FA Vase heartbreak for Heys in late crash at Winsford United

A goal in the ninety seventh minute from Oliver Pope gave Winsford United a dramatic 2-1 win in the FA Vase third round and meant heartbreak for Prestwich Heys, who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, conceding two goals deep into injury time at the Barton Stadium on Saturday.

It had been a couple of weeks since either team had played due to this tie being postponed the previous Saturday due to bad weather, so both teams were fresh. Heys manager Ryan Hutchinson gave the captaincy to midfielder Rob Worrall in the absence of James Badrock, who was replaced by Alistair Bracken, with Luke Byron also returning to the starting eleven.

In a fast-paced start, on a difficult pitch, Winsford were first to show on five minutes when a ball looped in at the far post just went past the on running forward and was cleared to safety.

It was Heys who hit the first blow though two minutes later, winger Takura Sambizi, on the left, cut inside, his first shot was blocked by Winsford keeper Jacob Kirwan but the ball rebounded back to Sambizi and he made no mistake, stabbing home at the far post to put the visitors 1-0 up and the travelling support into dreamland.

This started a really good twenty-minute spell for Prestwich, Bryson Appleton was busy down the right firing a couple of chances just wide and on fourteen minutes Alfie Belcher had a really good chance to increase the lead, but keeper Kirwan smothered his shot when clean through.

Bracken also saw a good effort saved by Kirwan shortly after, but the hosts were slowly getting back into the game, heading over from a corner on twenty-five minutes and Oliver Pope missing a great chance heading wide just after.

Winsford were now pressing hard with the ball bouncing down from the crossbar on thirty-nine minutes, although the linesman flagged for offside, but the visitors stood firm and went into the break a goal up.

It was Sambizi, busy again, after the break, on fifty minutes, in a great move that saw him cross a ball into Luke Byron, six yards out, but his shot was blocked and cleared.

Prestwich were enjoying another spell of pressure with captain Worrall firing wide from twelve yards and Luke Findlow firing a free kick over from twenty yards, but one sensed Heys needed a second goal to proceed to the next round with Winsford battling hard if only getting half chances with the Heys back four holding firm.

The visitors were dealt a blow on sixty-five minutes when Rob Worrall went off injured after a couple of challenges in a short space of time and was replaced by David Kerrigan.

The game went through a scrappy spell with some robust tackles flying in from both sides on the heavy pitch and a big moment for Heys to put the game to bed came on eighty eight minutes, when a peach of a ball from the right from Appleton found Belcher, clean through, six yards out, but with the goal gaping hit his shot was straight at a grateful Winsford Keeper. This was to prove a big moment.

The hosts went up the other end and had a big chance themselves, Pope firing wide from a Kal Boyle throw when it looked easier to score.

Heys made two substitutions a minute from time when Belcher and Sambizi were replaced by Ramplin and Lascelles-Higgins with the referee declaring seven minutes of injury time.

Winsford were pressing hard with the visitors looking unsettled and struggling to clear but just when you thought Heys had weathered the storm, on ninety-five minutes, the pressure told as an in swinging corner on the left found the head of Riza Chilufya at the far post and the ball flew past Heys keeper Lee White for the equaliser.

This goal visibly rocked Heys, who looked all at sea, but just as you thought they were heading for a penalty shoot-out, in the 97th minute, Oliver Pope got the ball on the left and blasted a shot bottom right, past White, from eighteen yards to turn the game on its head in the bat of an eye lid to the joy of the home crowd.

The goal, coming on the stroke of full time, ended Heys dreams of reaching the FA Vase fourth round for the first time and they will look back on this with frustration, rueing missed chances and switching off at a key time in the game.