Avro suffered late heartbreak at the hands of Bootle as a 92nd minute winner from Ben Hodkinson saw The Ro fall to a 3-2 defeat, with that being their first league defeat of the season. In a night of twists and turns, it will be a bitter pill to swallow for Avro as, despite a spirited comeback in the second half, it just wasn’t enough to claim anything from the game.
It was a quiet opening first 15 minutes, with both sides looking to work their way into the game. The opening chances of the game went the way of The Ro, with Jack Kenny seeing his header just wide from a corner and a great delivery by Adam Owen was failed to be met by anyone in the box.
The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute. After a late challenge by Adam Owen, Bootle were awarded a penalty and this was taken emphatically by Courtney Duffus as he fired past loanee debutant, Cian Shea.
It was almost an instant response from Avro as a driving run forward by Harry Salt resulted in his following attempt striking the post and being collected by the Bootle keeper preventing a follow up.
However, on the stroke of half time, Bootle doubled their lead through Joe Woolley. Just as Avro looked to be heading into the break a goal behind, it was a late blow to be heading in two down on what was a relatively even first half.
Avro started the second half a rejuvenated side with The Ro having all of the possession and playing at an intensity the Bootle defence struggled to cope with. This pressure paid off as, after a great ball through by Adam Owen, Kyle Hawley was there to half the deficit for Avro.
The pressure kept building and, just minutes later, Avro were level as Kyle Hawley scored his second goal of the evening and twice in as many games that he has found himself scoring two goals after his double against Bradford PA last weekend.
In the 80th minute, Avro had a great opportunity to lead the game for the first time when Harry Salt found himself free at the back post. However, he saw his header go just wide of the post. The Ro were just inches away from seeing themselves 3-2 up.
However, it was late heartbreak for Avro. On the counter, Ben Hodkinson was played through on goal and slotted the ball away into the far corner to seal the win for Bootle. This being far from deserved for a spirited Avro performance but it’s a lesson to be learnt for a young Avro side.
The Ro have a chance to respond this coming Saturday when we welcome Shifnal Town to The Vestacare as our league campaign continues.
