BLUES bowed out of the cup in disappointing fashion.

Bootle deserved to reach the final - they won 4-3 on aggregate - and did so thanks to a wonder goal by Dan O'Connor.

His lob from the halfway line looped over stranded Michael Langley.

That made it 2-0 and, despite a late rally, Joe Gibiliru's men could not force an extra half hour to complete a remarkable comeback.

The game began in lively fashion with chances for both teams in the first minute.

Kevin Black found himself with only Langley to beat but he put his shot wide and, at the other end, Danny Webster's header drifted just wide.

On 18 minutes Les Miranda was denied by goalkeeper Mark Mawdsley who was quick off his line to snuff out the danger.

Blues' back four were not quite so dominant in the air as they have been in recent matches and Jamie Hay was unlucky to see his header drift just wide of the post.

Further efforts by Miranda and Lee Duckworth proved fruitless but, as half time approached, Miranda's clever chip beat everyone but bounced off the bar to safety.

Winsford's weakness in giving too many free kicks away cost them dearly in the first minute after the break.

John Martin's inswinger from the right was headed home by an unmarked Hay.

Blues piled on the pressure and Chris Sheppard and Miranda both had shots blocked on the line before Bootle laid them out with O'Connor's sucker punch on 74 minutes.

When he collected the ball on the halfway line there seemed little danger but, with the wind behind him, he spotted Langley on the edge of his area and launched a 50-yard effort fall under the bar and into the net.

Stung by the setback the hosts immediately pulled back one of the goals needed to take the tie into extra time when Dean Ennion's free kick was poked home by sub Lee Thompson.

There followed a period of sustained pressure on the Bootle goal but the nearest they came was on 90 minutes when Thompson's effort was ruled out for offside.

Blues: Langley (GK), Calland, Owens, Webster, Duckworth, Bluck, Ennion, Sheppard, Kennedy (Mason 62, Thompson 70), Madin, Miranda
Subs not used: Hughes (GK), Connell, Barnes
Attendance: 105