Being our first season as Breightmet United, the gaffers got together before the season started and discussed the 'levels' of this squad and what could be for the 2024-2025 season - and after the first three games where we'd scored 12 goals and conceded none - it was going better than anybody expected. But as the games went by, we dropped silly points, had crucial injuries at the wrong times and saw our promotion chances fade away with the 2-3 defeat Old Blackburnians Reserves. But not all was lost - as nobody could have dreamt of us making the last-16 of the Lancashire FA Amateur Cup where we lost to the eventual winners - and as we all awoke this morning, none of us would have thought we'd be 90 minutes from a Cup Final. But we were - and it was the small matter of a trip to the League Champions that was all that stood in our way...

Bury GSOB had clinched the LAL Division 2 title a few weeks ago and knowing that they'd only lost twice all season meant that we knew we'd have to be really on top of our game - but we knew that we would be more than a match for them if we turned up here. We proved that when we hammered them 7-0 at Moss Park and then went to theirs in October and put in a shoddy performance to come home with a 3-4 loss. This was going to be interesting that's for sure. It was a bit strange going to play a Semi-Final of a Cup at the home of the opponents - but over to Buckley Wells we went in the hope that the 4-mile journey home was going to be a buzzing one...

The boys were in a buoyant mood as they arrived and with the music pumping in the dressing-room, we got ourselves ready. There were some faces missing for this one as well - with Robbo serving the first game of his two-game ban and Gatesie having done his MCL at QEGS in the last outing - but as always, we had enough available to more than match any team. It was good to see Keegie back from his knock and Marko back in the 16 - so as the lads made the long trek to the pitch, the excitement levels were building....

And talking of the pitch, it looked lovely as we walked towards it - and with our boys out there and kicking a ball about more than 10 minutes before the hosts, we looked up for this alright. The team was announced - and it saw us sticking with a 4-4-2 shape that would see balance on both flanks with solidity and strength through the central core of the team. Mitch was in net and the back-four in front of him was to be Nathan and Ste at full-backs with Chris and Keegie in the heart of the defence. Alex and Marko were tasked with being the engine-room that kept ticking us over and with Lewis and Ben on the flanks, we knew we'd have loads of pace of skills to run at their full-backs. That meant the two up top for this one were to be Charlie and Yatesy - meaning we had Liam, Logan, Mo, Jay and Rav on the bench. Wayne set about his instructions and they really were simple for this - win everything! Every header, every tackle, every 50-50 - we had to start this game with an intent that showed our opponents we were just here to make up the numbers. Passion. Determination. And heart. Those were the requirements out there today and we had 90 minutes to make this a successful season. The lads really did have a steely look in their eye and as they made their way onto the pitch, they were warmly applauded by the almost 80 Breightmet United fans that made their way over to cheer us on. We made this feel like a home game despite it being in Bury - so now the lads had to go out there and do those fans and themselves proud...

Minutes before kick-off, we saw the opponents' goalkeeper making his way towards the pitch - the one and only Angry Ginge - and with he skippers having completed the formalities, the game got underway. It wad the hosts that started the quicker and within the opening 2 minutes, they managed to force a serious of corners that we managed to defend well and as the game settled down, we started getting into it. There were already some really good individual battles starting - with Chris and Keegie knowing they were in a game with their strikers and Nathan and Ste working hard to fore their wingers out wide - and as our midfield started to see more of the ball, it was us that began attacking. Our first chance of note came on 6 minutes when the ball was played into the space in front of Yatesy and he managed to sprint past their centre-half before curling a good shot with his left foot - only to see it fly just wide of Angry Ginge's right-hand upright. It had been a good opening to the game however wasn't any good for the nerves...

We'd been working on our throw routines in training during the week and from our first one today, Ben launched it in to see a multitude of heads go up to get it - and the ball smashed against their crossbar and out for a corner. Charlie went across to swing it in - but he could only hit it over the players coming in from the back-post and the chance was gone. We were looking likely now though...

Marko saw a good effort flash over the bar from about 25 yards out and although it was a pretty even encounter, at this point it looked like if there was to be a goal scored, it would be us that got. Each and every one of our lads looked switched on, were working hard for each other and it was looking good from the side-lines. The hosts though they'd seen a good chance on 13 minutes as a good ball through the channel saw their striker free on his way towards our box - but Keegie and Chris had stepped up at the right time and caught him offside. The home bench were loud in their protestations but on went the game...

