Squires Gate 0 Bootle 1: Late goal sees Gate beaten by promotion hopefuls

The visitors dominated possession in the opening exchanges as they looked to go 19 games unbeaten.

Gate’s first chance of the game came after seven minutes when Gary Pett made a surging run from midfield but his shot ended up straight into the keeper’s arms.

Adam Sumner looked to pick out Riccardo Egidi in the box minutes later with a free-kick but the Italian couldn’t meet the cross.

Summer was again involved on the half-hour mark and was denied by a fantastic save from the Bootle keeper as his shot looked destined for the top corner.

The visitors had claims for a penalty turned down with five minutes of the first half left when Ryan Cox went down in the box.

Gate started the second half well and had a great chance early on when Joey Mullen played a great ball into the back post but Bootle cleared before Ric Seear could meet the cross.

At the other end, Dave Rossall made a goalsaving challenge inside the box after Sumner had been beaten for pace down the wing.

Gate continued to put pressure on the visitors who needed to win this game to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

With five minutes left though, the visitors scored when Carl Pears looked to have handled in controlling the ball before sending a rasping shot into the goal.

Although Gate applied some late pressure with Seear sending the ball over, that was how the game ended.

The loss sees Gate sat in eighth, but with two games left, they still have time to break into the top five.

Squires Gate: Povey, Mullen, Sumner, Davis, Rossall, Staunton-Turner, Boyd, Pett, Charnley, Seear, Egidi. Subs: Bamba, Riley, Gray.