Colne gained another valuable point from a hard fought draw at Ramsbottom United on Saturday. In a game of two halves, it was the Rams who looked most likely to open the scoring before the break but the Reds gained the upper hand after the interval and should have won the game with a series of chances.
Some end-to-end play in the opening stages saw ex-Red Billy Hasler-Cregg’s dangerous cross deflected out for a corner and the resulting cross scrambled clear by the Reds defence. While at the other end, Luke Stowe saw his angled shot turned over the bar by Rams keeper Harry Turner.
But as Ramsbottom pushed forward, Glenn Steel headed away a dangerous high cross from his penalty area before James Murphy made a run to the bye line and shot across the face of the Colne goal. But as play swung to the other end, Oli Roberts created an opening for Craig Carney whose shot was parried by Turner and the ball cleared off Owen Watkinson’s toes by a defender in the Rams penalty area.
With half time approaching, the Rams came close when Tony Donaldson fired a shot just over the angle of the Colne goal in a good period of pressure for the home side.
As the second half began, Colne stepped up their attacks with Jake Wallace providing good crosses from the right wing into the Rams penalty area. And in a good build-up by the Reds Watkinson saw his close range shot deflected on to the post off the body of Turner on his goal-line. Enock Lusiama forced another save from Turner with a good run into the area and an angled shot on target.
But on the hour, it was Ramsbottom who almost took the lead when Murphy’s cross was met by Hasler-Cregg whose bullet header was pushed on to the crossbar in a spectacular save by Andre Mendes.
But Colne continued to create chances and after 70 minutes Steel’s downward header in the home penalty area gave Lusiama the opening for a shot which was deflected wide off a defender’s body. And the resulting cross from the corner was headed inches over the crossbar by Carney.
Ramsbottom replied with some dangerous attacks but the Colne rearguard defended well and in the closing stages the Reds created more chances in their search for a winning goal with Roberts forcing a good save from Turner with a goal-bound shot and Tom McCann’s run setting up Lucas Weaver for a shot which the Rams keeper did well to save.
But the Rams also came close on the stroke of full time when Ryan Jennings saw his well struck free kick fly just wide of the Colne goal with Mendes at full stretch.
The game finished with honours even and both sides must continue to fight to get away from the lower reaches of the table.
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