By Liam Price, photo by Jonathan White
The Dabbers’ final game of September is the toughest challenge thus far with a trip to unbeaten league leaders Bootle on Tuesday night (7.45pm kick-off).
Putting the Boot In
It has been a simply blinding start to the season for Bootle. 12 games in all competitions and 10 wins. A 100% winning record in the league after 7 games. The most goals scored in the league and the joint fewest conceded.
Dig into the numbers further and it’s even more impressive. They have scored 4 goals or more on 8 separate occasions already this season. And in their last 7 games they have kept 6 clean sheets. Recent wins have come against Kidsgrove, Congleton and Vauxhall, all without conceding, in fact they haven’t let a goal in in the league since 18th August.
Another thing to consider is that 5 of their 7 games in the league have been away from home. Work on converting their pitch to a 3G surface has meant some of their home games have either been reversed or played at Marine, but they are back there now, so if they’ve been this good barely playing in their own ground imagine what they’ll be like now.
Last Time We Met
It was a 3-1 win for the Dabbers over Bootle in December thanks to goals from Aidy Roxburgh and 2 from Alex Panter.
Players to Watch
It’s not often you see players with more goals than appearances, but that’s what Ben Hodkinson has at the moment, with 8 in 7 games.
Matty Fenton has 4 in 7 games, then there are 3 players on 2 each. The tight defence contains names like Anthony Miley, Jay Roberts and goalkeeper Joe Mason.
Match Information
Tickets are £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £3 for U16s. They are available with card or cash on the gate or online HERE.
If you’re going by road, Bootle are advising to plan extra time for your journey as Bridle Road is one way due to roadworks. The street is in the immediate vicinity of the Berry Street Garage Stadium.