The Coasters were left to settle for a hard-earned point on the road after a 0-0 draw against Kettering Town at Latimer Park.
Numerous good chances were created by the visitors through the likes of Luke Charman & SIya Ligendza in what was a tough battle, but Kettering stood firm to keep the Coasters at bay throughout the 90.
Adam Murray made three changes to the side that beat AFC Telford United 3-0, with Harry Davis, Pierce Bird & Will Hatfield replacing Jordan Cranston, Joe Rowley & Danny Whitehead.
Following a quiet opening ten minutes, the only sighter was Mo Faal’s timid effort into the gloves of Harrison Foulkes after he turned his man to work some space just outside the area.
The Coasters knew that they were in a real battle so far, with the majority of the game being played in the air, though Connor Barrett, against his former employers, was allowed time to let fly but eventually shoot high over the bar.
With the amount of ball that the Coasters were seeing, they managed to work a good opening after Will Hatfield picked out Luke Conlan at the back post for him to set Charman, whose first-time volley just inside the area went inches over.
Half-Time: Kettering Town 0-0 AFC Fylde
Murray’s Coasters came out for the second half with their sleeves rolled up and ready for another 45 of hard graft.
Good play between Connor Barrett and Will Hatfield allowed the latter to switch out to Charman, who chopped from left to right and fired towards the bottom corner, where a flurry of red shirts were waiting to clear off the line.
Kettering waited until the 58th minute to register their first chance of the game when Decarrey Sheriff chipped a ball through for Keaton Ward to run onto and volley inches wide of Chris Neal’s post.
If the Coasters were going to win this game, they were going to have to work for it, but after Hatfield was fouled around 35 yards from goal, Nick Haughton was given the chance to line a free-kick up and put Fylde in front – however, he was kept out by Foulkes in the Kettering goal.
Following positive substitutions from Adam Murray, the Coasters were playing with a little more flair in the final third, and following a clipped ball over the Kettering defence from Haughton to Charman, Saturday’s goalscorer spotted Siya Ligendza at the back post for a simple tap-in, but he blasted over, leaving both sides to settle for a point.
Full-Time: Kettering Town 0-0 AFC Fylde
Kettering Town: Foulkes, Maguire, Gascoigne, Stohrer, Ward, Flanagan, Cooper, Myles, Forsyth, Sherriff (685’ Hill), Tyrone, Lewthwate.
Unused subs: Hogg, White, Reilly.
AFC Fylde: Neal, Obi, Whitmore, Bird (68’ Haughton), Barrett, Conlan, Philliskirk, Davis, Hatfield (78’ Ligendza), Charman, Faal.
Unused Subs: Cranston, Whitehead, Walker.
