The AFC Fylde Youth Team made it through to the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Youth Cup tonight thanks to a decent 3-0 win over a tough Nelson side.
It was a goalless stalemate in a first half packed with fast paced action but The Coasters will feel unlucky they couldn’t go in 1-0 up at the break.
Tom Whitehead and Carnan Dawson traded shots on goal early on with both players forcing their opposing keepers to make a save.
Fylde won their first corner on 11 minutes but Dawson shot wide as he cut in from the right to try and give his side the lead. The lads were playing well and Tom Billington and Usen Jones linked together on the right on a number of occasions as Jones was unlucky to be caught offside midway through the half when he could have gone on.
Jones gave away a free kick 25 yards out and Nelson’s Michael Williams could have done better firing the free kick straight at Charlie Williams.
Both Jones and James Ashworth came close to the opening goal but the best chance came on the stroke of half time as Ashworth hit the top of the crossbar when a cross wasn’t dealt with by Nelson goalkeeper Jordan Harding.
Fylde started the second half well with Ashworth going past two defenders to find Adekoya but Nelson eventually cleared the danger.
Joe Ball was very unlucky not to score himself on 63 minutes hitting the bar with his shot before Ashworth shot narrowly wide on the rebound.
The first goal came on 74 minutes when Dalton Hutchison went past his marker to find himself one-on-one with Harding and slid the ball past him into the left corner for the lead.
A minute later it was 2-0 as the ball was worked into the box and James Howell was on hand to side foot a shot into the goal before Zak Adekoya bagged one of his own beating Harding one-on-one to make it 3-0.
AFC Fylde: Whittingham, Billington (C), Dowling (Ball 57), Smith, Welsby, Howell, Jones, Futter (Hutchison 60), Adekoya, Ashworth (Rigby 78), Dawson; Subs not used: Gregory, Markey.
Nelson: Harding, M. Baldwin, J. Baldwin (C), Howarth (Davis 79), Almond, Moorehouse, Thompson, O’Leary, Williams (Ashton 79), Burrows, Whitehead (Woodward 57); Subs not used: Moores, Lancaster.
HT: 0-0
ATT: 92
REFEREE: Mr Joshua Pope