Abbey Hey v AFC Liverpool, 16th September 2017

I was accompanied for this match by Kevin, my friend of many years. We met other supporters in the club house, including Dave The Rattler and the two Chesterfield lads (who are mates of Steve Fraser).

On the pitch, we got off to the best possible start. Debutant George Lomax stabbed home from close range, after Joe Whittington had played the ball across the area to keep the ball alive from a corner.

For the first twenty minutes we were in complete control. We could have scored a second when a shot was diverted away unconvincingly by the keeper, and just narrowly went wide.

Along with Steve, Dave, and the Chesterfield lads, we were stood behind the goal we were attacking in the first half. On a couple of occasions, I played ballboy. Much to the amusement of everyone behind that goal, I tried a spin of the ball with my feet!

But then, the home side came back into it. They moved through the left side of our defence with ease, and shot against Jack Cookson's left hand post. The respite was very brief, and seconds later they were level.  

Abbey Hey were very much the better side for the rest of the first half.  We did have one chance to regain the lead just before half time. Joe Whittington was played through, but denied by the keeper.

In fact, Joe had been correctly punished a few minutes earlier when a late tackle saw him go into the book. Their number 5 and Skipper quickly went to the Ref, and their keeper told a few of our supporters that he felt Joe should have been sent off for violent conduct

A change in the weather saw Kev and I watch the second half under cover. Abbey Hey very much picked up where they left off at the start of the second half. A free kick effort came back off our post. With two goals in the space of a few minutes before the hour, to take a deserved 3-1 lead, it seemed that they had taken control of the game.

I think it was Michael Boyle who played Kev “The Beast” Edgar through on 66 minutes to bring us back into it. Soon, I got my wish for Danny Boden to come on from the bench. We did equalise on 76 minutes after a cross from the left was turned into his own net by a defender, not particularly under massive pressure.

A big big talking point soon followed, which saw both sides get reduced to ten men.  A late challenge from their man was correctly a red card. However, our substitute Callum Woods twice pushed an Abbey Hey player in retaliation. That is something simply you cannot do.

They continued to push the most in the closing stages, giving us quite a few hairy moments. We did have one good chance of our own when Joe Whittington was played through on the inside right, but shot wide of the near post.

All in all, a valuable point from an entertaining match. But, I did think they had just shaded it.

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