Chorley 0, Brackley Town 1: Magpies lose on opening day

The start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes owing to a traffic incident on the M6, which held up not only the visitors but Chorley skipper Scott Leather and Andy Halls whose car was also involved in a collision.

Both players made the starting line-up, which could not be said for the Magpies’ first-choice twin strike-force of Harry Cardwell and Connor Hall, neither of whom could make the teamsheet.

They were sorely missed as Chorley found it difficult to finish off some attractive first-half approach work.

Billy Whitehouse could only half-hit a close-range chance which keeper Danny Lewis clawed to safetyand Ollie Shenton’s well-struck daisy-cutter was flicked round the post by Lewis.

Andy Owens then planted a free header wide from a corner. Leather came very close five minutes before the interval with a prodded point-blank range attempt from Adam Blakeman’s long throw but again the ever-alert Lewis got down smartly to tip the ball for a corner.

It hadn’t been all Chorley in the opening half but Brackley, despite being quick on the counter, had not seriously tested Matt Urwin.

If the Magpies shaded a competitive first half, they faded in the second as Brackley stepped up a gear to dominate the last half-hour.

The master-stroke by Brackley boss Kevin Wilkin was the introduction after 66 minutes of the elusive Yusuf who was key to the visitors’ ascendancy and fittingly it was he who won the match four minutes from time.

He unhesitatingly dispatching with aplomb a low centre following a quick break down the right.

The goal had been coming. Matt Lowe had headed straight at Urwin from six yards and later fired similarly too centrally from a clear chance inside the box.

Then Wes Yok saw his cross bounce on the Chorley bar before being scrambled to safety.

The Magpies looked for a quick riposte and in quick succession in the dying minutes Lewis saved bravely from substitute Harry Scarborough and Adam Henley had a follow-up effort charged down by a packed defence.

CHORLEY: Urwin, Henley, Blakeman, Baines, Halls (Scarborough,88), Leather, Tomlinson, Calveley (Smith,88), Whitehouse, Shenton, Owens.

Subs. not used: Okome, Ustabasi, Aspinall.

Support us and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.