things.

"It was a promising debut for a young kid, remember he'd still be a scholar but for us giving him a full professional contract!"