(Official match report) by Rick Barrett
An early strike from Heys midfielder Joe Rothwell set Prestwich Heys on course for an impressive victory against North West Counties Premier League side Charnock Richard at Adie Moran Park on Friday night.
It seemed the buzz of fans being allowed back into non league grounds has certainly caught hold with the locals of Prestwich as crowd of 164 turned up for this early 7pm kick off, a great effort for a pre season game.
Heys manager Matt Barnes named a strong side notably in midfield with Max White, Brad Sixsmith and James Dwyer all starting against Charnock Richard side who included goalscoring legend Carl Grimshaw so this was going to be a tough work out.
Heys came flying out of the blocks as early as the third minute as a ball came over from the left picked up by full back Rothwell on the right, and he launched a shot low and hard from the edge of the box into the bottom left past Charnock keeper Ascroft.
Joe Rothwell is congratulated by team mates Jamie Hill and Nathan Strong after putting Heys ahead
Picture courtesy of Beth Lee (official club photographer)
Heys continued to attack with pace going forward winger Jamie Hill involved down the left and Max White pulling the strings in the middle abely assisted by Dwyer and Sixsmith and with twenty three minutes gone Nathan Emery got involved knocking a lovely ball into Jack Coop who just fired over from 12 yards.
Just a minute after Heys were 2-0 up after a ball in from the right and some good work by Adie Bellamy the ball broke to new centre half signing Anthony Potts who smashed it past Ashcroft from 12 yards.
Nervy moments for Heys just after as midfield maestro Sixsmith limped off with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for a couple of weeks was replaced by Alfie Belcher.
'Somewhere over the rainbow' that somewhere was Adie Moran Park Friday night.
Despite needing to be careful of the Charnock front line on the counter Heys were in total control of this first half and on thirty six minutes some lovely work by Belcher on the left pulled the ball back to Jack Coop on the edge of the box who turns on a sixpence and launches a thunderbolt of a shot which rattled the cross bar with keeper Ashcroft beaten, a superb effort which deserved more.
So 2-0 at half time and the home side came out after the break in confident mood and on fifty minutes James Dwyer got in on the action firing just over the bar from twelve yards.
With Matt Barnes utilising the squad in the second half making several changes as is common place in these pre season games Charnock Richard started to get into it more and were rewarded on sixty six minutes when Carl Grimshaw was brought down on the edge of the box and duly stepped up to convert past Heys keeper Russ Saunders for 2-1.
The visitors continued to press and in the final minute it was the Charnock striker Grimshaw who launched a cracking shot which Saunders brilliantly tipped over the bar to rapturous applause from the home crowd and this was to be the final action of the afternoon .
So a 2-1 win against a Premier League team for Heys and one senses Matt Barnes is close to deciding his best team for the beginning of the season with each member of the squad fighting to be in that starting eleven its all coming together quite nicely.