Home incentive now play-off spot is secure

Kidsgrove Athletic 1 Runcorn Linnets 3

Runcorn Linnets earned the right to extend their season for a shot at promotion through the Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division play-offs.

Having qualified with two games to spare, Linnets can guarantee a home advantage in the semi-finals by winning both remaining matches.

Linnets secured a top-five finish with this victory as results elsewhere went in their favour.

Rivals Stalybridge Celtic, Vauxhall Motors and Lower Breck all lost.

With top two Bury and Avro out of reach, the question is whether Runcorn will clinch the third place needed for an APEC Taxis Stadium tie.

Fourth or fifth would mean Linnets having to travel.

It was no great surprise that the player grabbing the decisive second-half goals at Fitzjohn Stadium on Saturday was Harry McGee.

The New Year signing had produced some important strikes since reuniting with his former Widnes manager Michael Ellison at Linnets.

The midfielder's interventions brought an equaliser versus Avro and late winners against Chasetown and most recently Trafford.

After a relatively quiet opening 45 minutes in Staffordshire, McGee again turned on the style.

He forced a save from Aaron Woolrich just before the hour - the second major contribution of the match from the Kidsgrove 'keeper.

The sighter, set up by a good link-up between Scott Bakkor and Joe Ferguson, came in very useful when Linnets' matchwinner was played through by Sean Miller in the 68th minute.

Miller was hurt in the process and, having already survived an injury scare, he took no further part.

McGee made his team-mate's pain more bearable, however, with a lavish finish into the bottom left corner.

He delayed his shot for a split second, long enough to this time deceive Woolrich.

With results elsewhere still favouring Runcorn, McGee provided extra breathing space with his second goal - Linnets' third - in the 76th.

It was engineered by another player, who has made quite an impact in his brief time with the club. 

Strength, tenacity and determination got teenager Noah Roberts away on the left as he again demonstrated great composure for a player of such tender years.

McGee took Roberts's pull back in his stride to purposefully steer a shot inside the right post.

There had been little to choose between the sides before the interval and nothing in terms of the scoreline.

Now safe from the drop and having been lifted by a recent win and draw against promotion hopefuls Avro and Lower Breck respectively, the Grove came from behind to go in level at 1-1.

Runcorn had gone ahead in the 18th minute, Rain and Roberts having combined on the left to force two successive corners.

From the second, Roberts fed a half-clearance back to the taker Miller, whose looping first-time cross had Kidsgrove's defence in strife.

It was knocked off the goal line but straight to Bakkor. Runcorn's top scorer volleyed his 21st of the season at close range.

Runcorn had been forced into a late defensive change when Peter Wylie pulled out of the warm-up with an ankle problem.

This prompted a well-received return to the side for former Kidsgrove centre back Harvey Washington, after a family bereavement.

Before kick-off, the host club presented flowers in sympathy for the loss of his brother Louis.

With Washington partnering recent recruit Brendan O'Brien in yet another new central defensive combination - and there have been many over the season - Runcorn did well to restrict Kidsgrove's scoring chances.

But they couldn't prevent a 27th-minute equaliser.

Travis Capey fired home from a similar position - on the left of the box - to the goal which had handed Bootle a draw at the APEC seven days earlier.

That goal had come from a corner from the right - this stemmed from a throw-in on the left.

Runcorn would have regained their lead before the interval - but for an excellent double save by Woolrich to deny Noah Roberts a third goal in as many Runcorn starts.

Runcorn Linnets: Yusuf Mersin, Joe Ferguson, Matty Rain, Harvey Washington, Brendan O'Brien, Markell Foulds, Harry McGee, Jacques Welsh (Ryan Brooke, 71 mins), Scott Bakkor, Sean Miller (Louis Doyle, 69 mins), Noah Roberts (Naim Arsan, 77 mins). Subs (not used): Peter Wylie, Lewis Crane.

Attendance: 423.