The Non-League Reds suffered their first home defeat of the season, as FC St Helens put in a well organised performance to take the points home with them. Both sides came into the game level on games played, points, and goal difference, so it was always likely to be a tight battle.
AFC went with the same eleven that had performed so well in the previous game against Cheadle Town. However, it was the visitors who started the brighter. They won a corner 2 minutes into the game, which was delivered dangerously into the area and poor marking resulted in the ball deflecting into the net off Connor Spiers's shoulder, to give FC St Helens the lead. The game was quite even after this, with both sides looking promising on the break but neither threating any real goal threat, as half chances went begging. Unfortunately for The Reds, they had not learnt their lesson from the earlier set piece and a well worked corner on 36 minutes, resulted in another free header, as Saints captain, Josh Hall glanced his header into the net to give the visitors a two goal lead, which they held until the break.
The Reds started the 2nd half on the front foot as they searched for a way back into the match. Mason in the St. Helens goal was called into action on a couple of occasions, particularly when making a fine one handed save to turn an Elliot Taylor shot round the post. The breakthrough came on 68 minutes when Matty Brown notched his 3rd of the season, finishing well through a crowded goalmouth from just inside the box. The Reds sensed they were back in the game and pushed hard for the equaliser, however, FC St Helens remained very well organised defensively and frustrated the home side by wasting time whenever possible. As AFC pushed forward, the opposition had a couple of chances to extend their lead, as Jack McGovern saved well. As the game drifted into injury time, frustrations with the visitors trying to see out time boiled over, as Lancaster was shown a red card for AFC. That wasn't the end of the drama as Joel Skillen went close to securing a share of the points with an effort from distance that Joe Mason brilliantly pushed to safety. Moments later, the final whistle went and FC St Helens enjoyed their hard fought victory.
Although the points were lost, the result was more disappointing than the performance itself. With a run of tough games now underway, it will be interesting to see if The Non-League Reds can respond positively and get back to adding to their points tally.
Final Score - AFC Liverpool 1 v 2 FC St Helens
Team - 1. McGovern 2. Lightfoot 3. Giblin 4. Moorcroft (c) 5. Sudworth
6. Fisher-Jones 7. Flight Jones 8. Brown 9. Taylor 10. Byron 11. Bavelock
(Pics courtesy of Billy Stirrup)
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