Heys picked up their first Pre-Season win with a 6-3 victory over Thornton Cleveleys at Adie Moran Park on Tuesday night.

The home side were worthy winners, but they had to work hard to establish their authority on the game against a lively Cleveleys side who were quick out of the traps, taking the lead after five minutes.

A lightning break down the right had Heys back pedalling and when the cross was delivered across the six-yard box, Luke Noble got in ahead of the home defence to slot home.

Heys did respond with some promising moments of their own, but the real threat was from the away side with Noble to the fore. He came close to increasing his side’s lead in the fifteenth minute as he cut into the box before sliding a shot just wide.

Steadily, Heys did begin to find some fluency and assert some pressure, and they levelled matters in the 23rd minute when Alfie Belcher cut into the box and fired hard and low to beat the keeper at the foot of the post.

Moments later Heys almost had a second. Bryson Appleton, burst into the box, but his low shot was cleared off the line.

On the half hour Cleveleys almost regained the lead when a Jordan Beavers shot rattled the crossbar, but the overall direction of play was increasingly towards the visitor’s goal.

In the 32nd minute Heys took the lead, Appleton and Connor Martin combined superbly to release Takura Sambizi who outstripped his man to break into the box and fire home.

Heys were really firing now and on the stroke of half time Belcher almost had his second with a shot that came off the bar.

Despite several changes, Heys carried their momentum into the second half where they made an electric start, with Max Bardsley-Rowe seeing a shot saved low down before a Lee Grimshaw header came off the bar.

In the 48th minute, Bardsley-Rowe was not to be denied however as he burst into the box and rifled a shot into the bottom corner.

Six minutes later Heys had a fourth goal, when from a corner the ball dropped in the box and Lee Grimshaw reacted first to slot home.

It was one way traffic now and in the 68th minute the hosts had a fifth when Jacob Ramplin made an angled run into the box before sliding a shot into the opposite corner. A super finish.

A minute later Heys had a penalty awarded for handball but Michael Burke’s effort struck the crossbar.

To their credit, Cleveleys continued to battle away and received some reward in the 76th minute when Jack Bateman struck a super free kick, from the edge of the area, into the top corner.

Five minutes later though Heys were back amongst the goals as the ball was worked into the box and Burke found himself in space before slotting home.
There was time for one more goal however, with Cleveleys pulling a goal back when Archie Lang got in behind Heys defence to slot home.

It could not alter the final outcome; this was a good all-round performance from Heys after a difficult opening to the game. They played some great football particularly in the periods either side of half time. There will be things the Management will want to work on, but it was a night when there were far more positives and Heys were worthy winners.