Senior B

BLACKBURN COMBINATION

Neales Waste Management Second Division- 2011/12

Blackburn United 4 - 2 Hindle Arms- Sports Council Cup. 19/11/11

Hindle Arm Heroes Eliminated by New Look Reserves

Blackburn United’s adventure continued in the cup as they stunned Hindle Arms with a comprehensive victory that saw them scoring four goals past the league leaders. Both sides put on an entertaining game for the supporters but it was the underdogs Blackburn United who went through after a master class performance.

United came out roaring through the blocks and were ahead thanks to some dazzling work by their new found left winger Yaseen Gotly, Jav Master crowned a sweeping passing move to give the Reserves a shock lead 2 minutes into the start. United kept pressing and created an array of goal scoring opportunities only to be denied by some last ditch defending and goalkeeping heroics. Hindle, who were struggling to keep the ball, withheld the pressure and were, rewarded a corner thanks to some slack defending. Inevitably, with set-pieces being their downfall this season, it was no surprise that Hindle managed to grab the equalizer midway through the first half due to some poor defensive marking.

United’s confidence was strong and they maintained the pressure on the Hindle defense and soon took the lead again thanks to a powerful strike by Arslan - his 5th of the campaign. Bash also converted from a few yards out – only for his effort to be ruled out.

Again same as in the first half United came out firing after the restart and were playing some exceptional football. Yet for all the football being played it was Reserve goalkeeper Uthmaan who was again in outstanding form after making a brilliant save which kept the Reserves ahead at 2-1. Crisp, sharp, agile and accurate passes followed keeping United roaring forward and eventually their dominance proved fruitful. Manya with an exceptional header that arrowed into the top corner and Arslan’s second strike put United 4-1 ahead. A score line which echoed around Pleasington.

Hindle Arms tried to use their superior height and experience to their advantage but United stood strong in defense. Kacchy, who attracted much criticism for his recent performances – was superb in what was to be one of many of United’s man of the match performances. Hindle did claw a goal back but in the end it was little consolation for them.

It was a satisfaction afternoon for all, especially manager Yunus Mogra and co/ assistant manager Ashif Patel who along with a flurry of fans celebrated wildly on the touchline. And why not, as they have just watched the new look squad play some brilliant football from start to finish.

A formation change and an inspirational team talk was the heart of Blackburn United’s mesmerizing performance that led many to believe the underdogs are genuine cup contenders. The team is in a boisterous mood and are looking strong contenders for the Sports Council Cup.

Hindle Arms 3 – 1 Blackburn United - 29/10/11

Blackburn United lost 3-1 to Hindle Arms after a lackluster performance. After falling behind as early as the fifth minute, they got back into the game during a good spell of pressure towards the end of the first half. They should have taken the lead within two minutes of the restart but Kazi’s tame spot kick was easily saved. United were then made to pay for that miss and fell behind after another slack piece of defending allowed the striker to ghost in and poke past the keeper. United broke forward towards the end of the game and got caught on the counter to leave empty handed. The victory for Hindle was their sixth of the season and kept them top of the table. United on the other hand suffered their fourth defeat of the season although they do have a game in hand on the rest of the teams.

As they have done before, United got off to a slow start and couldn’t get hold of the ball. Hindle were pumping long balls into the area and in the fifth minute it paid off. Faruk had a lapse in concentration and missed the ball completely when he attempted to clear, his air kick allowed the ball to bounce invitingly to the striker who had the easy task of lashing the ball home to open the scoring. United had to pick themselves up but were struggling to keep the ball, caused mainly by trying to play too quickly. After almost 30 minutes of the half United calmed the play down and managed to get a foothold in the game. They started dictating the pace of the game and started piling the pressure on the Hindle goal. After successive corners a pinpoint cross from Sid was met by Manya, and he guided his header above and beyond the keeper. The goal was just about deserved and the sides went into halftime with the scores level.

United started the second half where they left on in the first half and within two minutes of the restart they were awarded a penalty. Arslan raced past the Hindle defence and his shot could only be parried by the keeper. Waqar reacted quickest and he was brought down after he beat the on-rushing keeper to the ball. Kazi stepped up confidently but his kick was poor and lacked any conviction. The keeper was going the wrong way but still managed to get across and keep it out. It was a decisive moment in the game and allowed Hindle an opportunity to take advantage. They knew they had been let off lightly and were keen to make United pay for their wastefulness. And within 15 minutes of the miss Hindle got the all important goal that both sides were looking for, another long ball was the source and some slack marking allowed the ball to get through too easily. United were justified in their claims for a push on debutant left back Tayab, but the referee allowed play to continue and the striker went through and poked the ball in just before the keeper could get to it. United then had to attack and were leaving gaps at the back. Whilst attacking though, they were wasteful with their final ball, with substitute Bash and Waqar both guilty of poor passes when in good positions. Eventually Hindle did make the most of a counter attack late on in stoppage time. United only had two men back and Hindle managed to beat the offside trap, finished the game with a third goal to wrap up the three points. It was a frustrating performance by United and they will have been disappointed with themselves for not taking advantage of the chances they created, with Kazi having the best opportunity from the penalty spot.

