Match Report

FC United came from 2-0 down to snatch a last gasp 3-2 victory against Ramsbottom United to record their first victory in five games and put a difficult couple of weeks firmly behind them.

The Rams scored two goals on the counter attack in either half before frustrating the Reds with some resolute last ditch defending, but United dug deep to overturn the deficit and send the 2,924 fans home happy with a late Christmas present.

Captain David Chadwick started the comeback 17 minutes before the end by heading home the first goal from a corner, Alex Mortimer coolly converted a penalty for the equaliser after Rory Patterson had been upended in the box and a volley by youngster Nicky Platt grabbed the winner with just two minutes remaining to thwart the Rams’ raid.

The Reds didn’t get the afternoon off to the best of starts and it was the visitors who had the better of the opening exchanges applying a lot of early pressure on the United defence.

They got their reward on 12 minutes when midfielder Steven McDonald ran down the left wing to stretch the United defence before finding Carl Lomax in the box. Chadwick may have got the last touch but either way the visitors took the lead.

The Rams could easily have doubled their lead just two minutes later. McDonald skilfully jinked into the box and with only Sam Ashton to beat he curled his effort over the bar and into the relieved Manchester Road End

It wasn’t until 20 minutes in that United started to wake up and come into the game. Rob Nugent saw his header tipped over the bar on 23 minutes by the Rams goalkeeper Martin Campbell.

Campbell nearly gifted FC a goal four minutes later when he could only parry Stuart Rudd’s lame shot forward but he recovered well to save the follow up shot from Danny Allen.

The Reds’ best chance of the first arguably came on 38 minutes. Platt’s through ball was controlled superbly by Allen and set him up nicely. The young Reds striker did everything right accept slot home past Campbell who was looking in fine form.

Ramsbottom started the second half just as they had the first; the brighter and their second goal of the game came after just 60 seconds of the restart. Lomax’s shot was deflected home by Nugent into the path of debutant full back Liam Foster who put the ball past his own keeper. It was a cruel blow for Foster who rarely put a foot wrong whilst deputising for the injured Matty Taylor.

The second goal forced a double substitution by manager Karl Marginson as he looked to change things around with the introduction of pace and trickery in the form of Patterson and Dave Swarbrick.

The substitutions certainly did the trick as United sprang into life and the impact was nearly instant. On 67 minutes Swarbrick delivered a near perfect corner that found Chadwick, however, the skipper’s bullet of a header flew over the Rams goal.

Six minutes later Swarbrick’s corner again found Chadwick; this time there was a different result as the captain’s header found the back of the Rams goal.

The goal lifted Margy’s men and they were now pressing for the equaliser, which came on 83 minutes. Patterson was hacked down in the box after turning two defenders cleverly and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Mortimer surprised some supporters by stepping up to take the spot kick, but he made no mistake, curling his shot to Campbell’s right.

With seven minutes still to go on the clock the crowd felt there was a winner left in the game. In all fairness to Ramsbottom they never gave up and were throwing men forward themselves looking to win the contest, but it was the home side that found a winner two minutes from time.

A long throw into the box wasn’t dealt with properly and Platt fired the third and decisive goal from the edge of the box and gave United an invaluable three points. The Reds have four games in hand and are three points behind leaders Salford City, who drew 3-3 at home to Maine Road.

John Hill