Prestwich Heys slipped to the bottom of the North West Counties Premier Division as they slipped to a 3-2 defeat at fellow strugglers Pilkington on Saturday.
It was an all too familiar tale for Heys. They started the game strongly and should have been three or four goals to the good before the hosts equalised in the 73rd minute.
The goal sparked a dramatic collapse by the visitors as the home side scored twice more in the next eight minutes to inflict a damaging defeat on Prestwich who not only now prop up the table, following a win for Colne, but are now eight points behind their third bottom victors, who have two games in hand.
The day had started so brightly for Heys. Starting with sought after new signing from Cheadle Town, Kyle Foley, in their line up alongside another debutant from Irlam, Joe Thompson, they opened in confident fashion with some slick football and took the lead in the 12th minute.
Some fine passing saw the ball worked to Foley who delivered a peach of pass to pick out the run into the box of Michael Burke. The Heys forward took the ball going away from goal but quickly adjusted his feet to then sweep the ball into the bottom far corner to open the scoring.
The home side looked to respond in the 17th minute when Nathan Salisbury cut into the box before firing in an angled shot which Heys ‘keeper Bradley Sullivan palmed to safety, but it was a rare moment of threat.
Four minutes later good football down the right by Heys saw Max Bardsley-Rowe pick out Foley but his shot was blocked and then shortly after Burke broke into the box before seeing his shot deflected wide for a corner which was cleared.
Although Pilkington showed signs of stemming the flow the threat continued to come from Heys and they should have increased their lead in the 38th minute when Bardsley-Rowe beat the offside trap to go clear but, from twelve yards out and with only the ‘keeper to beat, he blazed his shot high over the bar.
The home side started the second half with more purpose, with Salisbury cutting in from the left to test Sullivan, who gathered comfortably, in the 51st minute.
Two minutes later, a lightning break down the left from Heys saw Luke Jackson break into the box but as he shaped to shoot but he maybe delayed a second too long, allowing a defender to get across to block his shot.
As the battle for supremacy intensified, Sullivan had to react sharply to gather at the feet of Gilchrist in the 57th minute before Heys swept up field to again unlock the home defence.
This time it was Burke who got clear to find himself one on one with the advancing keeper Jake Hilton. With the ball bouncing it was the Heys man who got the crucial touch to lift the ball over the stoppers head but agonisingly wide of the unguarded goal.
Although the game became largely untidy the main threat still came from Heys, and a good spell of possession ended with a Foley shot being held low by Hilton in the 72nd minute.
Sixty seconds later came a defining moment in the game as out of nothing the hosts levelled. There seemed little threat as the ball was moved about across the Heys defence but suddenly Ryan Beigan found himself a little pocket of space to rifle a twenty-five-yard shot past a stranded Sullivan.
Suddenly the game was transformed, as it looked like the wind had been sucked out of Heys sails and they were to prove masters of their own downfall in the 78th minute. With the home side pressing, Heys had numerous chances to clear their lines but failed to do so and their indecisiveness was seized upon by Liam Bott who took possession and from the edge of the area planted a shot into the bottom corner.
Things were to get worse three minutes later as a long high ball wasn’t dealt with and Beigan went through unchallenged, from the centre circle, to round Sullivan and slot home.
Heys did regather and in the third minute of added time pulled a goal back when following a scramble in the box, Burke grabbed his second with a close-range finish. It was however scant consolation and if anything added to the hurt of a damaging defeat that left all concerned scratching their heads and contemplating a huge battle for survival over the second half of the season.
Heys are back at Adie Moran Park on Saturday as they host Cheadle Town in a League fixture (3pm). Next Tuesday night then sees them host Cheadle Heath Nomads in the Macron Cup 2nd Round (7.45pm)
Prestwich Heys: Bradley Sullivan, Regan Brown, Joseph Thompson, Gabriel Mooney-Munoz, Nathan Bartram-Conway, Finley Stanyer, Max Bardsley-Rowe, Luke Byron, Michael Burke, Luke Jackson, Kyle Foley, Subs: Lewis Ayres (for Thompson 83 mins), Louie Hutchinson, Hudson Davies (for Jackson67 mins), Noah Inneh, Finlay Stafford (for Byron 67 mins)
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