Lancashire Sunday Trophy semi-final Success!

On a bitterly cold night not particularly conducive to good football, and a pitch so badly rutted it looked more like a well used rugby pitch, Success to the Plough took on Woodhouse Athletic at Atherton Collier's ground. There was good support for both teams as they were looking to book their first place in the final of the Lancashire Sunday Trophy.
 
Success, having lost the toss, kicked off playing down the slope and stunned Woodhouse by going a goal up with just 90 seconds played. From a free kick just inside the Woodhouse half, taken by Mason, Milne flicked on to Matt Jackson, and Jackson made no mistake slamming home at the far post.

This should have set Success up for the rest of the half but this proved not to be the case as Success squandered chance after chance with poor finishing. On the plus side, Success were creating the chances and were in total command of the game, camped as they were throughout the first half in their opponents half.

Chances were coming so thick and fast that had this been a boxing match the referee would have stopped the match midway through the half such was Success domination.

However, with the half-time whistle looming cam what so often happens in football, a goal completely against the run of play that brought Woodhouse right back into a game that should have been long dead and buried. Success lost the ball on the edge of their opponent’s penalty box and a route one long ball up field found a Woodhouse forward whose shot was half blocked but looped into the net.
 
Half Time: Woodhouse Athletic 1 - 1 Success To The Plough

With the Success players stunned at finding themselves all square, the half time team talk from Success management team was calm and measured and aimed at focusing the Success players on the need to take the chances they were creating and to kill the game off quickly in the second half.

A change of tactics saw Astley was pushed into midfield and with him operating down the left flank and Hayes on the right; this immediately made Success looked more balanced.

With Success again pushing Woodhouse constantly back, it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough would come and it was no surprise that Astley was the provider. He picked the ball up just inside his own half, beat three Woodhouse players and put in an inch perfect pass to Richard Helm who rounded the oncoming Woodhouse keeper and walked the ball into the unguarded net to give Success a two goals to one lead.

This time Success were determined not to let Woodhouse back into the game and they poured forward searching for the goal that would seal the game, Astley playing a major part not only in creating chances for his colleagues, but also getting on the end of a great cross from Todd Hayes to beat the Woodhouse keeper at his near post and give Success the goal their adventurous approach play richly deserved.

With the game effectively over in Success' favour, it was now simply a matter of if they could add to their goal tally and make the score line reflect more their domination.

With Success ripping Woodhouse apart, credit should go to the home team for not giving up but with Success in full flow with excellent pass and move football it was all that Woodhouse could do to hang on and keep the score respectable.

Simon Riley was running the show for Success, well supported by Hayes and Astley and on the rare occasion that Woodhouse managed to venture into the Success half, any danger was quickly and efficiently dealt with by the Success defence.

Woodhouse resistance finally crumbled in the last minute when a shot from Success defender Milne found the back of the Woodhouse net - the icing on the cake for what had been a sumptuous performance by a Success to the Plough team hungry to book a place in the final.
 
Full Time: Woodhouse Athletic 1 - 4 Success to the Plough
 
Success must now wait until next week to find out who they meet in the final at the Lancashire County Ground on Monday 7 April in the final (kick off 7.00 pm).