An eighty fourth minute header from Scott Shepton secured a 2-1 win for Ramsbottom United at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium on Saturday as Prestwich Heys woeful run continued.

Heys came into this one on the back of five straight defeats whilst table topping Ramsbottom were in confident mood after a creditable 1-1 draw with fellow promotion hopefuls Bury on Tuesday night.

A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off in respect to Radcliffe FC chairman Paul Hilton after it was announced on Saturday morning that he had sadly passed away.

Heys gave a debut to Radcliffe FC keeper Brad Sullivan who came in to replace Louis Hood, injured in Mondays 1-0 defeat at Stockport Town.

After a tight start to the game the first chance fell to Heys Dylan Fitzgerald whose shot from twelve yards brought a save from Rammy keeper Bradley Rose and shortly after the visitors created a lovely move, started by Gabriel Mooney-Munoz in the middle, finding Shay Stansfield on the left, who picked out Finlay Stanyer, in the box, but his shot was wide.

The hosts were soon upping the gears though as Luke Shepton and Tom Hoyle saw headers go over the bar and Sephton missed a great chance to put Rammy in front on twenty-two minutes when firing wide at the far post.

The home side were enjoying the majority of the possession, but Heys had a couple of breakaway chances with Erike Sousa firing in down the right the ball deflected out for a corner and shortly after another corner from Mooney saw a shot being cleared off the line.

Goalless at the break then and all to play for and it was Ramsbottom who were quicker out of the blocks after the interval and were ahead on fifty-six minutes. Heys had several chances to clear the ball in the penalty area but didn’t and the ball fell to Luke Shepton who fired into the bottom left, past Sullivan, to put the home side ahead.

Rammy nearly made it two a few minutes later when Stansfield deflected a shot out for a corner, but Heys were nearly level on sixty-eight minutes when Fitzgerald had the ball in the back of the net, but the referee ruled it out for offside. Loanee Heys keeper Sullivan was then called into action on seventy-six minutes saving from a shot down the left.

Heys kept battling though and got an equaliser two minutes later when Rammy keeper Rose miss kicked a clearance and the ball fell to substitute Sonny Reeves on the left, who knocked a great ball into the far post where Sousa got in front of the Ramsbottom defender to tap home from three yards to the delight of the visiting support.

Ramsbottom looked to respond quickly and this they did on eighty-four minutes. It came from a corner on the right, which found the head of Scott Shepton, twelve yards out, with the ball looping over everyone. Mooney desperately tried to clear it, but it was already over the line to put the hosts 2-1 up.

Heys tried to respond but it was an all too familiar feeling as the referee blew for full time in this latest defeat in which they were again made to pay for basic errors for both goals and the continued lack of fire power upfront is a major concern.

Prestwich now sit one point off the bottom of the North West Counties Premier League table with the three teams below them all having a game in hand.

TEAM: Bradley Sullivan, Finley Stanyer, Kian Sharples, Edward Schryburt, Nathan Bartram-Conway, Shay Stansfield, Erike Sousa, Gabriel Mooney-Munoz, Dylan Fitzgerald, Kyle Preece, Noah Inneh, Subs: Russell Saunders, Sonny Reeves (for Stansfield 75 mins), Adam Dahou (for Schryburt 68 mins), Matthew Russell, Jordan Southworth (for Preece 55 mins)

Rick has his own Heys blog "View from a Sandgate Bridge" at https://rickbarrett753.wixsite.com/website-2