Davies’ late spot kick earns Heys a point

Report by Rick Barrett

An injury time penalty from Matt Davies was enough to secure a point in a game of late drama against Burscough at the Community Ground on Saturday.

Both teams came into this one looking for an improvement of some recent poor form which saw both sides winless in the last three outings and Heys made five changes from last week’s Macron Cup defeat at Alsager Town notably the return of full backs Jacob Ngoy and Jack McConnell.

It was the visitors that made an explosive start and a lovely move down the left on seven minutes started with McConnell finding Ryley Smith who put Matt Davies through, but his effort was cleared for a corner.

From this corner Heys had a massive shout for a penalty as captain Aaron Chalmers was brought down in the box but the referee waved play on, and Prestwich continued to press and on eleven minutes Gabriel Mooney-Munoz was unlucky when his eighteen-yard shot went just wide of the far post.

Heys were looking really impressive in these early stages playing neat and tidy football but without really testing Burscough keeper Kier Barry as Jacob Ngoy headed wide from six yards on seventeen minutes.

As the half wore on Burscough tried to get a foothold on the game and had a chance on twenty seven minutes when Heys keeper Russ Saunders blocked a shot and four minutes later they did have the ball in the back of the net with a header at the far post but the linesman's flag was up for offside.

Chalmers was in the thick of it again on forty minutes for the visitors with a header that keeper Barry couldn't deal with, but the ball was hastily cleared to safety and that completed the action in a goalless first half.

It was Heys first to show after the break on fifty minutes with Kyle Jacobs firing over the bar from twenty yards but it was the home side having the better of it and it looked like the opening goal for them on sixty three minutes, when the ball was stabbed home after a mix up in the Prestwich back four, however the referee went over for a chat with the linesman, over ruled the decision and awarded a goal kick to Heys to the dismay of the home support.

Further frustration came on seventy minutes for the hosts as Burscough manager David Dempsey was shown a red card and ordered away from the dugout for something said to the referee.

Burscough were now pressing and looking the more likely to break the deadlock in what was becoming a scrappy affair and so it told on eighty-five minutes when a shot hit the cross bar leaving James McCulloch with a simple tap in for a deserved 1-0 lead.

This seemed to spark Heys into action and Davies down the left knocked a great ball into the box which was cleared after a goalmouth scramble, and they continued to push forward as the referee indicated five minutes injury time on the board.

Prestwich were finally rewarded in the ninety third minute as Jacob Ngoy enjoyed a run into the box and was brought down with the referee having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Matt Davies to convert bottom right past Barry to level the scores at 1-1.

The late drama did not end there though as the hosts had a great chance to win it in the dying embers when a shot was blazed over the bar from six yards in what was the final action of the day as the game finished all square.

So, a frustrating day for Prestwich Heys in a game where they started so well without really testing the home keeper and struggled in the final third as the game went on but if they continue with the work ethic shown they will hopefully get back to winning ways soon and maintain a place for the play offs come April.

TEAM: Russ Saunders, Jacob Ngoy, Nathan Emery, Pa Jenkins, Sam Olawumi, Aaron Chalmers (Capt.), Gabriel Mooney-Munoz, Connor Brotherton, Matt Davies, Kyle Jacobs, Ryley Smith, Subs: Nathan Emery, Brad Sullivan (for Smith 64 mins), Rio Wilson-Heyes (for Mooney-Munoz 64 mins), Dylan Fitzgerald (for Jenkins 80 mins), Nathan Bartram-Conway