Boro Share Spoils with AFC Knowsley

Bacup Borough were forced to settle for a point against AFC Knowsley as the visitors battled to a 1-1 draw at the Brian Boys Stadium.

Borough came into the game on the back of an impressive 4-1 victory over Garstang FC, with Billy Blake returning between the posts. Kaiden Barlow missed out through a hamstring injury, while Jay Luker and Josh Walne came into the starting line-up.

Borough made a positive start and should have taken an early lead when a cut-back found Walne around 10 yards out, only for the Borough man to lift his effort over the crossbar.

The hosts continued to build well throughout the opening period, with their passing and movement causing problems for the visitors. However, despite plenty of promising attacking play, Borough were unable to find the final ball or finish to match their approach work.

Ben Taylor and Adetunji Ogundeji proved a constant threat for Knowsley, forcing the Borough defence into a determined and resolute display. Aiden Lancaster and James Bartholomew continued to provide attacking options from deep positions, while Jake Townsend regularly looked to exploit the channels.

Despite Borough enjoying the majority of possession, it was Knowsley who struck first.

With Luker penalised for a foul around five yards outside the Borough penalty area, James Anderson stepped up and produced an excellent left-footed free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the bottom-right corner.

It was a superb finish from the Knowsley number seven, but a bitter blow for Brent Peters' side going into the interval.

Borough continued to dictate possession after the restart and once again created promising situations, but the elusive final ball into the box continued to frustrate the hosts.

On 60 minutes, Borough finally got their reward.

Townsend was brought down inside the penalty area after some excellent work down the left, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot. Kyle Siddle stepped up and calmly sent Knowsley goalkeeper Liam Sergent the wrong way to bring Borough level.

Kyle Siddle stepped up to put Borough level from the penalty spot

With the game there for the taking, Peters made changes as Charlie Cowin and Emmanuel Ujahahuku were introduced as Borough looked to push for a winner.

However, the Knowsley defence remained resolute, with Callum Rivers and Kieran Murray standing firm and dealing with Borough's attacking pressure.

Indeed, it was the visitors who could have snatched all three points late on, but Borough were indebted to some excellent goalkeeping from Blake, who produced crucial saves to ensure the points were shared.

In the end, Borough had to settle for a point, but there were plenty of positives to take from another competitive performance.

The result brings a demanding August nearly to a close, with Borough suffering just one defeat during the month. The squad now has a week to prepare for another tough test, as Peters' side travel to the Fylde Coast to face Thornton Cleveleys, who have made an impressive start to the campaign.

After a busy opening month, Borough will head into the next fixture knowing there is plenty to build on.