James McShane’s second half header was the difference between the two sides as the home team came out on top in a tight encounter at Pavilions.

McShane broke the deadlock in the seventy eighth minute, nodding in unchallenged from close range from a Scott Burton corner, the third in succession in a brief period of sustained pressure.
There were few real chances created in the match by either side but there were three goal line clearances, a fine save, a disputed disallowed goal and a golden missed opportunity.
That came seven minutes into the match when John Kennedy’s reverse pass played in James Thomas but with only keeper Karl Wills to beat he placed his effort beyond the far post. For the remainder of the half, it was difficult to see where the opening goal would come from. Joe Gibbons and Kieran Quinn fired over from outside the area and when Shaun Chart found some space inside the right hand edge of the area, he blasted wide of the upright. At the other end, Ian Robinson fired into the side netting and Jason Carey headed over a deflected Robinson cross.
The second half improved in entertainment and the Reds immediately signalled their intent as Kennedy shot wide from the edge of the area inside a minute of the re-start. However Runcorn fired back and had two efforts cleared off the line within a minute. Firstly, a quick counterattack saw Carey denied by Conor Murphy and from the resulting corner, Steve Corris was in the right place to keep the scores level.
Then it was Darren Kinsey who who became proficient in the art of last ditch defending when, following a short corner, Thomas appeared to have set up Quinn for the opener until the Runcorn full back intervened with a fine sliding block.
Then came the moment of controversy. Joe Gibbons thought he had given the Reds the lead after he raced onto Thomas’ through ball. However, the officials deemed that Kennedy was in an offside position, which he was, but he was no where near where the ball was and the goal did not stand.
Michael Christopher denied Carey when his goal kick was returned by Burton and the Runcorn striker was the quickest to react to the opportunity. In the final quarter of an hour after McShane’s goal, the Reds couldn’t maintain possession enough to carve out an opening and so now must win both their final games to ensure third place.

Runcorn Town 1-0 AFC Liverpool
McShane 78′

Attendance: 127

Photo courtesy of Dave Williams