BORO TAKE THE MICKEY

Rossendale 1 Boro 3

WORTHINGTON Cup, UniBond Challenge Cup, who said anything about Mickey Mouse?

While managers at either end of the football scale continue to treat their League Cup competitions with the contempt they don't deserve, this particular offering turned out to be a real treat.

Both sides chose to rest key players, but the quality of football didn't suffer, though the choice of away kit did raise a few eyebrows amongst the Radcliffe faithful. Like all good things, it grew on you, though some of the players looked like they needed to grow into the shorts in particular. Stanley Matthews, the turn of the century, leather spheroids and stolid custodians sprung to mind as Boro trotted out in their green and white hoops and white shorts, courtesy of new sponsor, local estate agent Stephen Burns.

Celtic they weren't, but they put up a pretty good imitation as they locked horns with their UniBond Division One promotion rivals and came out on top after virtually running away with the game in the second half.

Ian Lunt, wearing Lou Macari's No10 shirt, but looking more like right back Tommy Gemmell, tested Rossy's stand-in keeper Billy Carrington in the eighth minute with a shot that lacked full power, but still had Carrington at full stretch to tip away.

Simon Kelly, pushed up into a midfield role in the absence of Mark Dempsey and Scot Wilson, hit a post when it seemed easier to score on 13 minutes, unlucky for some. Rossendale had a great opportunity to take the lead on 17 minutes when Craig Sargeson set up Mark Patterson in the box with a slide rule pass, but the former Blackburn Rovers, Bolton and Sheffield United midfielder skied his shot way over the top.

Simon Kelly did get it right 11 minutes later when he slammed in a close-range shot after Tony Whealing's left wing corner bounced off Richard Landon straight into his path.

That's how it stayed up to the break and Lunty could have made the game safe minutes into the second half, but he somehow shot wide of an open goal from close in. Cows' backsides and banjos were the talking point after that.

It looked like Rossendale were going to make Lunt and Boro pay a heavy price when substitute Steve Cunningham drilled in a neat shot in the 62nd minute to level it.

Not a bit of it. Lunt rose like a young salmon, well a middle-aged one then, in the 66th minute and sent a glancing header just wide of the far post.

Jody Banim, sitting it out up to now against his old club on the bench, was sent on in the 74th minute as the lure of the three points became too much for Boro boss Kevin Glendon.

It worked a treat, for after Lunt had set up Kelly for his second goal a minute later with a smart square pass in the area, Banim claimed his 12th goal of the season in the 78th minute.

Eamon Elliott was the architect this time, passing neatly for Banim to fire into an empty net from the right.

It could have been more as Boro turned on the style in the late stages and Rossendale were reduced to trying to exact some physical retribution that the referee for some reason seemed reluctant to stamp out.

Fortunately no-one was seriously hurt, but some of those tackles will no doubt linger in the memory around Boxing Day and Easter Monday and, of course, in the Group Four return at Stainton Park.

RADCLIFFE BOROUGH: Hurst 6, Battersby 7, Landon 7, G Wilson 8, Price 7, Whealing 8, Walker 7, S Kelly 8, Elliott 7, Lunt 8, Collins 6. Substitutes: Bean (for Battersby, 64 mins) 6, Banim (for Collins, 74 mins). Not used: Farrelly. Attendance: 252.