Davies hat trick fires Heys to victory

By Rick Barrett

A hat trick from Matt Davies sealed an impressive 4-2 win for Prestwich Heys against Cheadle Town at the Park Road Stadium on Tuesday night.

Heys were in confident mood after securing a place in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup having beaten Penistone Church on Saturday and made just one change bringing in fit again Jerome Wright for the injured Nathan Emery at full back. Cheadle came into this one having beaten Litherland 4-1 in the league at the weekend.

It was a pulsating start and it was Cheadle first to show in the second minute when Heys keeper Jordan Hadlow brought down Cheadle's Martin Pilkington, but Hadlow quickly redeemed himself by diving to his left and saving the spot kick from Patrick Davin.

Heys countered straight away and took the lead in the fifth minute when Matt Davies picked up the ball just over the halfway line, skipped past a couple of Town defenders to launch a shot from twenty-five yards which flew past ex Heys keeper Jordan Latham into the bottom right. It was a sign of what was to come.

This started a spell of pressure in which Davies and winger Tyler James were orchestrating the majority of Heys play, James on eleven minutes brought a save from Latham after good work by Jack Coop and Davies almost did a carbon copy of his first goal on fifteen minutes but this time his shot was blocked.

The visitors pressure told again though on twenty-five minutes as Heys and Davies got the second of the night, this time an eighteen-yard shot which took a deflection but flew in the back of the net and at this point Cheadle could not cope with the Prestwich forward line.

Davies almost had his hat trick on the half hour when a shot on the right was fumbled by Latham onto the post and the ball was cleared but shortly after Davies had another effort cleared off the line.

Heys were in rampant mood, but a warning sign was fired on forty-four minutes when Thomas Murray fired over the bar for Cheadle and in injury time, they pulled one back when Kyle McGonigle headed past Hadlow from six yards which gave them a chance going into the break.

A key moment in the game came just after the restart and it was a chance for Cheadle with a cross from the left just agonisingly missing the forwards running in and out to safety.

It was as close as the home side got though as on fifty-two minutes Heys were 3-1 up, a great through ball from James found Coop, on the right, who beat the advancing Latham and fired home.

Coop nearly had another shortly after but fired over the bar as Heys dominance in this game continued and Davies got his well-deserved hat trick on seventy minutes. A corner on the right from substitute Khamidov was headed in from six yards out to finish off a very impressive display from the Heys man who was substituted just after to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.

Cheadle kept battling and after a couple of half chances got a consolation two minutes from time when a cross on the left found Jordan Lazenbury for a tap in at the far post to make the final score 4-2

So, a well-earned three points for Heys in this impressive, dominant display that carried on where Saturday left off. This was a great team effort, again determined and disciplined and you can see the confidence is growing in this side. Managers Lee O'Brien and James Hampson will be hoping this continues as the season progresses.

Team: Jordan Hadlow, Brad Sixsmith, Jerome Wright, Regan Brown, Nathan Bartram-Conway, Kyle Jacobs (Capt.), Darcy O’Connor, Malachi Slaven, Jack Coop, Matt Davies, Tyler James Subs: Saidkhon Khamidov (for Wright 45 mins), Kayle Power (for Slaven 80 mins), Kaiden Barlow (69 mins), Isaac Lee (for Coop 75 mins), Akim Samms (for Davies 75 mins)