AFC Fylde signed off from their final pre-season fixture with a frustrating 1-1 draw at Curzon Ashton.

Coasters midfielder Andy Bond gave the visitors a first-half lead however they had to settle for a share of the spoils when Max Leonard finished off a fine team move at the death. 

Manager Dave Challinor rotated his squad one last time in pre-season for the trip to the Tameside Stadium, with Rhys Taylor preferred in goal and striker Danny Rowe dropped to the bench.

The Coasters dominated in the early stages with some neat football and James Hardy almost made the breakthrough when found by Jack Muldoon, only to be thwarted by the last man.

It was the hosts who had the first real chance of the afternoon on the quarter-hour mark when a cross from the right was laid off to full-back James Baillie, who took a touch before blasting his strike high over the bar from eight yards.

Taylor had a heart in mouth moment when a cross to the back post found him in a footrace with winger Joe Guest and although the Curzon man when down in the resultant collision, the referee opted in favour of a goal-kick.

The home side were enjoying the better of the goalscoring opportunities as the half wore on and Leonard wasn’t far off with a header at the back post that found the side-netting.

However, it was the visitors that broke the deadlock on 35 minutes. Henry Jones’ deep corner was headed back by Jordan Tunnicliffe for Bond to sweep home from eight yards via a slight deflection.

Guest lashed a stringing strike just over the bar from 20 yards as the half drew to a close with Fylde in control against their National League North opponents.

Fylde kicked off the second period in the ascendancy and a wicked free-kick from Jones was touched onto his own post by Daniel Shaw. Coasters captain Josh Langley nodded over from the resultant corner kick.

Leonard tested the Fylde backline when he cut inside his man in the box and fired low towards goal but his effort was kept at bay by half-time substitute Jay Lynch.

Two substitutes combined midway through the half when Danny Rowe whipped a cross from the right to the back post where Serhat Tasdemir was lurking however his header back across goal was well cleared.

The Coasters had their best chance of the second half with just over 15 minutes to play when Brendon Daniels floated a delightful cross and Curzon stopper Cameron Mason had to be alert to keep out Rowe’s near post header.

Trialist Tom McCready tried his luck from 25 yards soon after and the goalkeeper was relieved to see his fierce strike flash narrowly wide of the far post.

The host drew level as the clock counted down with their first real moment of quality. Just five minutes remained when striker Leonard was cutely played in between the Fylde centre-halves and he coolly rounded Lynch before slotting home into the empty goal.

 

Curzon Ashton: Mason, Baillie, Regan, Hunt, Shaw, Rowney, Wright, Crothers, Howson, Leonard, Guest.

AFC Fylde: Taylor (Lynch 46), Ezewele, Langley (Grand 59), Tunnicliffe (C. Hughes 59), Francis-Angol (Daniels 59), Montrose (Morgan 59), Bond (Walker 46), Finley, Henry, Hardy (McCready 46), Muldoon (Rowe 46).

Ref: Simon Mather