Greenfield 1- 2 Blackburn United- 22/10/11

Blackburn United came from behind to beat Greenfield in an entertaining game. After conceding a late goal to lose last week, United did the same to their opponents to earn a deserved victory with a goal in the last few minutes of the game.

United started with purpose and dominated possession in the early stages, with Greenfield struggling to cope with the pace and movement of the United wide men. United had packed the midfield and didn’t let Greenfield settle at all, and then moved the ball forward quickly causing the fullbacks to get isolated. Waqar was a constant threat with his pace and only a lack of final ball caused the score to stay level until the break.

After the break the game continued in the same manner as the first half with United dominating possession and causing problems down the flanks. Against the run of play a long ball caused chaos in the United backline and a slip from Faruk ,making his debut after returning from a spell with Whalley Range, allowed the opposition striker to pounce and give Greenfield the lead. United continued to attack and Kazi got them level with a fine strike within 10 minutes of falling behind. And then Waqar had the ball in the net after a good ball from VA, only for the linesman to wrongly flag him offside. The linesman flagged the same player twice more in the space of 5 minutes and the game looked to be heading for a draw. But after Waqar chased a loose back pass, a hurried clearance from the keeper landed to Arslan 25 yards out, and he sent the ball back over the keeper to give United a priceless lead. Greenfield then piled forward and almost got level, only for stand in keeper Usman to pull off a wonderful stop flying to his top right corner. United held out and earned their first win under the new management to go above Greenfield in the league table.

United had dominated possession for most of the game but a combination of poor officiating from their linesman and some wayward final passes contributed to the game being close as contest. In the end it was a solid defensive performance and apart from a lack of concentration which lead to them conceding the opening goal, United had looked comfortable for most parts. The midfield trio of Panda, Sid and VA looked impressive and limited the opposition midfield to barely get into the game.

Blackburn Olympic 3 – 2 Blackburn United - 15/10/11

Blackburn United lost a pulsating game against Blackburn Olympic on Saturday from which they deserved atleast a point. United had recovered from a poor start to get back into the game in the second half, but the problems they are having from set pieces continued as they once again conceded a late goal to leave empty handed. After finding themselves 2-0 down against the league leaders, United gave a spirited second half performance and could have even won the game towards the end when they piled on the pressure. There were many positives to be taken, especially from the second half and in particular a wonderful strike from Muhammed (Panda) to level the scores. Both sides played their part in making the game an entertaining spectacle by playing some quality passing football and sticking to their attacking instincts.

The game started with Olympic coming quickly out of the blocks and caught United out with an early goal on the break. United hadn’t started at all and found themselves 1-0 down with less than five minutes on the clock. After their goal Olympic were confident and moved the ball around with a swagger demonstrating their position at the top of the league. United were defending well though, and were threatening with pace on the counter attack when they had the ball. United didn’t create anything clear-cut in the opening half but had a few half chances which could have caused problems had the final ball been right.

The second half started at a fast pace with United taking the initiative and finding gaps in behind the opposition fullbacks. As in the first half though, the final ball was poor and chances were being wasted. And against the run of play they were made to pay after a mix-up at the back. A back-pass was a yard short and the opposition number 10 pounced and wanted it more than the keeper. His flick was enough to take the ball rolling into the empty net and give the striker his second goal of the game in what turned out to be an interesting afternoon for him as he was later sent off for 2 bookable offences. United didn’t let their heads drop though and kept piling the pressure on, and in the 70^th minute that pressure finally paid off when Zak (Chati) finished off a move after a good pass by Waqar. And the goal galvanized United and they smelt blood. The game was there to be won and United threw caution to the wind by sending on Zain (Ramzu) and reverting to three at the back. And Ramzu almost made an immediate impact by sending a header towards the corner of the net only for the keeper to make a flying save to tip it round the post. United kept going and got the equalizer after a free kick was headed out and came to Panda 25 yards out. It was inviting to be hit and he caught it sweetly on the half volley, it hit a post and flew into the opposite corner for his first goal of the season. It was some strike to open his account for the season and United felt as though they had earned a point. With 5 minutes to go they conceded a dangerous free kick and were made to pay for some slack marking and a severe loss of concentration. It was an unfortunate goal to concede but that was the third time they’ve conceded from a late set-piece and each time it has caused points to be dropped.

Overall it was a highly entertaining game and a draw would have been a fair result but similar mistakes and lapses in concentration have cost United dearly. They gave the league leaders a tough game and made them look very ordinary in patches. Credit to Olympic aswell though, they didn’t crumble under pressure in the second half and took the chance when it came late on.