Fylde go top with comfortable win at Buxton
AFC Fylde arrived at the Tarmac Silverlands Stadium looking to avenge the 2-1 defeat inflicted by The Bucks at Mill Farm back in late November, and with a thoroughly professional performance came away with a 3-0 victory that elevated them to the top of the Enterprise National League North.
Bucks manager John McGrath made two changes to the Buxton line-up with new loan signing Joey Dawson, a striker on loan from Scunthorpe United, making his debut and Max Bardell making a welcome return from injury. Sammy Robinson was unfit and Jonny Johnston moved to the bench.
Buxton made a bright start with Ashton Mee striking a shot wide and a Connor Kirby effort flying over before Fylde took a somewhat fortunate lead on eight minutes.
Alex Healey-Byrne’s rushed clearance from right-back evaded everyone in the Bucks defence and fell nicely for Jon Ustabasi in space and he lobbed Joe Young from the edge of the area.
Ustabasi, the former Chorley and Stalybridge winger, was having a fine first half, as the rain began to fall heavily, and his runs and cut-ins from the left caused trouble on 12 and 25 minutes.
In between these chances, Luke Brennan put a quality left-wing cross in for the Bucks but the ball missed the advancing Dawson and Kirby put his effort wide.
Fylde midfielder Tom Whelan capitalised on a poor clearance from Young, but his shot went wide on 28 minutes. This heralded a good period with the Bucks without troubling Zac Jones in the Fylde goal.
Brennan and Mee created a couple of good chances apiece with a Brennan cross, only half cleared by Jones and Gilsenan unable to capitalise, being the best.
The Bucks suffered a setback in the third minute of injury time when Fylde doubled their lead. A well-worked corner routine involving Tom Whelan and Danny Mayor resulted in the vastly experienced Mayor curling a shot beyond Young.
Ustabasi was immediately in action at the start of the second half for the visitors, but his shot hit Young outside the area and straight away at the other end, Brennan’s shot was deflected wide for a corner.
This bright start to the second half wasn’t followed by too many goal-scoring chances as play became very compacted in the middle third of the pitch. Brennan’s break on 54 minutes was ended superbly by Fylde’s captain Corey Whelan’s tackle as Buxton introduced three substitutes to try and find a way back into the match.
Johnston couldn’t get onto the end of a Mee cross before Buxton’s best chance of the match saw Coleman’s shot from a Brennan centre saved well by Jones but there was nobody there to follow up when the ball broke loose.
The points were sealed for the visitors in the third minute of added time when substitute Luca Thomas broke down the left and his clinical finish gave Young no chance.
Buxton: Young; Bardell (Douglas), Flint, Ward, Burton; Trueman (Johnston), Kirby; Mee, Gilsenan (Coleman), Brennan; Dawson. Unused Subs: Cooper, Hill, McLean, Balfe.