Latest news with #AthertonLR
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
LR battle to end honours even in Shakers friendly
LR's Harry Forshaw, right, in action against Bury. Picture by James Lobley Atherton LR kept up their 100-per-cent pre-season record with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Northern Premier League West side Bury on Saturday. The NWCFL Premier Division champions visited Crilly Park during last seasons pre-season which saw Alex Cherera volley home an 11th-minute goal to win the game for the Shakers a year ago. Advertisement This time the sides began with Bury holding most of the possession, however with a mix of trialists and first-team players, the opportunities did not take flight. Atherton LR fought their way back into the game and after 19 minutes the deadlock was broken. A defensive error allowed Cal Hunter to break down the wing and craft a deep run into the Bury box, eventually slotting the ball past Russell Saunders' far post. The quick start was a shock to the visitors who, despite controlling the game, had fallen behind and needed to respond quickly However, some brilliant defending by the Yellows fought off any chance Bury found and the teams entered the break with LR holding a narrow 1-0 lead. Advertisement The Shakers introduced their second-half XI, making major changes ahead of their reintroduction. Those changes were highlighted with the shift in tempo as Bury launched more chances towards Joe Bickerstaffe and his defensive line. The Shakers eventually found the net in the 77th minute, with Kai Evans finding a loose ball at the edge of the LR area, cutting inside and beating his man tp drill the ball home. The game was battled out until the final whistle with honours even. LR boss Dave Jones said: 'It was a good physical test for us against a good side. We knew it would be difficult and we would have to spend long times without the ball, but it's a good test and gives us a different sort of challenge than the other pre season games. Advertisement 'I'd like to personally thank Dave McNabb for bringing his side to us and all the Bury fans that travelled - it is not just a good exercise on the pitch it's also vital revenue for us off the pitch with a crowd of 530.' LR travel to Barnton on Tuesday for their third pre-season outing.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
New boy Tom grabs late Atherton LR winner at Garstang
NWCFL Division One North champions Atherton LR began their 2025/26 pre-season with a hard-fought late 2-1 win against Garstang. Heading into the fixture, LR were keen to test out their five summer signings, including Josh Eccles (former Fleetwood Town Under-21 player), Kieran Nolan, Kieran Alley, Harry Forshaw and the latest addition, Tom Lawless. Advertisement The last fixture between the two sides came during the previous campaign where goals from Tom Romano, Akim Samms, Harvey Sample and Cristian Mukoko saw a dominant 4-0 win at the Riverside in the league last November. In this friendly, Garstang took a quick lead after only 10 minutes as a chopping challenge give the referee no choice but to point to the spot. It was trialist vs trialist as Garstang converted with a well-taken penalty to take an early lead. LR were quick to respond with a break down on the wing by Joe Bacon and a lofted low cross inside the box found a trialist who converted the chance only two minutes after falling behind. Advertisement Both teams battled out a tense game with chances aplenty. Garstang held out LR's cutting edge with the second-half introduction of Forshaw and Lawless providing great link-up play Keeping up with tradition, it was a late goal to separate the sides with another trialist providing a cut back to set up Lawless who curled in an 89th-minute winner to give the Yellows a win in their opening friendly. Boss Dave Jones said: 'It was good to get everyone minutes, that's the important bit it was a workout for us after a tough few weeks of training. 'There were some positive individual performances and plenty to keep on working on as we strive to improve all the time, so to come away with everyone getting good minutes and no injuries is a good start.' Advertisement LR's pre-season win against Garstang means Jones has maintained his 100-per-cent record against the club - with five games played over the last two seasons and all five won. Jones' side return to action on home soil at Crilly Park tomorrow when they host Northern Premier League West's Bury FC in their second pre-season friendly (2pm).
