Radcliffe Borough 1 Rossendale United 2

THE well-worn footballing phrase 'a game of two halves' could not have been more appropriate than on Tuesday night at Radcliffe Borough.

Boro played their opponents off the park in the first-half, producing some of their best football in recent memory as they swept into a one goal lead at half-time.

But the home side's dominance ended when the referee blew for the interval and Rossendale stormed back to clinch the victory and leave Boro without a point from their opening two games of the season.

Michael Oates and Ian Fitzpatrick were paired together for the first time this season from the start, and the strike duo were simply irresistible in the first-half and the only blot on their copybook was a failure to score more than one goal while their team were on top.

Oates gave Boro the lead in the first minute when he headed home Tony Whealing's free-kick to set the tone for a dominant first-half display.

Targetman Oates was proving a real handful with his strength, skill and tenacity. And he brought the best out of Fitzpatrick, who hit the bar on 16 minutes with a smart turn and shot from 30 yards.

Jamie Kaye looked lively on the left and he saw his deflected shot saved, before Oates chipped agonisingly wide after a speedy counter-attack from Kevin Glendon's side.

Not to be outdone by his strike partner, Fitzpatrick went close again when he beat three men with a mazy run into the Rossendale penalty area but saw his shot tipped wide by former Bury keeper Lee Bracey.

The visitors were all at sea, but the warning bells were ringing when Phil Eastwood missed an open net after good work by Neil Zarac on the right.

Boro didn't heed the warning and the scores were level after 51 minutes when Zarac rifled past goalkeeper Tim Dittmer after fashioning himself room on the edge of the area.

From that point, Rossendale were the better team and it was no surprise when Kyle Ingram put them into lead.

John Turner saw his effort saved while Boro threw on Howson to try and inject some urgency up front. However, it was to no avail and Boro couldn't muster an equaliser.

Defeat was harsh and a downbeat Glendon, the Radcliffe coach, admitted: "We were excellent in the first half, but we just didn't defend when the pressure was on us."

Unless Boro cut out the mistakes at the back, it could be another long season.

If they tighten up, they look to have a strike pairing in Oates and Fitzpatrick that will take them on to better things and, if nothing else, excite the fans.

Boro: Dittmer, O'Neill, Whealing, Kelly, Forrest, Waine (Sampson), Wilson, Connell, Kaye (Dawson), Fitzpatrick, Oates (Howson).