Bacup Borough 3 AFC Blackpool 2: First defeat of season for Martin Baird's side

Danny Pickering returned to the side for this North West Counties first division north clash and there was a debut for former Blackpool Under-18s captain Brendan O’Brien in midfield.

Martin Baird’s side made the brighter start and took the lead in the eighth minute as Jacob Gregory latched on to a through-ball to round the goalkeeper and slot home.

The lead lasted only three mintues before Bacup pulled level, catching AFC out with good play down the left. Bradley Hancock beat keeper Dan Hall at his near post with a powerful shot.

Gregory continued to cause havoc on the right, while new signing O’Brien was influential in midfield but it was the hosts who took the lead a minute before the break.

Again the goal resulted from effective play down the left before Lewis Hughes made it 2-1 at the interval.

Blackpool boss Baird introduced Oscar Radcliffe and Billy McKenna for the second half and both made an impact.

Jacob Gregory switched to the left, leaving McKenna to pose problems on the right.

Both sides created chances but it was Bacup who extended their lead on 66 minutes.

Space opened up from a corner to leave Bacup one-on-one with Hall, who caught the legs of the attacker trying to round him and conceded a penalty.

Fortunately Hall was not the last man – Oscar Radcliffe was behind him – and so escaped with a yellow card but the keeper could not stop Michael Gervin’s penalty, fired down the middle.

Baird responded by introducing Ellis Wilson, with Ben Duffield also ruffling Bacup feathers. And with five minutes left, Gregory squeezed between home defenders to earn a penalty. Duffield found the right corner from the spot, just as he had against Nelson a week earlier.

Late goals have been a feature of Bacup’s games this season but AFC could not force one. Blackpool are second after six games, a point behind leaders Bury AFC.

Blackpool: Hall, Hughes, Dawson, Pickering, McLean, Higham, Gregory, O’Brien, Duffield, Aspinall, Morris; subs: Wilson, McKenna, Radcliffe, Buchan.

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