FC leave it late to claim hard-earned point from Rylands

FC United left it late to claim a last-gasp equaliser against Mark Duffy’s Warrington Rylands at Hive Arena.

Ntumba Massanka’s second half header looked to have secured the points for Rylands, but substitute Dec McLoughlin’s goal in the last minute of normal time rescued a point for the travelling Reds.

In a meeting between two sides in need of valuable points, it was FC who started the brightest. Rylands ‘keeper Luke Pilling was forced into an early bit of action inside four minutes, after Dontai Gabidon’s in-swinging delivery from the right flank invited Adam Le Fondre to attack the ball, but his header was stopped at source by a strong palm from Pilling.

The hosts’ number one had another important stop to make a few minutes later, with Jay Fitzmartin being denied one-on-one after good link-up play with Charlie Munro saw the winger set in behind the Rylands backline.

Duffy’s hosts came into the game looking for their first points on home turf this campaign, and soon began to enjoy more of the ball after a promising start for the visitors through the first quarter of an hour. 

Alert defending from Curtis Jones prevented the home side from creating an opening on the 30 minute mark, intercepting a pass inside the FC area which intended to reach Ben Hardcastle’s run into the box.

Five minutes later, promising build up from the hosts saw the ball worked out right to former Red Clive Smith, whose clipped delivery toward the back post caused momentary panic amongst the FC ranks but no one was there to meet it.

United twice came close to finding an opener not long after the restart, creating two excellent chances within minutes of each other. The first, coming after some sublime football from the FC midfield with one-touch play between Charlie Ennis and Jordan Preston seeing the Reds’ skipper sent through on goal, yet he could not apply the finish with only the ‘keeper to beat.

90 seconds later, battling effort from Le Fondre to keep the ball alive at the right corner of the area led to Gabidon cutting inside on his left foot and curling a fine effort goalwards, which was smartly turned round the post by Pilling.

Despite FC turning up the pressure in the opening minutes of the second half, it was Rylands who managed to take the lead in the 66th minute, with Ntumba Massanka heading home a James Baillie corner from the middle of the box. FC, who spurned a succession of their own corners in the first half, were made to pay for not making the most of their set-pieces as the former Wrexham striker converted from only the hosts’ second corner of the match.

The home side came close to doubling their advantage ten minutes after the opener when a charged-down clearance fell kindly into the path of Massanka, but the forward could not take the ball cleanly in his stride as it fell from the sky. From the same passage, Liam Morris picked up the ball on the edge of the D before curing an effort just wide of Charlie Casper’s left post.

With FC looking down and out with time running away, it was second half substitute McLoughlin who came up with an equaliser right on the stroke of 90 minutes. Moments after Morris had an effort saved by Casper from inside the area, the ball eventually found Guy Hall on the left wing, whose determination to fashion a cross reaped its reward as McLoughlin arrived late to head home in front of the travelling supporters.

Next up, the visit of Macclesfield to Broadhurst Park on Tuesday 17 September (7.45pm KO).

Report by Finn Honeywood