Late clincher seals points for Coasters

AFC Fylde snatched a late winner through a Josh Wilson header in the ninety-fourth minute in a game of few chances at Kellamergh Park against a defensively strong Lowestoft Town side.

The winning goal for Dave Challinor’s men came with almost the last kick of the game as Wilson headed past the onrushing away keeper Garnham to send Coasters fans into raptures.

The game itself saw few chances for either side and it was destined to be a 0-0 draw going into the final part of the game before Wilson’s late header.

Before the game there was plenty of optimism around the ground as the Coasters had won their previous game but the way this game panned out turned out to be massively frustrating.

Jason St. Juste did well in the centre of the park to find wide man Dion Charles down the Coasters right, but Charles couldn’t find the target as his shot went just wide of Garnham’s post.

The first big chance of the game fell to Danny Rowe as he hit a rasper at goal that stung Garnham’s palms and was pushed away to safety. Dion Charles went even closer with an excellent shot that nearly caught out Garnham but the Lowestoft keeper did well to make the save.

Charles was having a frustrating afternoon, and this time he ghosted in down the right for Fylde but he dragged his shot well wide of the target. All the play in the first half went in favour of The Coasters but they couldn’t break the deadlock against a resilient and defensively strong Lowestoft side.

Danny Rowe had a couple of chances to put The Coasters in the lead as he got on the end of a cross from the right but it was deflected out for a corner, before St. Juste delivered towards Rowe but he headed wide.

Into the second half and the Coasters offered all of the attacking threats but none of them were good enough to warrant a goal.

Tom Hannigan did excellently well to get above his man to head the ball towards goal from a free-kick but he couldn’t direct his header on target and it went harmlessly over.

The final 20 minutes brought even more chances for the Coasters and Josh Wilson tried a left footed shot from 20 yards out but again, the keeper was equal to it. Wilson was determined to open the scoring and had another chance just a minute later as he headed wide from the resulting corner.

Substitute Danny Lloyd had an effort on target but his free-kick from 25 yards was easy for Garnham to keep out.

The Coasters were then denied as clear a penalty as you are likely to see with a couple of minutes to go as Wilson was dragged down in the box but the referee wasn’t interested to the bewilderment of the Fylde players and supporters.

The away side’s best chance of the game came to then on the break in the eighty-ninth minutes as former Football League striker Danny Crow broke away and chipped the ball over Hinchliffe from thirty yards out but thankfully for The Coasters, the ball cleared the crossbar too.

Then came the goal with the last kick of the game. Fylde won a free-kick from 30 yards out, which was played in by Baker and Wilson rose highest to head the ball home to win the game. It was no more than the Coasters deserved after battling hard to get the three points