Tuesday 17th December 2019, NWCFL First Division South
West 2 (Moloney pen 59, Cottee 85)
Wythenshawe Amateurs 1 (Byers-Wilkes 51, Hamill sent off 55, Byers-Wilkes sent off 58)
Att: 158
Chris Rowley made a winning start to life at Brookburn Road as James Cottee’s late goal saw off nine-man Wythenshawe Amateurs.
This was a true game of two halves with a forgettable first half giving way to a second period that bordered on the surreal, the visitors taking the lead then losing two players in the space of seven minutes. Dylan Moloney levelled from the penalty spot before substitute Cottee ended the Ammies’ resistance.
Despite widespread changes in the dugout, West had a recognisable look on the pitch with Curtis Miller the only one of Rowley’s new signings to start the game. The home side edged the opening period in terms of possession but could only eke out half-chances, with Matty Boland flicking wide from inside the area and Miller shooting the wrong side of the near post. Chris Middleton finished neatly from a set-piece in the dying embers of the half, but a flag denied him a fourth goal of the season and ensured the sides went in level.
Things changed quickly after the break as the visitors took the lead in spectacular fashion – Brandon Byers-Wilkes catching out Andrew Jones from 30 yards, the ball dipping just underneath the crossbar.
But that was only the start of the drama, with the Ammies’ Riley Hamill dismissed for a late challenge on Josh Tinker four minutes after the opening goal. And the night completely unravelled for the visitors 90 seconds later when Byers-Wilkes turned villain, upending a West player inside the box and quickly joining Hamill in the dressing room. The atmosphere had quickly become frenzied but Moloney tuned out the noise to roll the ball past keeper Kyle Haslam.
Incredibly, the nine-man Ammies almost regained the lead immediately when the West defence were forced to hack an effort off the line. From that moment on West laid siege to the visitors goal. Tinker slashed wide from a promising position and Cottee headed a corner wide of the post but Brookburn Road grew more and more frustrated as a clear opportunity failed to arrive.
But with time running out, Matthew Cook’s low cross from the right was spilled by Haslam and Cottee was first on the scene to ram home the crucial second goal. The visitors had no more left to give and West saw out the final few minutes to ensure Rowley began his Brookburn Road reign with three points.
West: A. Jones, Cook, Cooper, Tinker, Middleton, Forbes, Miller, Moloney (Davis 71), Grimshaw, Boland (Gabidon 87), Blackwell (Cottee 61). Not used: Newns, Matthews.