Another good move saw us work the ball from Ste on the left, into the midfield and then back to Chris who sprayed it across the park in front of Nath. He surged down the wing and slid a great ball into Ben - who dropped his shoulder and left their left-back wondering where he'd gone before curling one with his left-foot that was almost identical to the one Yatesy did earlier - and it had the same outcome as it screw just past the right-hand post. We were getting closer now though and just needed to get that first goal...

And then it came. And what a goal it was! Considering we'd worked on these in training, Wayne was furious as he saw his lads lining up nowhere near where we'd discussed and as he was busy making his feelings known, Ben launched another exocet missile into their penalty-area - and in between the huddle, there was our Lewis to jump up with his back to goal and connect with a superb overhead kick that saw the ball speed towards goal from about 14 yards out and Angry Ginge was left stranded as the ball smashed into the back of his net. What a finish! Lewis' team-mates sprinted to celebrate with him and as the United fans were going mad, it seemed that Wayne and Brian were the only ones looking on knowing that this was just the start of today's topsy-turvy afternoon. 1-0 and we were in front...

We had the bit between our teeth now and were looking for more - however we still had to be aware of the hosts as we knew they'd come back at us - but so far, we were dealing with whatever they tried to throw at us and Chris and Keegie were making some superb chalenges anf blocks to keep them from getting through to Mitch. All over the park, our players looked to be playing with a belief and a confidence that showed they knew their capabilities out there and with Alex and Marko bossing the midfield battle, we were seeing a lot of the ball in good areas. Bury GSOB did win a free-kick on the edge of our box on 21 minutes and as we lined up our wall, the shot came underneath it - and Keegie calmly laid it to his right into the path of Nathan who looked up and spotted Yatesy 1-on-1 with their centre-half - so he crafted a great ball over the top only to see Yatesy take his touch a little too heavily and that meant there was no power in his shot and Angry Ginge gobbled it up easily. Still - the better attacking opportunities appeared to be taking place in front of their goal and not ours and that was music to Wayne's ears...

And on 25 minutes, we doubled our lead. Ben had been roasting their full-back so far and as he did it again, he made his way across the box before curling another effort towards that top corner to see the Bury GSOB No.1 make a good save to tip it wide. Charlie went across and this time, he whipped a delightful ball in that saw Callum go up with a couple of their defenders and as the ball came down, it looked as though their midfielder could only hit it into his own net - and as our players wheeled away in glee, it took a few seconds for the travelling fans to realise it had gone over the line - but they were soon celebrating! 2-0 and we were looking as though we really wanted this! Again though, Wayne and Brian were plotting and planning. This was good stuff so far...

That good stuff got even better - because on 33 minutes, we made it 3-0! More good work across the field saw us get the ball into the middle and as it came back out towards our right, the Bury GSOB player was adjudged to have handled it - and the referee blew his whistle sharply to signal a direct free-kick about 22 yards from goal. Angry Ginge lined up his wall as our Ben stood there looking cool in the spring Bury sunshine and as the whistle blew, our No.12 used that wand of a left-foot of his to curl it toward the top corner - only to see it take a deflection off of the wall and as it wrong-footed Angry Ginge, we all looked on in hope. It seemed to go in slow-motion but eventually, the ball was nestling into the bottom corner of their net and we were now 3-0 to the good! The United faithful were jubilant and the players swarmed over their team-mate but we knew that there was still going to be a lot of work to be done here...

The hosts looked shell-shocked and their midfielder was overheard saying that they'd 'won the league too early' and that nobody was bothered - but if you cannot get yourselves up for a Cup Semi-Final then there are questions to be asked. Wayne and Brian knew this was not finished yet though and there would still be a lot of things that needed to be dealt with - but these first-half had probably been the best 45 minutes of football we'd played all season. We just had to do that again now...

