Late goals provide thrilling ending for West Lancs 'Groundhop'

First up, two stoppage time goals gave Eagley a 3-1 win at CMB as they continued their unbeaten start to the Premier Division season in front of 392 spectators.

The hosts were first off the mark, though: CMB have a habit stretching back into last season of starting brightly and they did just that, Dylan Winstanley firing one into the net within the opening 60 seconds.

On the eighth minute Eagley got themselves back into the game after a tough start, as the referee pointed to the spot, and the number 11 Finlay Stafford tucked it away from 12 yards.

Carl Grimshaw and Winstanley had good opportunities for the hosts just before the half hour, as did Cole Collins and Sam Crook for Eagley after the restart.

Grimshaw and CMB had the ball in the net in the 70th minute but he was judged to have been in an offside position

Eagley were the team who were knocking on the door the most in the final 20 minutes of regular time, with Collins fizzing a drive from range wide and Alfie Cowen forcing a comfortable save from Joe Leather, and they were rewarded for their effort.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Eagley broke forward with pace in a move finished off once again by Stafford who found the corner with a fierce shot.

Harry Waterhouse made sure of the victory four minutes, capitalising on the freedom of the pitch and finishing calmly.

The result sees Eagley return to the top of the table, having recorded five wins and two draws from their opening seven this season.

Manager Neil Hart spoke after his side’s “late late show”.

“I think we weren’t at it in the first half, we turned it into a second ball game, and in the second half we got a lot more control of possession, once we did that we put some phases together and created a lot of chances.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen then right at the death we get ourselves a couple of goals, so I’m delighted with the win.”

Hart continued: “At the minute, we’ve got an incredible togetherness and spirit and I think that’s getting us through in some difficult situations so it bodes well.”

CMB boss Will Archer said: “It was a good game, the lads carried out the instructions, just to be patient because they have a lot of possession, and we did it well.

“It’s the story of our season really, we’re not putting our chances away which is costing us late on.”

Speaking about the occasion, Archer said: “It’s absolutely brilliant and good to have a big crowd on, it’s great what the league have done. It made for a good occasion.”

A few hundred yards away, the second game of the day got underway soon after, and it saw more twists, turns and late drama.

In a tightly contested game, Tempest United edged out Rossendale 3-2.

The match was the highest-attended fixture of the weekend, with 470 watching the WLFL Groundhop curtain-drawer.

In a similar fashion to the game that came before it, this clash started in energetic fashion, with Josh Firth netting the earliest goal across all Groundhop games, scoring after just 18 seconds in a busy Rossendale box.

The ever-reliable Scott Wylie equalised for Rossendale with a cushioned header on nine minutes after a pinpoint cross from Jack Mouncey.

Tempest’s Sam Parkinson found space down the left and opened his body up to take a shot but Josh Lucas was equal to it at his near stick.

Rossendale found themselves ahead with just less than half of the first 45 played, as Will Foster burst into the box, beat his man and then the ‘keeper, before his effort nestled into the goal.

Jordan Pendlebury levelled things up once more on 29 minutes after an alleged handball in the visitors’ box.

Wylie, Liam Gould and Killian Mabey all tried to get Rossendale back ahead midway through the second half but saw their opportunities go wide.

With two minutes to go until the final whistle, Tempest scored the winner, with a fast move from one side of the pitch to the other for the hosts, substitute Nathan Monson tried his luck from range and the Rossendale backline were caught out by the movement of the ball as it found its way in.

Tempest manager Ross McNair had a balanced view post-match: “I thought it was a poor game, from our point of view.

“I don’t think we were good on the ball at all, we huffed and puffed and [the game was] a bit scrappy but at the end of the day, we’ve won the game and that’s all that matters.

“It’s been a brilliant occasion, it’s a great club, a lot of the locals have come out to support us.

“From the league’s point of view it’s even better, bringing money into these clubs for days like this, so I think everyone’s made up.”

Rossendale joint manager Jonathan Heap was disappointed saw the positives in his side’s performance and said his side “deserved something out of the game”.

“The game was there for the taking, we don’t take our chances, they do and that’s it.

“I said to the lads ‘enjoy playing in front of these many people’ because they’re rarely going to get that opportunity, Tempest have done a great job here today and hopefully one day we’ll get the same opportunity to do the same thing.”

League Chairman and Fixtures Secretary Andy Hosker was proud of the attendances and the performances that have come off the back of the Groundhop.

“It’s been amazing and it’s far exceeded my expectations.

“The weather has been absolutely superb for us, the crowds have come out and I hope everyone has enjoyed it and that all the clubs have made a profit.

“A lot of ‘hoppers’ have been through it over the weekend and complimented me on the league, the standard of football, the grounds, they were astounded at a couple of them.”

Speaking about the four-year Groundhop agreement, Hosker said: “Every club will have the opportunity to host a game, so that every club will get the chance to make a lot of money.

“The clubs and the crowds have been great.”

Chris Berezai from Groundhop UK said: “It’s been absolutely fantastic.

“The grounds have been lovely, the settings have been stunning and they’ve all been well supported by local people, obviously there’s a lot of ground hoppers here too.

“The atmosphere throughout has been top notch and the standard of play has impressed a lot of people here.

“Many didn’t know what to expect but they’re pretty happy with what they’ve seen.”