D&P Copperpot Cruise to Rochdale Online Cup Victory

D&P Copperpot 7 – 2 Birches
Rochdale Online League Cup Final

D&P Copperpot despatched their fellow Premier League opponents Birches in the Rochdale Online League Cup Final with considerable ease to claim their third piece of silverware after a successful season.

In blustery overcast conditions good football was not easy but Copperpot made it look so and some clinically taken goals ensured a comfortable victory against a spirited Birches team that could do little to stop the superior Copperpot.

It took just five minutes for Copperpot to open the scoring; Nick Dowsing raced on to an excellent through ball from Johnny Luker and from there the striker made it look easy by firing beyond Gary Smith in the Birches goal.

The goal did not seem to settle Copperpot however and they made a nervy start and Proctor should have levelled almost immediately but somehow put his free header wide.

Copperpot were looking uncharacteristically dodgy at the back and with fifteen minutes played Birches scored an unlikely equaliser, McWilliams with an excellent finish giving the stand-in Copperpot goalkeeper O’Neill no chance with a superb strike across goal from the right and into the back of the net.

The goal seemed to awake the Copperpot players and their midfield pairing of Barker and Davey Luker began to get a firm grip on proceedings.

It was Luker who created their second goal as a superb through ball left Walsh through on goal after beating the offside trap and he made no mistake in side footing the ball beyond Smith.

Two soon became three as Birches shot themselves in the foot, a defensive error from Jan Wormald gifted the ball to Dowsing and he scored his second with a sublime finish, chipping the ball over the advancing keeper and leaving a backtracking defender helpless as the ball sailed into the back of the net.

Birches fashioned a couple of late first half chances to get themselves back into the game. Excellent work by Proctor twice set Birches free down the right hand side but there was no-one on hand to get on the end of two dangerous balls across the box.

It was left to the Copperpot players to show them how to do it at the other end with a superb team goal which made the game all but safe for Copperpot. Superb interplay by Dowsing and Davey Luker set the former free on the left touchline and he crossed the ball straight onto Walsh’s foot and he fired an excellent volley into the far corner, again giving Smith no chance.

Copperpot wrapped it up minutes into the second half as Davey Luker scored his first of three second half goals in a man of the match display. An early corner was flicked on by Wayne Jopson and the unmarked Luker was presented with the simple task of tapping home.

Luker scored the goal of the game on fifty-five minutes after good work by his brother Anthony in holding up the ball on the edge of the Birches box and squaring the ball for Davey to turn past his marker and fire an unstoppable shot beyond Smith from twenty yards.

At this stage it could have been double figures for Copperpot as they entered the comfort zone against a tiring Birches outfit.

It was left to Smith in the Birches goal to keep the score line down and he produced some superb saves. Walsh and Barker were both denied with inspired one handed stops but there was nothing Smith could do to prevent Luker scoring his hat-trick. Dowsing provided the assist as he went free down the right and his ball across the six-yard box was met by Luker’s diving header to make it seven.

Birches regained some pride with fifteen minutes to play as McWilliams completed a brace as his free-kick from distance swirled in the wind and the stand-in Partridge keeper could only palm the ball into the back of the net.

The final fifteen minutes was scrappy from both sides as they waited for the end to come with the game over as a contest.

Walsh had a last chance to secure his hat-trick but again Smith did well to keep him out, whilst at the other end some comical goalkeeping from O’Neill provided some entertainment and in the end an open net for Doherty who somehow missed the target.

The final whistle arrived to put Birches out of their misery; despite their best efforts Copperpot were simply too strong going forward with attacking endeavour coming from all over the pitch that Birches were helpless to deal with and had it not been for Smith’s excellent second half performance it would have been more.

Michael Barker lifted the trophy for Copperpot before Davey Luker was, inevitably, presented with his man of the match award.

Without Luker, Copperpot would probably still have emerged victorious, with him, they were unbeatable.

See photos of the event by scrolling down the page.

The full set of photos can be viewed at:

www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/news_photos.asp?ID=6

Photos by Lambourne Images - www.lambourneimages.co.uk

Photos are available in four sizes:

6" x 4" £6 each or 2 for £10
7" x 5" £8 each or 2 for £15
9" x 6" £10 each or 2 for £18
10" x 8" £12 each or 2 for £20

To order, please forward your requirements along with cheque (made payable to Lambourne Images), including the following:

Return name and address
Email address if applicable
Filenumber(s) of images required
Number of copies required
Hard copy photo finish - gloss or lustre

ROCHDALE ONLINE LEAGUE CUP FINAL 2006
Lambourne Images
2 Lambourne Grove
Milnrow
ROCHDALE
Lancs
OL16 4YA