Two goals from winger Elliott Hughes saw Lower Breck overcome a battling Prestwich Heys in a 2-1 win at the Anfield Sports Community Centre on Thursday night.
Due to the recent bad weather Heys had not played since beating fellow strugglers Squires Gate 3-0 on the 04 January while Lower Breck had not completed a fixture since 21 December after beating Isle of Man by the same scoreline.
Breck fourth in the table were forty points in front of bottom placed Prestwich at the start of the day but you would never have known in the opening exchanges with the visitors starting strongly.
Gabriel Hughes worked hard on six minutes down the right knocking in a dangerous cross which the hosts manages to clear and shortly after down the other end for Breck it was full back Daniel Lowey doing the same with the Heys back line clearing the danger.
The visitors early endeavor was rewarded though on fifteen minutes the ball found Alfie Belcher down the left twelve yards out he skipped past the defender and slotted home past Breck keeper Theo Roberts to put Prestwich 1-0 up.
Heys did not rest up and pressed forward in a great opening thirty minute spell as the hosts looked rusty having not played for nearly a month, Max Bardsley Rowe knocking a great cross in which was cleared and then a great spell of play on thirty one minutes when Michael Burke broke free shooting from the edge of the box, the ball was cleared to Belcher who fired back in and hit the post and the follow up was saved by Roberts.
Prestwich were at it again a minute later with striker Lee Grimshaw firing wide having returned the club from West Didsbury and Chorlton earlier in the week.
Back came Breck though and grew into the half as it wore on and it was Elliott Hughes doing most of the damage bringing a couple of great saves from Heys keeper Harry Allen especially on thirty six minutes tipping round the far post.
Grimshaw it was again on forty three minutes for Heys firing into the side netting after great work down the left by Belcher but the home side were level just before the break when Heys did not clear the lines and it was Hughes on the left who cut inside and shot top right past Allen from eight yards for the equaliser.
So, all square at the break and both sets of fans realising this one could go either way but Breck were starting to get into gear and so it showed with the hosts dominating the opening twenty minutes of the second half as Heys struggled to get out of their own half being penned in by a pacy Breck attack but were defending everything thrown at them with confidence.
Heys first chance of the half was on fifty seven minutes a Burke cross was deflected tor a corner from which Belcher hit back in with the ball directly hitting the bar before being cleared to safety.
Back came Breck though Samuel Burns bringing another great save from Allen and shortly after Heys had to clear out twice from a scrambled penalty area.
The pressure told though on sixty eight minutes Hughes it was again for the hosts lashing a shot past Allen from eight yards to put them 2-1 in front and continued to dominate the play and had the ball in the net again on eighty seven minutes but referee Ashton Wroe blew for offside.
Heys nearly had a dramatic late equaliser on the stroke of full time though as a deep in swinging ball from the right beat keeper Roberts and was cleared off the line to the relief of the home supporters and the final whistle came shortly after for a 2-1 win for Lower Breck.
A deserved win it was for the hosts in the end who took a while to get into this one but always seemed to have that extra gear in the second half and the pressure told, but this was a great effort by Prestwich Heys who look much more like a unit in recent weeks with signs this team are starting to gel and now have another huge game on Saturday against fellow strugglers South Liverpool as they continue the battle to avoid the drop.
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