Heys will look back on their visit to Garstang as one that got away as two late goals for the home side saw them lose a game they had enough possession and chances to have won comfortably.

On a bitterly cold afternoon, and on a heavy pitch, Prestwich were dominant after a bitty start to the game.

Playing with the low winter sun at their backs, Heys carved out their first chance when Jacob Holt saw a header saved by Will Kitchen in the home goal.

Mike Smith was called on early to stop a Garstang attack, collecting the ball off the toes of a striker on one occasion, Billy McKenna looking like the home side’s dangerman in the opening exchanges.

It was the visitors though that bossed possession and territory as the half wore on, Chris Baguley having a pop at goal before Rio Wilson-Heyes went on a great run from a ball played through by Jamie Baguley, but his shot was saved.

On ten minutes, Wilson-Heyes was blocked whilst on another jinking run, and Kitchen got down well to his left to push the free-kick from Chris Baguley out foe a corner.

Three minutes later, a dangerous cross from Holt was half-cleared, and Lee Bruce fired in a goalbound volley that was deflected away for another corner.

Garstang were never short of a threat in possession, and great tracking back to his own penalty area from Wilson-Heyes mopped up their next attack.

The Heys winger was centre stage for the next action, racing onto a through ball before hitting a first time lob at goal, it beat the keeper but also narrowly cleared the crossbar onto the roof of the net.

Chris Baguley was next up, but he didn’t make a clean connection with the ball as he got into space to shoot.

Debutant Ian Rowlands was next to go close, connecting well with a Holt cross just before the half-hour mark, but his powerful header cleared the bar.

With half-time minutes away, Jamie Baguley was cautioned for dissent, before Garstang’s Richard Coar had their best chance of the half, but the first forty-five was to end, frustratingly for Heys, goalless.

Garstang started the second half with more gusto than the first, and the play settled into a more level encounter.

It was Prestwich that had the first good chance when Chris Baguley released Lee Bruce on run towards the home box, but he was upended en route, and Baguley once again saw Kitchen equal to his effort on goal from the free-kick.

On fifty-six minutes, probably the best chance of the game for Heys fell to Chris Baguley, the Garstang defence was as sixes and sevens as Prestwich got behind them on the right flank, the ball eventually falling to Baguley, but his drive was deflected over by a defender with the keeper stranded.

Coar got the ball in the net for Garstang, but the referee had already blown, and Rowlands showed great awareness on seventy-four minutes when the home side had acres of space to attack, but the Heys defence held out as the game became more stretched and legs tired.

Lee Grimshaw replaced the hard-working Bruce, and with twelve minutes left, Leighton Egan replaced Jamie Baguley as both teams looked for the solitary goal that looked like it would win the game.

Brad Sixsmith fired in a decent effort a minute later, but with just under ten minutes to go, disaster struck.

Garstang had also introduced fresh legs, and Reece Barrett rose to head home from just inside the area and leave Heys with it all to do.

In a final roll of the dice, Mikey Itela replaced Rio Wilson-Heyes, and Prestwich committed themselves forward at every opportunity to salvage a point.

Sixsmith was again the threat for the home side on eighty-nine minutes, Kitchen proving equal to his shot, but it was Smith who was Heys’ hero minutes later when he sprinted from goal to make a timely tackle on Barrett, who was clean through.

Sixsmith was then cautioned before and Smith made another great full stretch save, this time from Shaun Sailor.

In time added on, Grimshaw forced a fine stop from Kitchen, and Heys had all eleven players in the Garstang box for the last gasp corner.

Unfortunately for Heys, Garstang quickly cleared the crossed ball, and despite the best efforts of Liam Healey to make a challenge, Sailor lobbed the ball into an empty net to rub salt into Heys’ wounds in the final action of the game.

Heys Line-up: Mike Smith, Ian Rowlands, Jacob Holt, Liam Healey, Mark Ayres, Jacob Wood, Brad Sixsmith, Jamie Baguley, Lee Bruce, Chris Baguley, Rio Wilson-Heyes. Subs: Lee Grimshaw (for Bruce), Leighton Egan (for Baguley J), Mike Itela (for Wison-Heyes), Carl Fitton and Justin Pickering (Not used)