Heys put Barnoldswick to bed at Silent Night Stadium

The great escape is still well and truly on for Prestwich Heys after Tom Woodwards dramatic injury time winner for Prestwich Heys after being 2-0 down at a sun drenched Silent Night Stadium home of Barnoldswick Town on Saturday.

Heys came into this must win game three points adrift of third bottom Colne at the start of the day and were looking for a response after falling to a 97th  minute winner against Ramsbottom United last weekend while Barnoldswick were looking for their first win in six.

It was a cagey start from both sides in the opening quarter, the first chance fell to Heys on seventeen minutes with Bryson Appleton blasting a shot wide of the far post but little other goal action until the twenty ninth minute when Oli Roberts fired a free kick wide for the hosts.

In a bizarre half all the play was down the left hand side of the pitch with the ball seemingly glued in this area, and it was somewhat a surprise on the stroke of half time when another free kick on the edge of the box by Roberts found the bottom left corner past a despairing  Harry Allen in the Heys goal who could only parry the ball into the net.

It completed a poor half from the visitors who showed little urgency for the situation they were in and the second half needed a dramatic improvement  if they were going to get anything out of this game.

Things went from bad to worse on fifty five minutes when Ryan Moore cut inside and slotted past Allen from eight yards for 2-0 leaving Prestwich with  a mountain to climb, and manager Ryan Hutchinson had seen enough shortly after bringing on Michael Burke and Luke Jackson, both wasted no time getting into the action.

Appleton was involved again on sixty eight minutes firing wide, Heys had woken up and started to press the hosts further up the pitch and pulled a goal back a minute later when winger Takura Sambizi on the left fired a shot top right past Barlick keeper Jack Howard .

It was all Heys now, Sambizi like a spring lamb down the left giving the hosts a difficult time and it was him again on eighty one minutes drawing them level at 2-2 smashing home past Howard from close range after great work down the right.

As the clock ran down Burke was unlucky firing a shot just wide and two minutes from time Tom Woodward replaced Lee Grimshaw, and what an introduction it was in the ninety second minute when a free kick was knocked deep into the box flicked on and super sub Woodward was on hand at the far post to head in the visitors in front at 3-2 to the joy of the travelling Heys fans.

Prestwich stood firm in the final couple of minutes of injury time, the referee blew to end the game with a result that few saw coming after the hour, but the grit and determination to turn this game round was impressive and in the end fully deserved this win.

Results elsewhere meant Prestwich Heys are again out of the relegation zone on goal difference with two games remaining,so its all to play for when they take on Irlam at Adie Moran Park next Saturday.