Blues heroes self-destruct DAVE Burgess watched Clitheroe keep their finger on the self-destruct button for the entire first half of the FA Vase semi-final clash at Taunton and declared: "I don't know just what went wrong."

The southerners scored five times during that desperately disappointing period for Clitheroe, who also had defender Mark Stewart sent off for a wild foul.

The Ribble Valley men managed to re-group for the second half on a damage-limitation exercise, but the tie is surely up well in advance of next weekend's second leg.

"We just threw it away," said Burgess. "I am not for one second trying to take anything away from Taunton who are a very good side, but we simply plotted our own downfall.

"We were so disorganised it was unbelievable and the five goals came directly from our mistakes.

"At the interval it was hard to know what to say because the damage had been done by then but I just asked them to go out and play for some pride.

"To be fair to the lads, they responded brilliantly, not only denying Taunton any further goals, but also managing to create some decent chances despite having just 10 men on the pitch.

"The first half was a nightmare and all we can do back at our place is to set out to beat them and then whatever happens happens. I'd love to think they would come up and play an open game, but I very much doubt it." Goals from Fields (10), Kelly (18 and 24), Bastow (29) and Lynch (41) did the damage as Clitheroe failed to come to grips with Taunton's quick-moving front line on a sloping pitch in difficult conditions.

Torrential rain didn't help matters and there was even a suggestion, perphaps tongue in cheek, that the referee was considering abandoning the tie at half time!

It was a bitter disappointment for Clitheroe who have played so well to get to the semi-final stage of a major competition which has its final at Villa Park next month. It was hard to know what to say at the interval We just threw it away