A PAIR of defensive slips and a good piece of opportunism in the 32nd minute cost Burscough dearly on Humberside in a game that by its nature was never going to generate many chances for either team, leaving Andy Gray’s team to pay the price.

The first 20 minutes did little to enliven a rather subdued crowd.

Jon Goulding went close for Burscough in the 27th minute.

A Darren Brookfield corner putting home keeper Steve Wilson into a flap and the ball fell to Goulding, his snapshot went inches wide.

The only goal of the game was poked into the Burscough net in the 32nd minute and at the time it was unexpected.

A long ball into the Burscough half was not immediately dealt with by young defender Lewis Field and Russell Fry was able to head the ball on, although, it still looked to be going through to Kyle Clancy.

There was a detectable slight hesitancy in Clancy’s advance, long-serving Ferriby marksman Gary Bradshaw must have also spotted it too, because as Clancy went down for the ball so did Bradshaw and he got a foot to the ball sending it into the empty net.

The rain poured during most of the second-half and Burscough now had to chase the game, a task that was going to be difficult based on the first 45 minutes.

In the 48th minute a Ryan Bowen free-kick was headed out by the home defence and James McCulloch fired in a shot that only just went wide.

The Burscough comeback bid became even more demanding in the 70th minute, as Tom Moore was sent off.

Ben Turner pulled Moore back and the Burscough number 10 lashed out with his arm. Turner went down and a red card was waved at Moore, although, Turner also got one for the foul.

From that point the Linnets did not look likely to find an equaliser.

BURSCOUGH: Clancy, Field, Bowen (McEvatt, 78), McCulloch, Connolly, Bayliss, Goulding, Roberts, Hanley, Moore, Brookfield Subs: Wilson, Mahama, Parry, Christopher.