Bamber Bridge 2 Colne 5
Colne produced an unbelievable second half turn-around to lift the Lancashire FA Challenge Cup with a dramatic five goal scoring spree against Bamber Bridge at the County Ground on Tuesday night.
The Reds had reached the final by beating Padiham in the semis but faced the daunting prospect of playing a side from two leagues higher in this one-off final tie.
Colne got off to a good start and created some scoring chances in the opening period and Reds striker Lucas Weaver was twice denied by fine saves by the Brig keeper.
But as the half wore on, Bamber Bridge came more into the game and after 28 minutes Michael Potts outpaced the Colne defence on a through run and gave his side the lead with a good finish.
The goal lifted Bamber Bridge who took control of the midfield and on the stroke of half time doubled their lead when Billy Bould cut in from the left wing before striking a low shot into the far corner of the Colne net.
At this stage Bamber Bridge were clearly the favourites but in the first minute of the second half Colne gave themselves a lifeline when Jamie Edwards raced clear on a through ball and beat the advancing keeper with a well placed shot.
Colne sensed an opportunity to get a foothold in the game and after 55 minutes a high cross into the Brig penalty area caused panic and Billy Priestley fired a rising shot from 12 yards into the net off the underside of the crossbar to level the scores at 2-2.
Colne took control as Bamber Bridge faded and the Reds took the lead after 76 minutes when Weaver finished a good move with a firm shot past the keeper.
Brig pushed forward looking for an equaliser but left themselves open at the back and Colne exploited the gaps as Weaver broke on the right wing and cut inside before beating the keeper with an angled shot to increase the Reds lead to 4-2.
Again Brig tried desperately to find a way back into the game but found Colne keeper Charlie Monks in great form behind a resolute defence which stood firm under pressure.
And Colne finished off the game in style in added time when Billy Hasler-Cregg cut in from the left wing and found the net with a low shot under the keeper to complete Colne’s tally of five goals.
Go the Reds. Fabulous finish!