Prestwich put in their best performance of the season to get the better of their high flying hosts in this tremendously exciting game of football that was a great advert for the amateur game.
Having turned up with a skeleton squad of eleven players including an ashen looking David Prieto who’d reported being violently sick throughout the night, and the returning Richard Steadman who hadn’t played or trained for months the pre match mood was understandably downbeat.
What transpired was a credit to all who took part, having been under the cosh in the early stages and indebted to stand in keeper Nathan Williams for one brilliant save from Levers tricky left winger, plus some great last minute interceptions by Steadman and Martin Hill nominally a winger but performing admirably at centre half on the day Prestwich gradually took control with their passing game.
Darren Buckley was desperately unlucky smashing a volley against the cross bar from a Dave Thompson corner before Prieto gave Prestwich the lead with an incisive finish slotting home from 20 yards having been put through by Tito Miguel.
Lever came back at Prestwich strongly in search of an equaliser but Prestwich held firm and added to their lead on the half hour with keeper Williams credited with the assist, his long raking pass picked out Miguel who’d timed his run perfectly to latch on to the ball behind the defence and on rushing keeper, with his body at an awkward angle he somehow managed to deftly chip it over the keeper from 25 yards.
Lever pulled one back on 42 mins with a slightly fortuitous low driven free kick that cannoned off the post and went in of the back of Williams head and it remained 0-2 at the interval with the stage set for an interesting 2nd period.
The determination by the group to get an unlikely victory was typified by Prieto who re-emerged after the break despite again being sick on the touchline.
Lever ramped up the pressure by introducing taller players and resorting to a much more direct style of long ball game. But relishing the excellent 4G playing surface Prestwich were much more controlled in possession though and right back Neary who’d had great first half really started to terrorise Levers left back constantly surging forward.
On the hour Prestwich scored a terrific 3rd goal, Neary fed Buckley down the right who stretched every sinew to keep the ball in play, he rode two tackles by the right touch line before pulling the ball back to Prieto lurking some 5 yards outside the box, his goal bound strike was charged down only for the ball to fall to Miguel who from a similar distance smashed high into the top left corner for his second.
Lever really up’d the anti and came back strongly, Williams and the whole defence had to be on his toes to deal with a string of crosses and corners. Debutante left back Craig French now had the tricky left winger to police him having switched sides at the break but he too dealt with the threat excellently as Neary had.
Levers pressure eventually told on 75 mins when the ball was bundled over the line following a corner looking suspiciously like it was with a hand.
The scene was set though for a rousing finale, Lever pressed high up the pitch with the keeper frequently popping up in the Prestwich box.
In the dying minutes Buckley committed a foul wide right just inside the Prestwich half, the Lever player reacted with his own form of justice by giving Buckley a forearm smash and in the resulting 15 man melee Chris Hopkins who’s late arrival had only seen him introduced into the fray on 72 mins was sent off for a second booking.
The resulting free kick only got as far as Miguel, who charged the ball down and with all eleven Lever players including the keeper in the Prestwich half he was able to run uncontested towards the Lever goal and bag his hat trick, cue great celebrations in the Prestwich ranks.
