Cammell Laird . . . 2 Fleetwood Town . . . 0

(Cammell Laird win 2-1 on aggregate)

by Mark McKean

SUBSTITUTE Aaron Rey was the hero as Cammell Laird turned around a first leg deficit to reach the final of the North West Counties League Cup Final.

Trailing 1-0 to Division One leaders Fleetwood Town, two goals in the last 15 minutes, including an 89th-minute winner, booked Laird's their place in the final against Skelmersdale United at Bury's Gigg Lane on Monday, April 25.

Laird were the better for the entire 90 minutes, but constantly thwarted by Fleetwood, who are a division above the Birkenhead side, and it had looked likely that the home side were going to be denied as a result - until Rey stole the show.

After the second goal, Fleetwood's frustration turned to frustration and, in stoppage time as that boiled over, full-back Lee Pryers was sent-off for his second bookable offence.

In the first-half, Jamie McGuire hit the side netting and Ian Cooke squandered a golden opportunity.

Just before the break, the likelihood that Laird weren't going to find that elusive breakthrough was at its most evident. Leading scorer Ronnie Morgan found space in the visitors' box and his shot beat goalkeeper Cyril Sharrock only to come back off a post. Eddie Jebb followed up with a rebound, but his effort was cleared off the line by a retreating defender.

After the break, McGuire twice came close to breaking the deadlock but, on each occasion, his efforts went narrowly over.

Then, on 75 minutes, Rey set up an exciting climax. A corner from the left fell to the substitute and he was able to stab the ball home from close range to level up the score on aggregate.

It could have been 2-0 just a minute later, but Cooke's header went just over the bar.

However, Fleetwood were only temporarily reprieved when, in the 89th minute, Morgan's cross from the right saw Rey again pop up from close range to beat Sharrock and send Laird's through to their second final of the season.