The Coasters ticked off another pre-season friendly with a 2-0 win over Charnock Richard in their penultimate fixture ahead of the 23/24 National League campaign.

Owen Evans opened the scoring in the 84^th minute with a fierce strike into the roof of the net before Cullen Meadowcroft added another in the dying embers, finishing well under pressure.

Adam Murray named a squad that featured various first-teamers, with the likes of Kieran Glynn, Will Hatfield, Siya Ligendza & Taelor O’Kane in the XI alongside several trialists.

The Coasters made their presence known when Trialist B managed to spray a ball forward for Ligendza to latch on to – he cut inside and stung the palms of Connor Eastham, who tipped over the bar.

Charnock looked dangerous on the break, which eventually left Rustam Stepans one-on-one with Charles Clarke in the Fylde goal after receiving a pass from Jordan Darr, but as he lifted his head for a shot, the ball got stuck under his feet, and the Coasters cleared.

However, the better chances fell the way of Murray’s men, who, after winning it back in the middle third, broke forward, which left Hatfield with an opportunity to drop a shoulder and let fly at goal but wide before Tom Walker did the same from a 25-yard free-kick.  

Fylde almost took the lead ten minutes before the break after Trialist D managed to receive a pass on the back foot, turn superbly and skim the bar from outside the area before Darr pounced on a loose clearance inside the 18-yard box, only to be denied by a brilliant diving Clarke stop down to the left.

Half-Time: Charnock Richard 0-0 AFC Fylde    

Fylde started brightly and went close on two occasions through Ligendza, with Trialist D doing brilliantly to poke away from several green shirts and burst into the area before setting the South African, who was denied by a sliding Aaron Griffith block before benefitting from Owen Evans’ good work to blast over from close range.

Charnock’s ability to counter quickly was showing as the minutes ticked on, and that proved true again when a long ball found Stepans charging forward and eventually hitting a first-time shot, though the end product wasn’t there and Harry Ode watched it travel high over his bar.

It took until the 84^th minute for the deadlock to be broken, and it was the Coasters who grabbed the opener after some free-flowing play down the left led to Evans finding space inside the area to smash into the roof of the net.

The first gave the Coasters confidence to double their lead, which came after Charnock were unable to clear their lines from a corner, with Meadowcroft there to take advantage, pick up the scraps and fire in.

Full-Time: Charnock Richard 0-2 AFC Fylde      

Charnock Richard: Eastham, Ridings, Santos (17’ M. Haydock), Griffith, Gibson, Duke, Regan (73’ L. Haydock), Power, Darr (66’ Molloy), Nickeas, Stepans (77’ Whittaker).

AFC Fylde: Trialist A, O’Kane, Trialist B, Evans, Trialist C, Hatfield, Glynn, Walker, Trialist D, Trialist E (59’ Ormerod), Ligendza.