Half-time: Bury GSOB Reserves 0-3 BREIGHTMET UNITED

As the lads came in, they knew. They knew that they'd played well out there and they knew that this was only half a job done. Wayne was quick to remind them of that - there were 45 minutes now where we had to show our football intelligence. We had to manage this game now and not going all-out for the next goal. We just sit in with two banks of four and ease our way back into this second-half whilst remaining solid and focused and not giving them any way back into this. We spoke about the wingers and the strikers having enough pace to beat their markers from a standing start - so to avoid being caught offside as often, just hold our runs a little and then we'd be through without the whistle going - and if we played with that same pride and passion, then we would be having a proper party tonight! Wayne made the lads wait and ensure that our opponents were out first - and as the United players re-entered the pitch, the away fans were loud in their appreciation. 45 minutes and we could be in our first Final in our first season...

The second period started with the hosts knowing that they needed to score the net goal if they wanted to stay in with a chance - but on 47 minutes, we had the chance to seal the game. The hosts had played the ball back to their keeper and as he tried to dribble it, Yatesy managed to nick and with the goal gaping, he hit his shot. Credit to John - he was already twisting his body to get the effort away - but as the ball travelled towards goal and the United fans got ready to jump, it went agonisingly wide of the post. No way! That was the one there...

We didn't have to wait long for our next chance though - and this time it went it! 49 minutes on the clock and the Bury defenders pumped the ball long to find our Marko about 10 yards inside his own half. He headed the ball back to where it came from and the ball must have travelled 30 yards or so from his head - to see Lewis and Yatesy swarming all over their defenders like bees. They managed to steal the ball and with the deftest of touches, Lewis slipped the ball into the space between their defence and their keeper and Yatesy did the rest - smashing the ball into the roof of the net from about 12 yards out! Another example of what hard work and effort can gain you! 4-0 up in the Cup Semi-Final wasn't in any of our minds this morning if we're honest and this was feeling good..

As with most football matches, there will always be periods where one team has more of the ball and on 52 minutes, that moment seemed to come. It stemmed from an incident on the edge of our box whereby the Bury player looked to have handled it but the referee waved play on and instantly, the same thing happened to our Chris - but this time the man in black awarded the free-kick. Our players were astonished as to how that could have been but the free-kick was given and the wall did well to get it out for a corner that came to nothing - but there was a sense that the hosts were not finished yet...

And on 57 minutes, they got their first sight of a way back into this as the ball was lofted over towards their left-winger and as it came donw, it seemed to hit our Nathan on the hand. The home side screamed for the penalty - and the referee duly obliged. There was the usual moans and groans about it but we just had to keep our calm and get on with it now. Their No.12 placed the ball on the spot and if we're honest, it was a good penalty - hitting it straight down the middle as our Mitch dived to his right - and as the ball nestled in the back of our net, they were rushing to get it back to the centre-spot. 4-1 and surely we were not going to do anything silly now...

We decided it was time to shore up the middle of the park a bit now - so on 63 minutes, Liam come on and replaced Yatesy - meaning we were going with a 4-5-1 shape for the last half an hour or so - and on 68 minutes, we thought we'd seen the chance that would be sealed our place in the Final. A great ball through the middle saw us wait until exactly the right moment to play Lewis in and as he made his way towards goal, he only had Angry Ginge to beat. We all expected to see the net bulging - but our Lewis could only hit his shot straight at their keeper and the chance was gone...

Alex had worked his socks off all afternoon and noticing he had taken a knock to his knee, we decided to freshen things up by bringing him and Lewis off so that Mo and Logan could work our left-hand side - but that miss from Lewis could have been costly! Because within two minutes, the hosts had clawed another goal back - and this was just one of those things. We had control of the ball and there didn't seem to be any danger - but as the ball was played back to Mitch, he went to clear it however could only give it straight to their striker - and he made no mistake in arrowing it into the back of our net. It may have been 'one of those things' but the score now stood at 4-2 and those chances that Lewis and Yatesy had were now becoming even more crucial. Wayne and Brian's nails were getting shorter by the minute and as we looked across the faces of the travelling contingent, we could sense the nerves in them as well. We couldn't throw this away now could we? Could we?

