Another sorry tale Sub, one of our midfield players who had been dropped to the bench a couple of times recently, got into a strop about it and has departed, our left back has gone on holiday, our player manager is still out injured and we were so short we had to give our U21 centre-half his debut. We're not just down to the bare bones, we hardly have any bones at all now. Nevertheless, we managed to lose another game we should have won. our big No 9 was clean through, rounded the keeper and then somehow failed to put it into the empty net, we hit the post with a 20 yarder and then finally scored, 1-0 but it could have 3-0. Marske equalised and then got a pen when the ball bounced up and hit a defenders arm, nothing he could do to get his arm out of the way, but that's football these days innit. We got a late equaliser and took it to pens, of which I have no complaints at all. The Marske lads had clearly read the Alan Shearer How to Take Pens Instruction Manual and smacked them hard into the roof of the net, while our lads must have been watching England videos. So Marske deservedly went through.

It's frustrating because unexpectedly we were better than Bury and at least as good as Marske, but contrived to lose them both. Bootle away in the League Tuesday, anyone with a serviceable pair of boots is invited to turn up, KO 7.45.