Goals from Glenn Steel and Michael Barnes saved a point for AFC Fylde in a frustrating game which they should have won in their latest Evo-Stik Division One North match last night.
In a match that was a magnificent advert for non-league football, the Coasters had to come from two down to get the point at home to Mossley after the visitors opened the scoring through Nick Swirad in the ninth minute and went two up after 50 minutes thanks to a 30 yard screamer from Alex Byrne.
Both sides came out of the block flying and the visitors had the first shot inside two minutes when Tom Ingham’s header from 6 yards went over. Fylde then had chances through Ritchie Allen and Gary Stopforth before a controversial goal for Mossley gave the visitors the lead. The ball seemed to have gone yards over the goal line but the cross was allowed to come in and Swirad got his head to it to head home much to the despair of the Fylde players and fans.
The one way traffic which followed was likened to the Alamo by many of the watching crowd as Fylde surged forward to find an equaliser. Matt Kay, Joe Booth and Allen all coming close with their shots but the Mossley defence stood firm. Booth then saw his free kick sail agonisingly over the bar with 10 minutes of the first half remaining and despite further opportunities from substitute striker Dave Swarbrick, the goal refused to come.
The visitors struck Fylde a major blow five minutes into the second half as, against the run of play, Byrne won the ball in the middle of the park and fired a looping shot over the stranded Rick Whiteside from all of 30 yards.
However, all credit to the home side as their heads refused to drop and they got on with job in hand searching for that elusive goal. Sixty-eight minutes in it finally arrived. Fylde won a corner on the right and the cross from Paul Jarvis found Steel’s head and the ball was in the net.
As the game began to get heated, a player from both sides being booked, Fylde refused to give in. Further attempts from Barnes, Booth and Swarbrick came and went until finally, with five minutes left on the clock, Barnes’ shot from 25 yards out was deflected away from the diving goalkeeper into the back of the net.
With four minutes being added on for stoppages, cue a further barrage of attempts through Ben Waddington and Jarvis. And on the last kick of the game, keeper Martin Pearson made the save of the season diving to the top left of his goal to save a point-blank header from James Heywood.
Manager, Kelham O’Hanlon was disappointed with the goals his team conceded but was delighted with the response shown from everyone on the pitch: “When you give a team a two goal lead you give yourself a mountain to climb but fair play to the players, they actually did and they should have won it in the end.”
Despite the disappointment, Fylde remain unbeaten this season and head into Saturday’s home game against Wakefield looking for that fourth win. Kick-off is at 3pm.
AFC Fylde: Whiteside, Heywood, Jarvis, Mercer (C), Steel, Stopforth, Booth, Kay (Wilson 58), Thorpe (Swarbrick 23), Allen (Waddington 46), Barnes; Subs not used: Stringfellow, Penswick.
|
