It was a case of what might have been for Prestwich Heys, as squandered chances and a late penalty miss resulted in this game ending in a goal less draw amidst late drama at the Abbey Stadium, home of Abbey Hey on Sunday.
This game was selected as part of the 'groundhopper weekend' and a bumper attendance of 610 were present for this early 11.30am kick off with struggling Prestwich looking to amend a 3-0 defeat the previous week at AFC Liverpool whilst the hosts were looking for a fourth straight win after beating Squires Gate 3-2 last time out.
The early exchanges were sluggish from both sides, in keeping with the early kick off it seemed, but Alfie Belcher had Heys first chance firing wide in the fourth minute from twelve yards, from a good position.
The hosts responded four minutes later with a shot that called Prestwich keeper Harry Allen into action for the first time with a great save, low down.
It was a battle of minds in midfield but on twenty minutes the visitors had a good spell of pressure, when Belcher knocked a free kick in from the left, to find Joe Thompson, whose shot was cleared for a corner from which a Brad Sullivan shot was then saved by Abbey keeper Oliver Green.
Belcher fired a free kick straight at Green from twenty yards on the half hour before the hosts fired over the bar shortly after.
Just before half time Lee Grimshaw saw a shot blocked and cleared as Heys tried to find a way through. So, it was 0-0 at the break after a largely lacklustre opening period with little to choose between these two sides and one sensed both sides were capable of more after the interval.
Heys were quick out of the blocks on the restart. Within two minutes, Belcher on the left, floated a free kick onto the head of David Edwards. bringing a great save from Green at the far post.
Abbey Hey fired one over the bar on sixty-six minutes with both teams now going toe to toe, and with the game in the balance Prestwich missed a massive chance on sixty-nine minutes.
When a ball was cleared from the back, it found Michael Burke running down the middle and onside. He had options either side with Heys players running in, but he went for goal himself, as his shot was saved by Green, turning it round for a corner.
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Manager Ryan Hutchinson made two attacking changes shortly after bringing on Takura Sambizi and Connor Martin to replace Burke and Grimshaw, but it was the hosts turn for a big chance on seventy-four minutes. As Heys failed to clear their lines, the follow up shot, from Luke Merrill, somehow hit the outside of the post from three yards out.
At this stage it looked like one goal either way would prove the winner, and Prestwich had another good chance on the break when Belcher, down the right, beat his man but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
But the defining moment of the game came on eighty-three minutes when a handball in the area was awarded by referee David Chisnall for a penalty to Heys. Up stepped regular taker Max Bardsley-Rowe who shot bottom right, but Abbey keeper Green judged the right way and made a great save parrying to safety to deny the visitors.
Heys pressed on and it was Green again, in this man of the match performance, saving from Sambizi after he cut inside on the right from twelve yards.
In a frantic finish Heys went down to ten men on the stroke of full time when Bardsley-Rowe was sent off by referee Chisnall for an alleged elbow in the face after a tussle on the ground with Cody Atwell.
The drama continued as Prestwich cleared a shot off the line and then their former player Finley Stanyer hit the post for the home side, in injury time to leave fans scratching their heads as to how this one had finished goal less.
So, Heys will look back at this one as a game they could and should have won and with the three teams above them all winning at the weekend they will need to find firepower soon to avoid being cast adrift in the relegation zone as the season draws to a close.
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