Match Report

FC Win at Giant Axe to Make It Two-From-Two

FC followed up Saturday's victory against Leek Town with another 2-0 victory - this time at Lancaster City.

Giant Axe has never been a particularly happy hunting ground for the Reds, with a first ever victory there coming back in February. The Dolly Blues had plenty of the posession in the early stages, but it was FC who broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark. 

A quick counter and some good play from Jay Fitzmartin found captain Charlie Ennis on the edge of the box. He beat a couple of men to find some space inside the box before letting go a shot. It took a deflection off a Lancaster defender and squirmed into the far corner, leaving keeper Kelly with no chance.

The hosts were almost level right before half time. A cross was nodded on and found Sam Bailey unmarked on the edge of the six yard box. He looked to be taking aim at goal, but the shot went across the face of goal to Lewis Mansell who looked certain to score. He couldn't manage to get much on the shot, and Dec Evans managed to block the ball on the line before Atherton got it away with his feet.

Despite the scoreline the hosts would likely have been positive about their first half performance and prospects for the second half. However just 21 seconds after the restart, they found themselves two goals down. Almost straight from the kick-off, Matty Grivosti nicked the ball in midfield, and some quick passing play found Fitzmartin in space. He cut inside and finished brilliantly into the far corner from 20 yards.

From then on, a professional performance for FC saw them manage the game well, whilst still working to create chances.

The biggest threat to a second consecutive clean sheet came eight minutes from time as Sloan found space in the area, but his shot was blocked by Evans and eventually cleared by FC.

After seeing his side secure a second 2-0 win, Mark Beesley spoke of a “good, resilient performance” particularly after half-time and the way his side defended their lead.