Oh what a night! 10-man Linnets triumph against all odds
Runcorn Linnets 3 Hanley Town 2
Report by Dave Bettley; Pictures by Ben Jackson
Every so often as a football fan, your team pulls out a performance and result to remember when everything seems to be going against them.
Managerless, depleted, down to 10 men for an hour and a goal adrift to opponents who had just ended leaders Bootle's 100% winning start, Linnets turned in the kind of display, which supporters have been craving.
The players gave everything they had for skipper - and acting boss - Jacques Welsh in a remarkable backs-to-the-wall effort, which yielded three uplifting points.
Nobody could argue they didn't deserve them.
Runcorn blew the fifth-placed visitors away with a high-octane attacking display and then defended stoically as Hanley attemped a comeback of their own.
After such a traumatic week and the testing three months the hosts have endured, it felt extra special.
The task now is to make sure it is a turning point.
Caretaker manager Welsh was at the heart of it all, leading by example in midfield.
This was his 215th Linnets appearance and he admitted that few have been more satisfying.
With a scratch side and only two fully-fit substitutes, Runcorn looked to have it all on against a team high in confidence.
Yet even in the first half, Linnets were adventurous, producing more shots than at any time during the campaign.
Noah Roberts, on the left, was particularly troublesome as Hanley 'keeper Caleb Clothier and his defenders were fully occupied. The only thing missing was a goal.
Linnets were undeterred by the loss of front man Conor Harwood to injury before the half hour.
But the dismissal of midfielder Frank Denison for a second cautionable foul with 55 minutes to play, had been potentially devastating.
The situation became worse in the first minute of added time when Jack Van Der Laan struck against the run of play.
The Hanley skipper pounced at close range on a cross from Fin Pattison to steal a lead for the visitors.
Linnets could have been forgiven for feeling sorry for themselves. But they didn't. Far from it.
The interval saw them regroup, reorganise and re-emerge even more determined.
Fin Ryan, who had impressed on his Northern Premier League debut but was on a yellow card, was withdrawn so that Connor Day could be introduced in midfield.
Day, schooled in the Academy at Hanley's neighbours Stoke City, caught the eye with some incisive runs.
Other half-time changes saw Roberts switching to the right wing and Rushton to the left.
The most extreme move was substitute Lewis Bell's from attacking on the right to defending on the left. He would play a big part in the recovery.
Linnets continued to make light of their one-man disadvantage but were denied a penalty when Roberts appeared to have been bundled over on the right of the area.
It was easy to forget at times that they were playing with ten such was the all-round endeavour and sheer will to get players upfield.
Runcorn duly got back on terms in the 62nd minute with Nick Rushton's seventh campaign goal.
Lewis Bell's speed of thought and movement created the opening as he intercepted, sliding the ball through for Rushton to steer a left-foot shot past Clothier into the right corner.
The belief was only heightened and not content, Linnets kept advancing - sealing the deal with two goals in four minutes.
In the 78th, Lewis Bell released Rushton again - this time out wide on the left.
The former Wrexham forward's close control had been excellent all njght, so too his decision making.
Rushton took on Hanley's defence on the outside and was amply rewarded as his low cross was buried by Roberts from inside the six-yard box.
Joy soon turned to delirium. Lewis Buckley, after outmuscling his marker from Calvin Hare's long kick to the Clubhouse End, thundered home a stunning volley, catching the visiting 'keeper off his line.
Bucko has found it hard to settle since a summer move from Lower Breck to his hometown club. This was a renaissance moment.
Linnets had put bodies on the line all night, Welsh and Kian Bell making stand-out interventions i the second half, and they had to survive a late onslaught with Hanley forcing the issue for the first time.
The menacing visitors pulled a goal back with six minutes of normal time remaining. But Runcorn had the bit between their teeth and were in no mood to let go.
In the last minute of the five added, Hare pulled off an astonishing reflex save from a header at a free-kick.
It brought a corner from which Kian Bell headed defiantly off the line.
It had been that kind of night - all 14 players on duty pulling together in a triumph, which will hopefully ignite their season with a new manager yet to be appointed.
Linnets should expect a bumper turnout on Saturday for the home derby against 1874 Northwich.
'74 have have, along with Hanley, returned to NPL West from the Midland League Premier Divison - with memories still fresh of their Play-off Final victory over Northwich Victoria at APEC Taxis Stadium.
Runcorn Linnets: Calvin Hare, Ollie Southern, Fin Ryan (Connor Day, 46 mins), Jacques Welsh, Kian Bell, Jack Byrne, Conor Harwood (Lewis Bell, 28 mins), Frank Denison, Lewis Buckley, Nick Rushton, Noah Roberts (Harry McGee, 88 mins). Subs (not used): Sean Miller, Peter Wylie.
Attendance: 454.
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