Heys slip deeper into relegation trouble

Prestwich Heys slipped deeper into relegation trouble as they were beaten 2-0 at Stockport Georgians on Saturday.

In a game that was halted for an hour early on, due to a leg injury to a Georgians player, Heys may wish it had never restarted as they produced one of their poorest displays of the season.

Wins for AFC Bury, Heywood St. James and AFC Monton have left Heys four points adrift at the bottom and seven points off safety in the Bridgewater Office Supplies Manchester League Premier Division and with only six games now remaining it is difficult, on this display, to see how they will avoid the drop.

On a hard bumpy surface both sides struggled to put any football together before the game was halted in the 10th minute due to a leg injury to a Georgians player.

After a wait of an hour for an ambulance to come and take the stricken player to hospital the game restarted but the fare on offer proved little better.

Heys continually conceded possession but fortunately their hosts were similarly unable to produce anything to trouble Lewis Bishop in the Heys goal.

Indeed it was Heys who could have opened the scoring when from a 34th minute Shane Birtles corner a Grant Mody header was tipped over.

It was the prelude to a better spell from Heys prior to the interval that saw them force three more corners without reward.

After such a scrappy first half Heys opened the second half brightly to pen Georgians back with the home side forced into some desperate defence to clear their lines.

However, one such clearance was to prove Heys undoing in the 55th minute as a big boot downfield saw Adam Gardner get the better of Mody on halfway and go through and steer past Bishop.

Heys almost hit back when Brad Lyons released Birtles but his angled drive flashed across goal.

Far from sparking a comeback though, Heys play became more and more fractured and as they laboured in the sunshine the home side added to their misery by increasing their lead in the 71st minute.

As Heys struggled to clear their lines Neil Booth rode a weak defensive challenge to drive the ball low past Bishop.

Save from a Birtles shot that flashed wide Heys thereafter never looked capable of getting back in the game as they slipped to a potentially damaging defeat.

Jon Lyon’s side are at AVRO this Wednesday night (4th April, 6.15pm), before travelling to Old Alts on Saturday (7th April, 2pm).

A run of four successive away games is completed at Heywood St. James next Tuesday (10th April, 6.15pm) a sequence of matches from which Heys will need a sizeable points return if they are going to give themselves any chance of avoiding playing first division football next season.

On a black day all round the Reserves slumped to an 8-1 defeat at Rochdale Sacred Heart whilst the “A” team lost 4-0 to Hollinwood “A”.

This weekend the Reserves host AFC Monton at Grimshaw Park (2pm) whilst the “A” team are away at Walshaw.