Rushen United Football Club welcomed Blackpool Wren Rovers to Croit Lowey recently for what marked the third and final meeting between the clubs.

The fixture carried echoes of the past.

The pair’s first encounter in 2002 ending in a 3-3 draw, before the Lancashire side faced the Isle of Man national team the following day, losing 3-1 at Laxey.

Two years later, Blackpool returned and defeated a Select Island XI 4-1, then beat Rushen 4-3 despite trailing 3-1 at half-time. Rushen have also made the trip the other way, suffering heavy defeats of 14-1 and 6-0 in Lancashire.

Saturday’s match brought together players from across those earlier tours, including former Fleetwood Wren Rovers representatives.

Current Peel player Louise Gibbins and Shannon Primrose-Smith both featured for and against their old club.

Blackpool struck early, taking the lead inside five minutes when Nicky Berko latched onto a ball over the top and finished neatly.

Gibbins doubled the advantage with a crisp strike from the edge of the area, before adding a second to make it 3-0 when she guided home a corner.

Rushen responded after the break. A swift counter saw Lucy Kerr pull one back, and Primrose-Smith reduced the deficit further with a long-range free-kick that dipped under the bar.

But the hosts’ comeback fell just short and, despite a spell of late pressure, the equaliser never arrived.

Blackpool held firm to remain unbeaten at Croit Lowey, fittingly on what their shirts declared an ‘End of Era Tour’.

PAUL HATTON

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