Linnets come off second best at Khalsa

Sporting Khalsa 3 Runcorn Linnets 1 

Report by Dave Bettley; pictures by Neil Thornton

No goal! Peter Wylie raises an arm in celebration but Linnets 'equaliser' is ruled out.

Linnets' first visit to Willenhall isn't one they will remember with any fondness.

It brought heir fourth loss of the Northern Premier League West season and a performance, which was worth nothing other than defeat. 

Runcorn were second best in the first half and despite raising their levels after the break, they were unable to get back on terms because of poor finishing.

A home side which gave it everything to get out of the botto foue trebled their lead in the last 10 minutes before James Steele netted a late consolation on his second-time-around debut for the visitors. 

Manager Brad Cooke described his side's showing before the break as 'flat', Runcorn struggling and ultimately failing to match the verve and enthusiasm of the West Midands hosts. 

Linnets should have been two up inside 20 minutes but instead found themselves a goal in deficit to a team they had already beaten more than comfortably at home, 4-1. 

Chay Tilt gave Sporting Khalsa the early lift they had been desperate for when Runcorn allowed him freedom to fire home from 25 yards in the 14th minute for the first of his two goals.

Runcorn created precious little in open play in the first 45 minutes but set-pieces had provided a big chance either side of the deadlock breaker. 

From a Matty Rain free-kick on the right, Adam Rooney brought the ball down only to hoist his effort over the bar. 

Runcorn thought they had equalised in the 20th minute from a corner, again delivered by left back Rain from the same side of the pitch. 

Dec McLoughlin fires in an early shot from distance but first-half chances in open play were few and far between.

The second ball fell to Peter Wylie, whose celebrations at what would have been only a sixth Linnets goal on his 227th appearance were controversially cut short.

The assistant referee had raised a flag with Khalsa appealing for offside but there were defenders on the goalline. 

Consultation between the referee and touch judge resulted in a baffling decision to disallow the effort. The referee eventually gestured there has been a tug of the shirt.

Marcus Cusani was the alleged culprit but nobody else inside the ground had seen anything untoward. 

Spot the ball - action stations in a crowded box as Sporting Khalsa are forced to defend.

Buf if Linnets travelling fans had hoped the decision would rile their team into action, they were mistaken. 

The Black Country side could have put more distance between the teams at the interval.

Linnets were relieved that further home attempts, a shot and a header, had both lacked the power to cross the line before being cleared. 

Cooke introduced the returning Steele at half-time but a triple change approaching the hour was a clearer indication of the boss's dissatisfaction with his side's efforts. 

All three came in midfield areas, centrally and out wide, but the Linnets manager also highlighted in a post-match interview failings in attack and defence.

He also made it clear that recent changes in selection were due to inconsistency and not about rotation. 

Adam Rooney and Harvey Washington in the thick of it.

Substitutions livened up Runcorn's play but not their finishing.

Three shots in the same attack were blocked, saved and sent wide, respectively. Naim Arsan hit wide and even top scorer Scott Bakkor headed straight at the 'keeper from an inviting Steele cross. 

Oskar Rosenblatt became the fifth to join the match off the Runcorn bench and his first involvement created another opening.

But Lewis Doyle's shot flitted the wrong side of the left post. 

Khalsa had posed less of a threat in the second half but in the 83th minute, they put the game to bed with substitute Gurjit Singh hooking home. 

A disappointing afternoon for Runcorn was completed two minutes into stoppage time.

A challenge born out of frustration brought a caution for Harvey Washington on the left of the area from where the impressive Tilt caught out Bayleigh Pasant at the near post with a superb free-kick. 

The names of Jacques Welsh, Bakkor and Arsan had already been taken, along with Khalsa's Sam Fitzgerald.

James Steele back in a Linnets shirt and getting his goal account back up and running again.

Runcorn still had the appetite to pull a goal back with Steele firing in off a post for his second Linnets goal, almost four years after the first.

There have been a lot more for Widnes in between and while his reply came far too late to spare Linnets from defeat, it was further proof of the player's ability in front of goal. 

Runcorn dropped three places to ninth after this result and others elsewhere. But they will play two catch-up home games this midweek before any of the teams above them return to action. 

Clitheroe visit on Tuesday, four days after knocking National League outfit York City out of the Isuzu FA Trophy on penalties. 

Friday brings Atherton Collieries, a club Brad Cooke served as a player, captain and manager, to APEC Taxis Stadium. 

A couple of wins would lift Runcorn to second. However, they will need to play a lot better than they did on Saturday to get there. 

Runcorn Linnets: Bayleigh Passant, Peter Wylie, Matty Rain, Jacques Welsh (Markell Foulds, 56 mins), Adam Rooney (Oskar Rosenblatt, 80 mins), Harvey Washington, Lewis Doyle, Dec McLoughlin (Eden Gumbs, 56 mins), Scott Bakkor, Lewis Crane (James Steele, 46 mins), Marcus Cusani (Naim Arsan, 56 mins). 

Attendance: 265.