AFC Liverpool v Garstang, 20th March 2019

I was in my seat for a few minutes after being on the turnstile, when Garstang took the lead around the quarter hour mark. Everyone around me said it was deserved. Alan Harrison commented that we had not really got into the game.

The goal did though seem to wake us up. A number of chances were suddenly created. With a few minutes to go before half time, we should have equalised. I think it was Rhys Hardacre running at their defence. He lost a bit of momentum when he could have put a man in on goal. When the chance looked to have gone, he produced  a brilliant shot from just outside the area which came back off the post. A minute later, Jack Cookson needed to make a crucial save after a Garstang break.
The visitors went in a goal to the good, and the early stages of the second half saw Garstang continue to cling to the slender lead, with the Reds falling to convert more chances. On 67 minutes though, we did restore parity. The equaliser came courtesy of a Jon Croasdale looping header from a free kick. 

The momentum was now firmly with the Reds, but it was still a game which could go either way.
Although the score remained 1-1 for the next 12 minutes or so, a match which had been a good game anyway, was about to produce a spectacular final 12 minutes or so.

Drew Lewis had replaced Anthony Lyons just before the Croasdale equaliser. It was two goals in a minute from Drew which seemingly put us in control. His first was a superb shot on the turn from just outside the box which left the keeper with no chance. The second was him being the first to react after a long punt forward from our keeper Jack Cookson. Chris Dace and I joked that he may now get a hat-trick, and considering his recent lay off, it would have been a fantastic story.
No sooner had we made it 3-1, did the visitors strike again with a well taken goal to come back into it. Another player who had been out injured recently had been Jay McGrane. He scored to settle it with not long to go, after a good move down our left which produced a ball across the box. With almost the final kick of the whole game, Garstang struck again from a free kick. Thankfully they had no time to launch any further attacks after that.
The other entertainment of note on show that evening was provided by the Everton supporting Grandfather of the now departed Ben Lightfoot. After a couple of goals, he was having great banter with the fans performing his "EFC Liverpool" chant!

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