STASH under 10s 2 Rossendale United under 10s 0 THERE aren't many who can rival Manchester United when it comes to changing their team strip, but Rossendale's Joe Marcroft changed his three times in one match!

The talented, if a little temperamental, player started off in his Rovers top plus red bib but opted for something a little warmer after coming off for the first time following a bone-crunching tackle.

Then after going in where it hurts with STASH keeper Ben Prescott, Marcroft found himself caked in mud from head to toe.

"At least it will be good for your complexion son," said his mother as she tried desperately not to laugh as her son traipsed off the pitch for the second time.

Thankfully it wasn't too sunny and the mud did not dry.

But it took a major clean-up act to get the star player back into the action, this time wearing his third change strip of the game.

For when he was on the pitch he proved to be United's most dangerous weapon but it wasn't enough to break down a very strong STASH outfit.

And for once STASH did not have to rely on goal-machine Kieron Hopkinson to grab the goals, even though he was by far and away the best player on the pitch.

Wherever he picked the ball up he was a threat. And on more than one occasion he broke out of defence only to be foiled by the muddy goalmouth or the superb reflexes of Rossendale keeper James Frost

Ironically it was a sliced shot from Hopkinson that lead to the first goal when his effort fell perfectly into the path of Robert Thornhill who fired powerfully across the keeper.

Thomas Brierley and Lewis Ainsworth combined to nearly produced an equaliser but Ainsworth fired just past the post.

However they came closest to drawing level just after the break when Robert Marcroft rattled the cross with a fierce rising drive.

Then his brother Joe saw his effort go just wide and, in their best spell of the match, Ainsworth should have done better but also missed the target.

With Frost in fine form, it was always going to take something a little bit special for STASH to grab that all important second. And so it proved thanks to John Timmins.

The blond-haired midfield player picked the ball up in the middle of the pitch and attacked the Rossendale penalty area. And just as everyone expected him to unleash a shot he stopped, cut back and beat Frost inside his near post.

It was the breathing space STASH needed.

As for Joe Marcroft, it was a match he will remember for quite difference reasons.

STASH: Ben Prescott, Greg Horne, John Timmins, Robert Thornhill, Damion Little, Scott Dunderdale, Adam Houldsworth, Ross Wilson, Kieron Hopkinson, Mike Holden and Phil Slee.

Rossendale United: James Frost, Thomas Brieley, Robert Marcroft, Ben Wadsworth, Austin Haworth, Thomas Nolan, Lewis Ainsworth, Joe Marcroft

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.