PRESTWICH HEYS 9 MALTBY MAIN 1
SATURDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2025 IZUSU FA VASE 1ST ROUND PROPER ATT:239
Report by Paul Thomason
Pictures by Bethany Lee

Luke Byron scored a hat-trick in a nine-star performance from Prestwich Heys as they progressed with an emphatic win against Northern Counties East First Division side Maltby Main, at Adie Moran Park, in the first round of the Isuzu FA Vase on Saturday.

Unusually, the home side attacked the Sandgate Road end in the first half, but it only took Heys four minutes to break the deadlock when Mo Doro ran down the left, easing past his fullback, to lay the ball back for Luke Byron to fire it home.

As Heys dominated, the second goal didn’t seem long in coming, when a couple of minutes later, Bryson Appleton fired wide and not long after that, Alfie Belcher had a shot well saved by Danny Jones in the Maltby Main goal.

It was on fourteen minutes that the second goal duly arrived for Prestwich as Appleton teed up Rob Worrall to fire a rocket of a shot from eighteen yards, high into the goal, giving the keeper no chance.

Four minutes later, the visitors found themselves down to nine players when Alfie Belcher was brought down by Jordan Buckham right on the line of the eighteen-yard area. Buckham was harshly given a straight red card as the referee deemed him to be the last man and protests from the Maltby Main captain, Adam Watson saw him go into the sin bin for dissent. It was going to be a long afternoon for the side from South Yorkshire.

The Maltby keeper would be kept busy and two minutes later, Byron came close to his second when his low shot was saved superbly and soon after that, Appleton crossed for Dre Taylor whose half volley was kept out.

Byron, playing at number ten, had another good chance for his second on twenty-six minutes when he headed Joe Camozzi’s cross, but it was straight at the goalkeeper.

Heys were in absolute control, playing some dazzling football and as the visitors were about to go back up to ten players, they added a third when Mo Doro’s cross found Byron and at close range, he steered it home to get his second of the game.

The chances kept coming for Prestwich, firstly on thirty-one minutes, an Alfie Belcher header was kept out by the keeper’s glove and three minutes later, Byron was denied his hat-trick as he went through on goal but then skied it over the bar.

Belcher would get on the scoresheet on thirty-six minutes when a superb ball by Appleton, picked out his run, and he was able to fire past the keeper from twelve yards to make it 4-0.

Worrall went close three minutes later when his shot was saved low by Jones and on thirty-nine minutes, great skill by Appleton created space for himself, but his shot thundered off the bar.

Right on half time, the home side added a fifth goal as Dre Taylor fired a shot from twenty-five yards, across the ground into the bottom corner through a sea of players with the goalkeeper seeing it too late to do anything about it.

As a contest, the game was well and truly over at half time and you could understand if the Heys players took their foot off the gas for the second forty-five, but that wasn’t the case. But it did take fifteen minutes of the second half to score number six. Prestwich dominated possession and they passed the ball around the Maltby final third, before it reached Belcher in front of an open goal to tap in.

Six minutes later, Heys were celebrating number seven and Byron his hat-trick when again, some smart passing led to Mo Doro pulling the ball back for him in the box to fire in. The Heys man had been superb all game and deserved his treble.

There was to be no let-up for Maltby though as in the fifty-seventh minute a fresh Takura Sambizi came on and on seventy-eight minutes, he nearly got on the scoresheet with a strong header, but Jones stretched and managed to keep it out. A minute later, he was at full stretch again to keep out an Alfie Belcher effort from twenty yards.

It is to the credit of the visitors that with their backs against the wall and everything against them, they continued to put the work in, and they pulled a goal back in the 80th minute. It was a fine individual effort from Curtis Morrison who ran in from the right before firing low into the corner to make it 7-1.

On eighty-four minutes, Maltby went down to nine players, this time permanently as Adam Watson was given a yellow card for his challenge on Doro, adding to his sin binning earlier, that meant a red card for the defender.

Despite conceding nine goals, Danny Jones made a number of good saves and on eighty-six minutes, he kept out Belcher again from a low long-range shot.

Two minutes later, Heys had an eighth goal as Sambizi scored with his head when Joe Camozzi’s cross met him in front of goal to put it past the keeper to score his fifth goal in his last six games.

Belcher came close to his hat-trick on eighty-nine minutes when a shot from close range battered off the post before in the final minute, a handball in the area from a free kick gifted Heys a penalty. Belcher wanted to take it, but Doro would take the responsibility, and he made no mistake.

The final whistle blew shortly after completing a final score of 9-1 in Heys favour and safe passage to the second round.
It was a result that will live long in the memory of every Heys fan. It could have easily been a lot more and with regular strikers Louis Holt (cup-tied) and Connor Martin (injured) missing and still scoring nine, it certainly bodes well looking forward!

TEAM: Lee White, Joe Camozzi, Luke Findlow, James Badrock (Capt.), David Badrock, Nicholas Dre Taylor, Bryson Appleton, Robert Worrall, Alfie Belcher, Luke Byron, Mworina Doro Subs: Takura Sambizi (for Appleton 55 mins) , Joshua Tinker (for D. Badrock 57 mins), Jace Osborne (for Findlow 45 mins), Lucas Bancroft (for Worrall 62 mins), Job Dengoue (for Taylor 62 mins)