ST HELENS Town bounced back from their first defeat in five games at promotion favourites Alsager last Saturday with a solid 3-1 win at AFC Blackpool on Tuesday but experienced a case of déjà vu at home to Carlisle City at the weekend, going down 4-3 in a carbon-copy defeat of the season’s opening game in Cumbria, after they threw away the game when it had seemed they had secured another victory.

It is never an easy game at Blackpool and up against one of Town’s bogey teams who were relegated last season, on a cold evening with the usual stiff breeze, it seemed another struggle was on the cards until three goals in five minutes at the end of the first half turned the match on its head. Recent signing from Widnes, Luke Edwards impressed on the left wing and he edged Town ahead with a neat header in the 40th minute.

Andy Gillespie hit the second goal after 44 minutes, with a trademark turn and poke past keeper Callum Kirkland and, right on the interval whistle, Andy Presho smashed a half-volley from 25 yards which looped over Kirkland into the top corner giving the keeper no chance.

Perhaps the three goal lead flattered Town but it was a classic case of taking chances when they arose but, on re-appearing from the dressing rooms, the home side were determined to set about reducing the deficit and the second half was much more keenly contested. Centre forward Jack Williams attacked from the left and drove powerfully across Gage Walsh to pull the score back to 3-1, but try as they might, Blackpool just could not hit the target and that was the difference between the teams and Town ran out comfortable winners.

Saturday’s game had to be switched to Atherton Collieries’ Alder House ground and visitors Carlisle arrived with the bare complement of eleven players plus two coaches who doubled up as substitutes. Only five of their squad played against Town back in August and they had been on a losing run in recent weeks, but that counted for nothing as they played with an early commitment which defied their league placing. Indeed, they took a deserved lead on 21 minutes, hitting a long dangerous free kick from the left wing out of a cloudy sky which reached Town keeper Walsh just as the sun poked through, dazzling the Australian, who flapped at the ball, allowing centre back Tyran Taylor to nod home from close range.

St. Helens’ response was to shoot on sight, but too many shots went high and wide. They eventually settled down and Danny Greene, outstanding on the day, turned in a wonderful free-kick for Gillespie to head powerfully home to level on 32 minutes and nine minutes later, Town went ahead, briefly laying siege to City’s goal, Gillespie headed against the bar, Edwards tried to fire home the rebound and the ball broke loose to Andy Webster who nodded home for only his second goal in 10 years to send Town in at half-time 2-1 ahead.

Four minutes after the resumption, Town seemed to have taken full control when Edwards, who was again at the top of his form, slipped the offside trap, leaving the Carlisle defence for dead and calmly lobbed the visiting keeper from the edge of the penalty box to extend the St. Helens lead to 3-1.

The turning point of the match came shortly afterwards when the decision was made to take off Ste Rigby and, soon afterwards the hard-working Stuart McDonald, thereby reducing the attacking options in favour of sitting back on a lead. This Cumbrian team are nothing if not battlers. On 58 minutes, Daniel Greenslade headed in spectacularly from some distance out on the left and in the last ten minutes, having introduced their only two substitutes from the technical area, both scored, James Tose equalising with a header on 83 minutes and in the 89th minute, Jonny Allan lobbed the advancing Walsh to secure all three points.

Even then, Town threw caution to the wind and had three chances to snatch a leveller of their own. First, Webster’s goal-bound header was cleared off the line, then substitute Paul Cliff’s drive was blocked on the line, then Paul Carney’s shot hit the post with the last action of the match.

St. Helens will be hoping this topsy-turvy season settles down to something like normality sooner than later as they travel to Bacup this Saturday for a re-arranged game, ahead of two cup ties on successive Saturdays against Eccleshall on 29th October in the Macron Cup and at home to Daisy Hill on 5 November in the Reusch First Division Trophy, both Second Round games.