Poulton Held in Dramatic 3-3 Thriller Against Burscough Richmond

Late Drama and Heroic Saves: Poulton and Burscough Share the Spoils in Thrilling 3-3 Draw

Poulton and Burscough Richmond played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in a match filled with drama, goals, and late heroics. Despite falling behind early, Poulton roared back with goals from Tyler Hallan, Corey Harrison, and Billy McKenna to take a commanding lead. However, Burscough refused to back down, scoring twice in the second half to level the game. The visitors nearly snatched victory in stoppage time, but Adam Ridings’ superb penalty save ensured Poulton held on for a hard-fought point in a game that had everything.

First Half

The match began with Burscough taking the lead in the 4th minute, as Richmond slotted the ball past eventual MOM Ridings, giving them an early 1-0 advantage. However, Poulton responded quickly. In the 22nd minute, a long ball forward found Tyler Hallan, who held off his defender and played a smart pass wide to Ryan Charnley. Charnley, in turn, squared the ball back to Hallan, who calmly tapped home to level the score at 1-1.

Just seven minutes later, Poulton took the lead. After a short back pass, Hallan capitalized on a defensive mistake, beating the keeper but getting fouled in the process. The referee pointed to the spot, and Corey Harrison confidently stepped up to smash the ball down the middle, making it 2-1 to Poulton in the 29th minute.

Poulton continued to press, creating several chances. In the 35th minute, some excellent play in the final third found Freddie Kenyon on the edge of the box. Kenyon danced past two defenders but could only fire into the side netting. Three minutes later, Poulton had another opportunity, this time from a corner. Threlfall-Newton rose to meet the delivery, but his header lacked direction and went wide.

In the 39th minute, Poulton extended their lead to 3-1. Will Andrew delivered a fantastic ball into the box, and Billy McKenna was on hand to volley the ball home with clinical precision, giving Poulton a comfortable lead going into halftime.

Second Half

The second half saw early chances for both sides. In the 51st minute, Poulton came close to extending their lead when Freddie Kenyon clipped the top of the crossbar following a clever reverse pass by Corey Harrison. Despite the near-miss, Poulton remained in control, until the 65th minute, when Burscough had a great chance to reduce the deficit. A well-placed cross into the box found a Burscough player, whose header from point-blank range was brilliantly saved by Poulton’s keeper, Adam Ridings. Hallan had 2 one-on-one chances to further increase the lead but the condition of the pitch did enough to ensure the final touch bobbled straight through to the keeper, unharmed.

The tension increased after a rare lapse in concentration gifted Burscough a penalty in the 67th minute, resulting in them slotting it home making it 3-2. The game was now very much alive. Poulton made a change shortly after, with Toby Scammell coming on for Kenyon in the 68th minute.

Poulton had 2 further great chances to seal the game in the 75th minute when Scammell also found himself one-on-one both times with the keeper, but once again only to see the condition of the pitch be enough to force his shots off target on both occasion. As the game wore on, more substitutions were made, with Rob Douglas and Callum Dickinson coming on for Harrison and Hallan in the 79th minute, and Adam Jennings replacing Billy McKenna in the 82nd minute.

The match reached a dramatic climax in the 88th minute when Burscough equalized to make it 3-3, sending the match into a tense final few minutes. In the dying moments of injury time, Burscough were awarded another penalty, with the chance to snatch all three points. However, Adam Ridings was the hero this time, diving low to his left to deny Burscough and unjust victory and preserve the draw for Poulton.

The match ended 3-3, a thrilling contest full of drama, chances, and heroic saves. Both teams will be disappointed not to claim victory, but Poulton can be proud of their performance and resilience throughout.

Manager’s Comments:

Manager, John Wigglesworth had this to say: “We are obviously gutted with letting the lead slip in the manner we did, but I have to once again take my hat off to the opposition. They are a fantastic team and it’s why I still believe they will be champions at the end. We can take credit and positives from this but must also be clinical in finishing these golden chances we’ve had in games, as they have prevented 3 points on several occasions now. Having said that, the attacking football the lads are playing is fantastic and we are certainly moving in the right direction. We rest up now with an air of excitement for what we will do in 2025!“

Next match, the lads are home to Coppull United on 4th January.