Squires Gate 0-1 Prestwich Heys: Dahou's delight with late winner

Dahou, had come on as a 71st minute substitute for Erike Sousa, and found himself in the right spot at the right time after a curling shot from Sonny Reeves had come off the post. As the ball came free, with the keeper grounded, Dahou stroked home to settle a hard fought and entertaining game in Heys favour.

In truth, Heys deserved their victory. Although the home side had their moments in the game, Heys held the upper hand for long periods of the game, on the back of some good football allied to a real hunger to do the hard yards defensively.

Even at this early stage of the season, there felt some significance to this game. Both teams went into the game with identical playing records, with four points gathered from seven matches and so were both eager for points to push them up the table.

The early exchanges reflected that as both teams jostled for supremacy. The early threat came from the hosts as Regan Crossley failed to connect with a free header and then a free kick, in a dangerous central position, just outside the box was put over the bar by Ryan Riley.

There was a good tempo to Heys play and their first threat came in the 11th minute when from a Matty Russell free kick into the box, Sonny Reeves header shaved the post with home keeper Nathan Pennington stranded.

Squires Gate did have the ball in the net in the 15th minute, but the linesman’s flag cut short their joy whilst acting as a signal for Heys to begin to put their stamp on the game.

On the half hour, a great bit of play saw Sousa cross into Sonny Reeves, who laid the ball off to Dylan Fitzgerald who fired his shot, unfortunately, well wide.

Three minutes later the latter turned creator as he released Fenton Reeves whose shot had Pennington scrambling to save low down. Heys continued to hold the upper hand and perhaps felt they should be ahead as the sides went in at the break scoreless.

Riche Makelele replaced Russell for the second half and Heys made a positive start, but the best chance fell to the home side, in the 55th minute, who on the break worked the ball wide to James Hughes but he fired over for twelve yards. It signalled a good spell for Squires Gate, and it took some great defensive work and a couple of timely blocks to keep them out in a goalmouth scramble. Moments later, it took a timely intervention by Gabriel Mooney-Munoz as he cleared off the line as Hughes looked to sneak one in at the near post.

Heys steadied things as Shay Stansfield combined with Sonny Reeves to release Fenton Reeves but his shot was held low by Pennington.

The visitors continued to press but the hosts remained a threat on the break, never more so than in the 70th minute as a good save low down at the near post by Hood thwarted Hughes before the ball was reworked and the Heys stopper pulled off a stunning close range stop to deny Birchall.

The game was building to a nervous finale although there was a break in proceedings when a thunderbolt of a shot by Stansfield floored two home defenders. It was nonetheless a measure of the momentum Heys were building with Dahou’s introduction, for the understandably tiring Sousa, offering fresh impetus.

The substitute created an opening of his own in the 81st minute, as he cut into the box before firing low where Pennington gathered. Dahou then combined with Fitzgerald as they worked the ball well for Fenton Reeves who fired in a shot that the keeper pushed round the post at full stretch.

It looked like the afternoon was to remain goalless but then Heys endeavour was rewarded with Dahou’s late strike to give them victory and a welcome three points. It’s long term significance, if any, will become apparent as the season progresses but in this moment its importance cannot be shrugged off, bringing an end to a four-match losing run and lifting Heys up the table whilst the hosts dropped into bottom place. Had the result been reversed, it would have been Heys propping up the rest.

TEAM: Louis Hood, Erike Sousa, Callum Graham, Shay Stansfield, Nathan Bartram-Conway, Finley Stanyer, Gabriel Mooney-Munoz, Matthew Russell, Dylan Fitzgerald, Fenton Reeves, Sonny Reeves , Subs: Riche Makelele (for Russell 45 mins), Adam Hampshire (for Fenton Reeves 91 mins), Edward Schryburt (for Fitzgerald 93 mins), Adam Dahou (for Sousa 70 mins), Ardian Gashi (for Sonny Reeves 90 mins)