Prestwich’s ten game unbeaten run finally came to an end at the hands of Premier League leaders Failsworth, but the outcome of the game was far more in the balance than the score line suggests as a valiant performance by the Prestwich boys saw them five minutes from taking the tie to penalties before a hotly disputed penalty gave Failsworth the lead, with a third goal conceded in the last minute as Prestwich pressed for an equaliser.
In respect of Failsworth’s status as Premier league leaders and the fact they have only lost one game all season Prestwich set their game plan up to stifle the game and play on the counter relying on the skill and speed of Steve Murty and Sean Haslam to somehow craft a goal on the break away.
The plan appeared to be working well with Failsworth enjoying the bulk of possession but rarely penetrating the dogged Prestwich rearguard with keeper Mike Hudson only really being called upon to sweep up over hit passes
or collect back passes from his own team mates.
It wasn’t all Failsworth though and those chances on the counter were coming as expected, Murty and Haslam combining well on a couple of occasions to give Failsworth a scare, plus the occasional forays by Mike Neary and David Pietro.
The plan appeared to have come unstuck in the 17th minute when Failsworth took the lead, a mix up between Hudson and both centre backs Paul Taylor and Richard Steadman dealing with a long ball saw it half cleared to the edge of the Prestwich area where a Failsworth forward deftly chipped over all three for a clever finish.
It was a major blow but it is a credit to the spirit and resolve in the group that they didn’t capitulate and instead dug in keeping the same shape and re established themselves firmly in the game, to the point where around the half hour mark they were actually the dominant force in the game playing the better football and creating chances.
Haslam was desperately unlucky with a couple of individual efforts whilst a neat move down the left initiated by Carl Stabler saw Haslam square to Murty just on the edge of the six yard box, about to pull the trigger on what certainly would have been an equaliser he was felled by a last ditch tackle by a recovering defender which looked debatably to be either a terrifically timed tackle or a penalty, but it wasn’t given and it remained 1-0 at half time.
Failsworth started the second period strongly again and only some great defending by Prestwich kept them in the game, but Prestwich gradually settled down and regained a foothold in the game playing some neat passing football on the home sides excellent 4G playing surface.
With play much more evenly balanced one sensed a nervousness creeping in to the home side perhaps surprised by the quality of their lower league opponents, and the doubts proved justified when on the hour Murty beat the off side trap to find himself through on goal just past the half way line with defenders in his wake, still with plenty to do he kept his composure brilliantly to run on goal and slot the ball past the keeper.
Prestwich had a couple more chances to take the lead before Failsworth really started to show their quality and came on very strongly in search for a winner. Prestwich were defending really well though right from the front forming an impenetritive barrier some 10 yards in front of their area, with Chris Hopkins in particular tigerishly throwing himself into headers and tackles trying to protect the back four.
With the clock ticking players began to tire though and Failsworth’s wingers started to get a bit more joy from full backs Andy Davies and Joel Hudson who like Taylor and Steadman had performed superbly all game, crosses now started to rein in but either Hudson punched clear or Steadman or Taylor usually headed away.
On 85 mins just when penalties were looking more and more likely Prestwich’s resolve finally broke when a corner a wasn’t cleared and Hopkins arrived a fraction late to a high ball colliding with the player resulting in a penalty to Failsworth which was duly converted signalling great relief on the Failsworth bench.
As Prestwich poured men forward in search of an equaliser Failsworth picked them off on the counter with third in the final minute to give a score line not reflecting the full drama of the game but probably correct in that Failsworth were clearly the stronger outfit overall.
Nonetheless it was a terrific performance by the team that so very nearly brought about a major upset with outstanding performances all round. The lads must now dust themselves off and continue with their quest to continue the unbeaten run in the league to the end of the season which would be a great achievement in itself.
