A thrilling game at St Helens Road ended in disappointment for the royals as they were on the receiving end of a killer blow in a game that witnessed seven goals and many talking points.
The Game started with a frenetic pace which rarely dipped during the 90 and both sides produced good attacking play in the opening 10 minutes with the youthful and impressive Rainford side edging it.
The first goal came for the Royals on 14 minutes. A well worked corner saw Gamble take, Knott flick on and Merrie volley home at the back post. This has become somewhat of a feature in the Royals opening games this year and again they capitalised going 1-0 up early on.
Rainford responded throwing men forward and balls into the box, but they struggled to create opportunities against a strong Smith and Stockley at the heart of the Royals defence. Kinney showed signs of class on the left and was the threat throughout the first half, creating opportunities for Broomhead up front.
The Midfield put in plenty of effort closing down the ball and the determination of both sides boiled over a few times in what became a tempestuous affair with Smith and Knott picking up bookings.
On 40 minutes The Royals gave away a corner and having dealt with all that Rainford had thrown at them relatively comfortably it was frustrating that they again threw it all away by not picking up properly and conceding from a corner. The sides went in 1-1 at half time.
Early in the second half the Royals gave away a cheap free-kick which was converted from the edge of the box by the Rainford defender. 2-1 down but worse was to come.
On 52 minutes the major incident occurred as the striker ran through onto Paxton in the Royals goal and a somewhat 'aggressively high' challenge later, Paxton lay injured and the ref waved on. Feeling aggrieved the royal’s players and staff made their feelings known and their disappointment was compounded by the news that Paxton had to leave the field of play to be replaced by Foot in goal.
'Two minutes later a third was added with a mix-up between Jackson and the 'inexperienced' keeper Foot gifting Rainford a third. A disappointing few minutes for the Royals.
The never say die attitude that the royals have adopted was evident as they responded to adversity with a determined and energetic attitude from back to front. It took until the last 10 minutes for them to get their reward. A long punt up field caused problems in the Rainford back line and Broomhead harassed and pressed and somehow managed to scramble the ball home to give the royals hope.
On 88 minutes Royals won a free kick wide. Kinney took and Smith was on hand to head home. A great comeback from the Royals and reward for their effort.
The Last few minutes of the game saw a nervy Royals snatch at the ball and the composure needed at this stage was lacking. Countless silly fouls were given away and it resulted in a killer blow. After a Davies push Rainford put a free kick right under the keeper, and the inexperience didn’t help the indecision of Foot and the ball ended up in the back of the goal. A heartbreaking end to a thrilling game!
The Royals will have to learn from their mistakes otherwise they will struggle to reach their targets for the season ahead.
