Boro sign off with battering at Burscough

The 3-0 defeat just encapsulated what has been a season packed out with lows after the early high of a rise to the top of the table.
Boro’s sparse squad limped through the last 90 minutes of league action, looking jaded, downbeat and heavily goal-shy.
They failed to threaten until the last 15 minutes of a fixture that play-off hopefuls Burscough comfortably strode through.
Steve Kittrick’s men desperately need to refind their attacking verve over the next few days, as they still have the opportunity to get their hands on a piece of silverware.
They travel to Farsley on Friday night for the final of the Doodson Sports Trophy when they tackle either Colwyn Bay or Marine.
A positive heading into that clash is the form of Dean Lisles, who looks at home in both defence and midfield.
He took up the latter role on Saturday, with Steve Mallory dropping back into the heart of the defence.
The game dragged away to the slowest of starts, though the sharp passing of Burscough soon began to cause problems.
Liam Rice found his way onto the end of one of these incisive moves after 17 minutes, but he drove just over keeper Max Dearnley’s bar.
At the other end, Boro managed to create a glimmer of an opportunity just after, though Glenn Matthews’ effort sailed into the housing estate behind the goal.
A combination of Lisles and a Burscough defender put the ball just over the home bar on the half-hour, moments before the Merseyside outfit moved ahead.
Liam Caddick ghosted through the middle to beat the offside trap and he rolled expertly under Dearnley’s body.
There was no real response for Boro, apart from a booking for the heavily frustrated Ryan Blott right on the stroke of half-time.
Michael Monaghan almost made it two 10 minutes into the second half, when he whipped a volley inches over the bar.
The same player did double the lead minutes later, breaking Boro’s fragile offside trap and finding the net.
Burscough wrapped things up just after the hour, though their third goal came in fortunate fashion.
Caddick got the ball stuck under his feet in the Boro penalty area and in doing so he threw the whole Boro defence. He then scuffed an effort goalwards that went in off the upright.
Boro made changes after that, Chris Bolder was one of these arrivals from the bench and it didn’t take long for the experienced midfielder to show a little more willing in attack.
Niall Flint suddenly woke up as well, the youngster driving just wide and then feeling the brunt of a challenge in the Busrcough box, but referee Andrew Cawtherley shook his head at the penalty appeals.
It was too little too late though for the game and Boro’s league fixtures. Fortunately though, Boro still have a big Friday night ahead of them.