North West Counties League

AFC Blackpool 5 Silsden 0

SKIPPER Joe Mitchell apologised to the travelling Silsden fans after his side’s heavy defeat at the hands of their lowly opponents on Tuesday night.

The Cobbydalers went 2-0 down after just three minutes. Straight from the kick-off, Lee Guilfoyle stood off Richard Seear in the Silsden box allowing the striker to drive the ball past Ed Hall.

Being beaten after just 40 seconds wasn’t the return Hall wanted after re-signing for the club to deputise for the unavailable Danny Thorpe.

Things went from bad to worse when Hall handled the ball outside the penalty area and Kurt Willoughby’s shot from the free kick was deflected into the net.

Silsden improved after their poor start but despite some good crosses from Matty Moses and Talent Ndlovu, hard-working Chris Wademan was getting no change from the resolute home defence.

Hall then had another escape when Seear’s header came back off the bar.

Several times this season the Cobbydalers half-time team talk seems to have roused them but not this time. Within ten minutes of the restart they were 3-0 down. Seear was again on target after he won a challenge with Moses following a corner.

Moses was adamant that he had been fouled and his protests saw him receive a red card which left his team-mates with a mountain to climb.

A poor back pass from Martin Broderick conceded the corner which led to Blackpool’s fourth goal in the 80th minute.Hall missed it and John Shaw headed home.

Silsden’s misery was complete in the 85th minute when three defenders were beaten to the ball by Seears who completed his hat-trick.

The fans will be expecting a determined effort in the next two games which are both at home against Winsford United on Saturday and Barnoldswick Town on Tuesday.

AFC BLACKPOOL MacDonald, Nay, B. Seear, Carroll, Ford, Taylor, Hulme(Shaw 80), Bottomley(Richardson(70), R. Seear, Willoughby, Fleming(Green 85).

SILSDEN AFC Hall, Moses, Crabtree, (Dunne 74), Ryan, Guilfoyle, Mitchell, Broderick, Brooks, Hollindrake(Storrie 56), Wademan, Ndlovu(Elliott).