Wythenshawe Amateurs 3 Prestwich Heys 3, Manchester League Premier Division (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)

Wythenshawe Amateurs 3 Prestwich Heys 3, Manchester League Premier Division

4:35pm Wednesday 18th February 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

DANIEL Murray’s brace and a Martin Pilkington strike turned the game round for Heys before the nine men of Wythenshawe snatched a point late on.

Looking to stem the tide of leaked goals and subsequent defeats, manager Liam Morrissey opted for a five-man midfield for the trip south to Longley Lane.

But high-flying Ammies took only 14 minutes to break through Heys as a forward collected a wayward pass out of defence to leather an unstoppable effort past Paul Murphy in to the top corner.

Murray sent a header over the crossbar from an Adam Edwards corner but that was the sum of Heys attacking threat in a poor first half showing.

James Barker had to be alert in the 35th minute to hack a Wythenshawe effort off the line before the home side doubled their lead with another powerful strike from distance.

Heys reverted to a traditional 4-4-2 for the second half and they looked a totally different side as they set about the task of getting back into the game. Striker Mat Jolly sent a chance past the post on 50 minutes before Chris Jepson’s drive from the edge of the box deflected behind off a defender.

But Heys were soon back in the game when Murray collected the loose ball from another Jepson effort to fire home from six yards.

The hosts were then reduced to 10 men following a studs-up challenge in to the back of Edwards and from Martin Pilkington’s resulting free-kick, Murray held off two defenders before squeezing the ball between keeper and post to level.

The turn a round was complete five minutes later when Jolly’s ball forward was flicked on by Murray into the path of Pilkington who danced around the keeper and tapped in from close range.

With 20 minutes to hold out, Heys were given more of an advantage as another Wythenshawe player received his marching orders, this time for dissent. But as the clock ticked down, a nervous looking Heys let the points slip in the 85th minute when a corner from the right was headed back over Murphy and into the net.

While there were many positives for Morissey to take from the second half, as well as a welcome point after a run of four straight defeats, Heys slipped one place down the Premier League table to 13th with 27 points from 22 games.

With many of the teams around Heys in the table having between two and six games in hand over the Sandgate Road side, Morrissey will be desperate to start increasing the figure in the wins column.

But as league leaders Gregorians prepare for Saturday’s trip to Prestwich, followed a week later by the visit of sixth placed Stockport Georgians, Heys will need to reproduce more of that second half performance or could be looking nervously over their shoulder come the end of the month.

• Print
• Email
• Share