PRESTWICH HEYS 0 BARNOLDSWICK TOWN 2
SATURDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2025 NW COUNTIES PREMIER DIVISION ATT:178
Report by Paul Thomason

In the final fixture before Christmas, goals in either half from Barnoldswick Town consigned Prestwich Heys to defeat in a contest where the home side struggled to find any rhythm for long spells.

The opening stages were short on clear-cut chances, with the first moment of note arriving in the sixth minute when Joe Camozzi delivered from the right, but Alfie Carmichael was unable to generate enough power with his header to trouble the visiting goalkeeper.
Heys took time to grow into the contest and their best opportunity of the first half came on thirty-four minutes. Neat link-up play between Rob Worrall and Ethan Cummings created space for Worrall to cross, finding Louis Holt on the volley, whose powerful effort flashed narrowly wide of the keeper’s right-hand post.

That miss proved costly just two minutes later as Barnoldswick took the lead. A loss of possession deep in the Heys half allowed the visitors to pounce, with Lee White producing an excellent close-range save to deny Daniel Edwards. The danger was only temporarily cleared, however, and Gareth Hill was on hand to head home from the resulting delivery.

Barnoldswick almost doubled their advantage five minutes before the interval when Heys were again caught out defensively, Hill firing goalwards, looking for his second, only to see his effort deflected wide.

The visitors’ lead at the break was deserved. Chances were at a premium, but Barlick’s defence stood firm, repelling everything Heys attempted to throw their way.

Barnoldswick began the second half on the front foot and fashioned a couple of early chances inside the opening five minutes, both comfortably dealt with by White in the Heys goal.

Changes on fifty-one minutes saw Luke Byron and Takura Sambizi introduced from the bench, sparking an immediate improvement in Prestwich’s play. The hosts moved the ball with greater purpose, pushing the visitors deeper, but just as momentum began to build,
Barnoldswick struck again on fifty-eight minutes. With Heys committing bodies forward, the visitors won possession on the edge of their own box and broke swiftly, Samual Unwin driving through the middle before steering a low finish past White.

Despite the setback, Heys continued to improve, though Barnoldswick remained dangerous on the counter and could have extended their lead as both Unwin and Connor McAuley went close in the minutes that followed.

Prestwich’s best chance arrived on sixty-six minutes when Sambizi surged in from the left, cut inside and fired narrowly into the side netting, briefly fooling some in the crowd into thinking the ball had crossed the line.

Heys sensed they were not out of the contest and continued to press. On seventy-five minutes, Worrall and Byron combined to release Bryson Appleton, impressive after the break, whose effort across goal drifted just wide of the far post. Sambizi then tested Dale Latham with a well-struck effort on eighty-three minutes, only to be denied by a fine save.

The home side came agonisingly close to pulling a goal back three minutes later, creating two gilt-edged chances in quick succession. First, Appleton’s shot was dramatically cleared off the line before, from the resulting corner, Holt’s header met the same fate.

Ultimately, Heys left themselves with too much to do. By the time they found their stride, they were already two goals down and faced a Barnoldswick defence in outstanding form. After scoring eleven unanswered goals in their previous two home matches, Prestwich were brought firmly back down to earth and will need a much-improved display when they travel to Chadderton on Boxing Day.

TEAM: Lee White, Joe Camozzi, Luke Findlow, James Badrock, Alistair Bracken, Nicholas Dre Taylor, Bryson Appleton, Robert Worrall, Louis Holt, Alfie Carmichael, Ethan Cummings Subs: David Badrock (for Camozzi 70 mins), Takura Sambizi (for Carmichael 51 mins), Luke Byron (for Cummings 51 mins), Louie Hutchinson (for Findlow 88 mins), Josh Tinker (for Taylor 88 mins)