This historical feature explores past AFC Fylde results week by week. This time, we look back on the 3-0 defeat to Stalybridge Celtic from the 2014-15 season……
Stalybridge Celtic 3-0 AFC Fylde (12/8/14)
AFC Fylde’s emphatic start to the season came to a grinding halt as Stalybridge Celtic snatched all three points in a crazy five minute period at Bower Fold.
Ben McKenna scored the first with a cross-come-shot on sixty-four minutes and by the sixty-nine minutes it was 3-0. Former Fylde winger Aidan Chippendale scored the second before Liam Dickinson rubbed salt into the wounds with the third to stun Dave Challinor’s side.
The Coasters started the game strong as Michael Potts almost caught Lewis King off his line, trying to beat him from thirty-five yards but he sent his effort wide. Potts was again unable to beat King from closer in four minutes later with the Celtic keeper gathering comfortably.
Dickinson had the home side’s first shot on goal but fired a free kick over the bar before Paul Ennis had a great chance to give the hosts the lead but fluffed his lines. Joe Booth came even closer to scoring when he had a free header on goal from Luke Denson’s pin-point cross but King was able to collect at the second attempt after fumbling at his near post.
It was an even start to the second half as McKenna and Danny Rowe failed to find the target a minute apart in an end-to-end opening.
McKenna opened the scoring for the home side with a cross-come-shot which somehow beat everybody, before Chippendale added the second two minutes later with a coolly timed shot past former team-mate Hinchliffe. Within the space of a five minutes period, it was 3-0 when Dickinson headed McKenna’s cross into the empty net after catching Hinchliffe off guard.
The Coasters were clearly shell-shocked and struggled to gain any momentum that they had in the first half and despite Sam Staunton-Turner clearing a corner off the line four minutes from time it was too little, too late for any chance of a come-back.
Stalybridge Celtic: King, Crowley (Bleau 61), Truelove, Hughes, Regan (C), Staunton-Turner, Chippendale (Wigley 75), Mainwaring, McKenna, Ennis (Cadman 87), Dickinson; Subs not used: Heath, Martin. GOALS: McKenna (64), Chippendale (67), Dickinson (69)
AFC Fylde: Hinchliffe, Denson, Sumner, Langley, Hannigan, B. Barnes (C), Booth (Tomsett 70), Potts (Lloyd 70), Rowe, M. Barnes, Allen (Charles 80); Subs not used: Hughes, Noon.
ATT: 410
FYLDE MOM: Michael Barnes