Crane goes down a storm with a hat-trick in record-breaking game of firsts
- dbettley
- Oct 5
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 9
Runcorn Linnets 7 Bury 0
By Dave Bettley
In a tie, which could easily have been devalued by Bury bringing an Under 21s side, Linnets really cashed in to make efforts to get it played at the third attempt well worthwhile.
Runcorn chalked up a club record score in the Isuzu FA Trophy against a young Shakers side, which was blown away as Linnets grounds team defeated Storm Amy.
The inclement weather had raised the prospect of a postponement to follow an earlier abandonment, caused by the rain, and a subsequent rearrangement of the fixture due to Runcorn's Emirates FA Cup involvement.
It was perhaps fitting in light of the visitors' team selection that Lewis Crane, top scorer with Linnets' own Under 21s, should floor Bury with the first hat-trick of his senior career.
He had hitherto scored only once in Linnets first-team outings, all but two of his previous 18 appearances having (like this one) been off the bench.
Ironically, Crane would instead have been appearing on dual registration in the North West Counties League for Ashton Town had their game not been called off.
In the event, and to Bury's ultimate regret, he made it to the APEC Taxis Stadium to be included as a substitute and was introduced just beyond midway through the first half.
These were his maiden goals for the open-age side at APEC Taxis Stadium.
Oskar Rosenblatt, Runcorn's 18-year-old loan capture from Chester, also helped himself to two, one in each half, and he almost trebled up.
Rosenblatt was foiled late on by one of a few good saves by Samuel Grady as the Shakers 'keeper turned the young Runcorn wideman's shot from the right wide of the left post. Grady conceded seven but saved the visitors from defeat by double figures.
Brad Cooke had blooded another of Runcorn's own Under 21s prospects, midfielder Billy McNay at right back and the youngster acquitted himself well.
He was a close contender for man-of-the-match until Crane weighed in with his third goal from Runcorn's second penalty.
McNay, seen in action above, was partnered on the opposite side of the pitch by Ben Dobbie, left back in the North West U21s Development League side.
Also keen to get involved, in tandem with Naim Arsan ahead of him, Dobbie was enjoying a second involvement at senior level with Runcorn - two and a half years after his first off the bench.
With 20-year-old Harvey Washington playing at centre back in front of loanee 'keeper Harvey Bardsley, 19, there was a youthful look to the Runcorn line-up as well as Bury's.
But with all due respect to the Skakers youngsters, there was only one team in it.
With a strong wind at their backs and the slight slope in their favour in the first half, Bury made a decent enough start, keeping Runcorn at bay until the 28th minute but without posing any great threat the home goal.
Runcorn went in front when Arsan was brought down by Bury right back Faeth Abdulkadar.
The winger took the penalty himself in the absence of top scorer Scott Bakkor, who was a late withdrawal after originally being named in Runcorn's starting line-up.
Arsan sent Grady the wrong way in steering his kick inside the right post.
Rosenblatt volleyed in the second from a 44th-minute move involving Crane, Arsan and also Marcus Cusani, who was having a big influence, firstly as a makeshift central striker and on Crane's introduction in the No.10 position.
Cusani (pictured above) had also seen two long-range efforts dealt with well by Grady.
The second goal made what was already a daunting task for Bury even more exacting but it was after the turnaround that Runcorn really began to flourish with the conditions now benefiting them.
Two minutes in, Jorge Dwyer found Cusani, who was thwarted by the Shakers 'keeper again. Crane was, however, alert to the rebound, opening a 3-0 lead.
Washington saw a headed goal disallowed for offside after centre back colleague Adam Rooney had nodded on Arsan's corner at the near post. But it only delayed the inevitable.
In the 50th minute, the understanding between two U21 team-mates led to Runcorn's fourth as Crane came off his defender in typical fashion to connect with Dobbie, who will have been delighted with the assist.
Ten minutes into the half, Markell Foulds and Sean Miller returned from injury with Foulds, whose absence had been the shorter, running the show in midfield as Runcorn enjoyed more time and space than they would usually be afforded.
The fifth goal came in the 70th minute, Adam Rooney the latest contributor to a day of firsts as Miller's left-wing corner found the big defender lurking menacingly beyond the far post. He headed in to open his Linnets account.
This prompted the arrival of regular full-backs Joe Ferguson and Matty Rain. But with McNay and Dobbie doing so well, boss Cooke was quite happy to leave them be.
Ferguson slotted into central midfield with Rain to his left.
Foulds's influence was reflected by his part in Linnets' sixth as he slipped Rosenblatt through in the inside right channel.
The angles had proved too acute when he'd found himself in similar positions earlier. This time he cut inside onto his left foot to roll the ball past the overworked Grady.
If this sounds all one-sided, it's because the match was exactly that, especially in the second half when there was very little respite for the game but understandably outclassed visitors.
Crane rightly had the final word when he was fouled inside the Bury area and, like Arsan before him, got up to dispatch the spot-kick himself.
Victory earned Linnets a place in the Third Round Quallifying in which they will entertain Morpeth Town on Tuesday, the Northern Premier League Premier Division side making a long midweek trip from Northumberland.
Runcorn Linnets: Harvey Bardsley, Billy McNay, Ben Dobbie, Lewis Doyle (Markell Foulds, 55 mins), Adam Rooney, Harvey Washington, Marcus Cusani (Sean Miller, 55 mins), Jorge Dwyer (Joe Ferguson, 70 mins), Declan McLoughlin (Lewis Crane, 25 mins), Oskar Rosenblatt, Naim Arsan (Matty Rain, 70 mins).
Attendance: 825.
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