Ramsbottom Utd...1

Atherton Collieries...0

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED look to have unearthed a diamond in midfielder Darren Bowman.

The former West Bromwich Albion professional has Football League experience with the Baggies, and it showed as he ran things for the Rams to help them to their first points of the new season.

It was Bowman's corner in the 79th minute that enabled last season's top scorer, Russell Brierley, to get off the mark too with a close-range header after defender Mike Smith's fine run across the box had taken two Atherton men out of the game.

A breathtaking free-kick taken with the outside of his right foot from some 25 yards out deserved a goal and Bowman would have got one, but for a fine, one-handed save from Collieries' keeper Alex Lawler.

They were just some of the highlights from a performance by a player picked up from the non-league backwaters at the end of last season.

Bowman was playing his football with Leigh Athletic in the Lancashire Amateur League when a phone call alerted Ramsbottom.

It was obvious he should have been playing at a higher level, and Ramsbottom manager, Ken Bridge, invited Bowman along for pre-season training with the Riversiders.

The rest, as they say, is history and Bowman looks to be well on the way to securing a permanent first team spot with the Rams.

He didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts when he fell foul of referee Byrne after just four minutes -- but he wasn't the only one, as the Manchester whistler seemed determined to keep the lid on what has been a somewhat volatile fixture of late.

Bowman didn't let the yellow card phase him and he could have got on the scoresheet 14 minutes later with a fizzing shot that was just wide of the mark after being set up by another new boy, striker Mark Heyes.

Ramsbottom lost left back Mike Langhorn with a broken nose in the 32nd minute. He was replaced by former Manchester United apprentice Gary Gardiner, who went on to play an influential part in a game the Rams controlled from start to finish.

The one thing they couldn't do was put the ball in the net, but the pressure mounted, particularly after the break, and Chris Brookes was just wide with another effort following a 57th minute free-kick.

That was followed by Bowman's fizzing free-kick and seven minutes later Ramsbottom went even closer when Dave Yorke-Robinson headed a Gardiner cross aginst the bar, only to see it bounce down and back into play just before Russ Brierley slid in, looking to get a touch to the rebound.

Brierley made no mistake with that matchwinning header and Ramsbottom held on for a deserved victory that could have been enhanced by a few more goals and a penalty that was denied them just after breaking the deadlock.