Radcliffe 1-4 Witton Albion

Radcliffe 1-4 Witton Albion

Northern (Unibond) Premier League

Saturday 26th September 2020

Witton's Scott Bakkor will receive all the post-match plaudits owing to his quality first half hat-trick, although if you exclude the hosts' appalling start, this was actually a closer game on the balance of play than what the scoreline would suggest.

Lee Fowler's side, regrettably, found themselves 2-0 down inside 10 minutes due to a combination of complacent defending, sloppy mistakes, bad marking and ineffectiveness - the warning signs of which were all present even in the short period that the game was goalless. They simply allowed their opponents to get into troublesome positions from where they could inflict punishment far too frequently which meant they left themselves with the proverbial mountain to climb.

Witton, playing up the sloping pitch during the first 45 minutes, opened the scoring through Bakkor inside five minutes when he rode a couple of challenges, had space to shoot, and ultimately unleashed a bullet 25-yard shot into the top corner which Radcliffe 'keeper Cameron Belford had zero chance of saving. A one-goal lead then became a two-goal cushion on nine minutes when the striker finished with aplomb once again after a neat lay-off by Will Jones.

Though it could have been 3-0; the talisman scuffed a shot wide despite being in a good position, Radcliffe finally settled into some sort of rhythm around the midway point in the first period. They began to knock the ball around with some purpose and ask some questions of Witton's defensive capabilities as both Andy Owens and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro forced saves from visiting 'keeper Chris Renshaw in relatively quick succession.

Nevertheless, just as the hosts had established a foothold and seemed to be playing on the front foot, they conceded a third goal following a classic, breakaway counter-attack just past the half-hour mark - something which put the result beyond any reasonable doubt. A Radcliffe set-piece move broke down, a clearance was made from the back and the ball reached Bakkor in the centre circle. With plenty still to do, he showed superb composure and accelerated away from the nearest defender and into a one-on-one with the 'keeper, whom he rounded and finished to complete his hat-trick and claim the match ball.

Radcliffe pressed and probed, made substitutions and had plenty of possession, thereafter - especially in the second half as they forced their opponents into more defensive work. In truth, because they'd royally shot themselves in the foot with their pathetic start, they had little other option than to take a 'Gung Ho' approach and just go for it and they came close when a free-kick clipped the upright.

Witton, nevertheless, always looked more dangerous going forward and they would have further extended their lead to 4-0 had Nick Ryan's shot following a corner not been cleared off the line, moment before Bakkor was also thwarted in another one-on-one with Belford.

Eventually the hosts did reduce arrears with Matty Crothers getting on the score-sheet from a free-kick from the edge of the box on 79 minutes, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal as Witton quickly re-established their three-goal advantage with Will Jones tapping home a rebound following a good move. 

On the whole, for the visitors, it was a performance that suggests they could quite feasibly do alright this season - they were simply clinical and ruthless in both boxes when it mattered and there can be no complaints about the end result. For Radcliffe, aside from the dreadful defensive mistakes, had they not also come up against such a sturdy Witton defence, plus a goalkeeper in excellent form who thwarted them on several occasions, they could have quite feasibly found a way back into the game. Perhaps against worse opponents they would have, but it wasn't to be in this game.

The overall standard was much better than anticipated. It was an entertaining game; it was open, it was tough and combative at times, it was competitive, both teams had to work hard and ultimately, it only reflects well on the division as a whole.

Individually, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro showed glimpses of his quality upfront for the hosts - even if he didn't get on the score-sheet. That was due in part to a terrific individual performance by Steve McNulty. Now 36, the centre-back showed no signs of ageing as he marshalled the back-line with effortless ease and organisation and I'd argue that he looks in better shape right now than he did a few years ago when he was ripping things up in the Conference Premier with Fleetwood, Luton and then Tranmere.

He's some player, even in the twilight years of his career, and if Scott Bakkor, at the opposite end of the pitch, continues to be as ruthless infront of goal as he was in this game then his team will be a real handful and pick up quite a few points. 

Radcliffe, in my opinion, aren't a bad team either; they just completely killed themselves by conceding two goals so early on - from which point it's hard to get a good result! Nevertheless, you could see what they were trying to do when in possession and going forward so if Lee Fowler can sort out their problems and vulnerabilities at the back then they'll be tough opponents for others.

At present though, they're a 'work in progress' and Witton are ahead of them in what they're doing.

Next Up: Frickley Athletic vs Belper Town (in all probability) on Tuesday.