GLOSSOP NORTH END 1 PRESTWICH HEYS 2

TUESDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 2025 NW COUNTIES PREMIER DIVISION ATT:216

Report by Rick Barrett
Pictures by Bethany Lee

A strike early in the second half from Bryson Appleton was enough to give in form Prestwich Heys a 2-1 win at the Asgard Engineering Stadium, home of Glossop North End, on Tuesday night.

Heys came into this one looking for a third consecutive league win following a 3-0 win at home to South Liverpool on Saturday while Glossop were looking to build on a 2-1 win against Litherland last time out after a slow start to the season.

It was a tight start to the game with Bryson Appleton first to show on twelve minutes shooting from the right but former Heys keeper Harry Allen got down to save.

Heys started to put the pressure on and were rewarded on sixteen minutes. It was brilliant work by Appleton on the right who trapped and turned on the ball before spraying a pass on the left to Takura Sambizi whose cross from the byline found the in form striker Connor Martin, running in at the far post, to tap home to put the visitors 1-0 up.

Prestwich had to make an early substitution on twenty nine minutes when full back Joe Camozzi departed with a hamstring injury, being replaced by Dre Taylor.

Glossop tried to respond as another former Heys player Dylan Fitzgerald fired wide shortly after but it was the visitors with the upper hand winning all the 50/50 challenges with Appleton and Sambizi busy down the flanks, knocking crosses in, but the home defence were managing to clear.

Sambizi was at it again for Heys, driving in a shot to the bottom right which was saved by Allen and then Dre Taylor fired wide of the far post just after.

As dominant as Heys were though it was Glossop who equalised on the stroke of half time. A corner on the right was headed back towards goal by Ethan Sutcliffe and the ball deflected off a defender and past Heys keeper Austyn Hall for an equaliser which few saw coming.

So, it was all square at the break and one felt if Heys could keep up the pressure more rewards would come and so it did in the forty ninth minute.

The move started with a goal kick from goalkeeper Hall finding midfielder Luke Byron, who found Appleton on the right. He then cut inside and fired past Allen from twelve yards to put Heys ahead.

The hosts tried to get back into it on fifty-nine minutes when Josh Lowe floated a cross in that was dropped by Hall but the danger was cleared by the Heys defence.

Prestwich should have been further in front on seventy one minutes when substitute Alfie Belcher fired in a shot from eight yards that was deflected back out to Appleton whose shot was blocked before Rob Worrall fired over from twelve yards.

Substitute Mo Doro got in on the act, firing over the bar before another big chance came on eighty four minutes, Doro this time finding Martin whose shot was cleared off the line, a lucky escape for Glossop.

Fitzgerald had a penalty shout for Glossop shortly after but referee Hugh Fish rightly waved play on.

As the visitors continued to press, Doro got clean through in injury time but Allen came out to block in what was the final action of the evening.

Another good win then for Heys who were largely in control throughout, having the upper-hand to record a third win in a row.
This encouraging performance pushed them up the league table to 15th with ten league games now completed.

Team: Austyn Hall, Joe Camozzi, Luke Findlow, James Badrock, David Badrock, Joshua Tinker, Bryson Appleton, Rob Worrall, Connor Martin, Luke Byron, Takura Sambizi Subs: Louie Hutchinson (for Martin 86 mins), Mworina Doro (for Sambizi 57), Owen Percival (for Worrall 90+4 mins), Nicholas Dre Taylor (for Camozzi 27 mins), Alfie Belcher (for Tinker 67 mins)