REPORT BY PAUL THOMASON

Pictures by Conor Mac

The inability to put chances away once again cost Heys the points as Burscough came away from Adie Moran Park with victory despite having a player sent off.

The home side started the stronger and Takura Sambizi was lively as always and five minutes into the game he ran into the box before shooting over the bar for the first real chance of the match.

Prestwich continued to come forward and had a brilliant chance to open the scoring on eighteen minutes when Max Bardsley-Rowe crossed the ball from the right to Lee Grimshaw whose effort deflected goalwards but Ben Barnes in the visitor’s goal managed to reach it and tip it around the post.

Burscough’s first threat came twenty minutes in as a ball across the six-yard box was cleared by James Badrock to prevent an easy tap in.

As the first half progressed, the game opened up and either team could have scored the first goal. A free kick from Belcher, twenty yards out went just wide of the left post on twenty-one minutes and a minute after that, Burscough went up the other end where an effort from Callum Laird went just wide after running inside the box.

It was the side in green who took the lead on thirty-six minutes as the ball was played over the top. Both Laird and Heys goalkeeper, Harry Allen, went for it, Laird got the touch on it to dink it over Allen and into the back of the net.

A couple of minutes before half time, Prestwich made their best move of the game so far, some neat passing saw the ball worked to Lee Grimshaw. He hit his effort low, but Barnes was able to get his leg to it to turn it away.

Heys had the worst possible start to the second half, just three minutes into it, they found themselves two goals down as some poor defending allowed Sam Sheen to tap in from ten yards out. It was now a long way back for Prestwich who really needed to win this game.

Ryan Hutchinson made some changes, bringing on Bryson Appleton and Michael Burke to try and change the game. Appleton, always causing defenders problems when he comes on, almost pulled one back for Heys on sixty-three minutes when he was found after Belcher and Sambizi linked up, but he couldn’t get enough power into his shot and the keeper was able to recover the ball.

A minute later though, Takura Sambizi was brought down in the penalty area to give the home side a lifeline. Despite missing a penalty last weekend, Bardsley-Rowe stood up and sent the keeper the wrong way. It was now game on.

The goal gave the Heys players that spark they needed, and they dominated the remainder of the match. A low cross from Sambizi two minutes after the penalty went just in front of Burke, across the goal but he couldn’t get the touch that was needed and Sambizi had a great chance himself on seventy-two minutes when he headed low, but the keeper was able to get down to tip it around the post after a Bardsley-Rowe run had set him up.

The home side continued to press for an equaliser and on seventy-four minutes, it was Sambizi setting up Bardsley-Rowe this time, as his cross met the latter’s head but it went just wide.

The task of holding onto the lead was made harder for Burscough with ten minutes remaining when Mason Duff caught Sambizi around the head, bringing him down, and received a straight red card from the referee.

Prestwich used the man advantage to continue to press. Appleton ran into the box and shot low two minutes later, but his effort was saved by Barnes. Burscough kept everyone behind the ball to hold on but were still a threat on the counter as Heys struggled to break the ten-men down. The home side did create one more chance in the ninety-fifth minute, just before the final whistle, as Michael Burke’s low shot in the penalty area, after a Bardsley-Rowe, cross was saved.

The result now leaves Heys four points from safety with just six games remaining. It’s another case of what could have been, but a lot of credit has to go to Ben Barnes in the Burscough goal for making some very good saves. However, the inability to convert chances cost Prestwich for the second week in a row and they now have a lot of work to do to avoid the drop.

Team: Harry Allen, Max Bardsley-Rowe, Luke Byron, David Badrock, James Badrock, Jack Taylor, Alfie Belcher, David Edwards, Lee Grimshaw, Connor Martin, Takura Sambizi, Subs: Joseph Thompson, Bryson Appleton (for Grimshaw 58 mins) , Gabriel Hughes, Michael Burke (for 65 mins), Bradley J Sullivan (for Taylor 89 mins)