Imagine then how all of the United faithful were feeling when on 73 minutes, the ball was hammered into our box and as we went to clear it, the ball was adjudged to have hit Ben on the arm even though it looked as though he didn't have any time to move it away - and to our disbelief, the referee once again pointed to the penalty-spot! Was this really happening to us? In the argument that ensued, Liam was shown to the sin-bin and the United fans were holding the heads in their hands - and once more, it was their No.12 that placed the ball down with a chance to put his side one goal away from penalties at least and with 17 or so minutes still to go, the impetus would most definitely be with the home side. The whistle went and he made his run-up, hit the ball low and hard to his left and WOWZERS! - from nowhere, our Mitch managed to extend his right-hand almost to the post to get his finger-tips to it and push it out to his right - and as the lads hustled the ball out for a throw, they jumped all over their shot-stopper! He had made amends for his earlier mistake in the most critical of ways - and that penalty save was probably the moment that made what was still left to come even more sweeter..

It looked to have knocked the stuffing out of the hosts as they too knew how important that save was - and on 79 minute, we saw the moment that not only made sure of this result but was also a great personal thing as well. We still only had 10 players on the pitch when the ball was fed out wide to Ben and as he cut inside, he played a great ball across the field to Logan. He set off a mazy dribble that saw their defender come across to clear it - but our Logan put his foot on top of the ball and dragged it back - to put their No.5 on his backside and as he kept going towards goal, he dropped his shoulder to beat the next man before playing it one side of the next and running around him and that was it - he was through on goal. Every single United player and fan looked on as he got to about 12 yards from goal and we all heard it as he shouted 'Megs' and smashed his shot through Angry Ginge's legs and into the back of his net! The place erupted! What a goal from one so young - and his first goal for the 1st-team being the goal that sends us to the Cup Final! His team-mates mobbed him as the subs ran on and the United fans still watched on wondering what they had just seen - and as the Bury players laid on the turf looking to the skies, that was that! 5-2 and with 11 minutes to go, there was no way on earth we were going to throw this away now. Surely...

Charlie had covered every blade of grass out there today and it looked as though it had taken it's toll - so off he came to a rapturous applause and back onto the field came Yatesy - and we then saw Mo had a couple of opportunities that he fired over when he could have been best placed laying them off to team-mates - but as the seconds ticked away, the game was done and both teams knew it. Rav then came on for the last two minutes in place of Nathan and the ball was being played around between our boys with an air of confidence that showed they knew how well they'd done out there today. And when the whistle went, the joy was there for all to see! We'd done it! We'd made it to the Cup Final! Superb...

The hand-shakes were done with respect as both teams congratulated each other on their successes this season - but we've not won anything yet and there was still a big job to do to make sure that the John Mackereth Cup is sitting in Moss Park this summer. We know that we will be facing Rossendale Athletic for the chance to claim that silverware - but we don't know where or when yet so watch this space...

For now though, it was about celebrating this one and the supporters and players alike hugged each other as our troops made their way off of the battlefield today. That performance there shows exactly how good this team can be - and those were Wayne's words as they huddled in. If we had shown that every single game we had played this season then we would have swept the board - but that is now a marker for what is to come and we have two more games to make sure we do it again. The lads were beaming with pride and we made our way back to the dressing-room knowing how good that first pint at The Clubhouse was going to taste...

There wasn't a Man of the Match awarded today - as there were 16 Men of the Match - from Mitch with that penalty-save exactly when we needed it to Lewis' over-head kick. Charlie's running all game and Ben's thunderous throws. Alex and Marko - and then Liam for periods - bossed that midfield battle and were central to most of the good things we did. Yatesy being a constant thorn in their side and Logan's wonder-goal to seal the deal. Nathan had one of the best 45 minutes of football we think we've seen from him in a United top and once again, Ste Palin showed an energy and a stamina that more than matches anybody. Chris and Callum were absolute rocks in the heart of that defence and won 98% of everything that came their way and Mo and Rav played their part when they came on. Much respeck' to Jay as well who although he didn't get on the pitch, he was there to roar on his team-mates. And we have to say that massive love goes to all you supporters that came over to be our 12th man today. If we can get that many to the semi-final, can you imagine how many we'll get to the Final?

Job done. We played superb today and now we have to do that for another 180 minutes before we can have a well-earned break. And the plan now is that break is spent looking at some new gleaming silverware sat in the Trophy Cabinet at Moss Park...

Are you in a Cup Final you? We are...

#OnceUnitedNeverDivided