2 days Ago
Prestwich have struggled this season but there are signs of improvement in their recent form and they started brightly. And after two minutes they advanced down the left, Takura Sambizi took the ball into the box and fired a shot which looped up and flashed over Andre Mendez in the visitors’ goal to give them a shock early lead. The Rams took time to recover as they seemed disjointed, lacked rhythm and were clearly shaken by the early setback.
They had come into the game on four straight victories but in the early moments looked a shadow of their usual selves. Indeed, they were grateful to the alert Maine Walder, playing at centre-half, for a couple of timely interceptions as Sambizi, impressive throughout, continued causing problems as Heys led at the break. As the second half got under way, the pattern continued until the introduction of Richie Baker on 65 minutes.
It appeared as though a switch had been flipped as he took command of the midfield for the visitors. Adopting a deep sweeper-style position, Baker immediately set to work, picking off home attacks, passing the ball forward with metronomic well-weighted pitch-level deliveries allowing team-mates to take the ball under control and in their stride to keep the momentum moving forwards. Suddenly the Rams started to pose a real threat and on 71 minutes, the move of the game saw a series of low interchanges which led them to cut open the Prestwich defence.
The ball went to Oumar Camara in the box but, rather than shoot, he laid it back to Tom Hoyle, who took a moment to compose himself before driving the ball hard and low past Mitch Allan in the Heys goal for his 23rd goal of a remarkable season. Buoyed by the breakthrough, and with the travelling supporters responding, the Rams kept up the pressure in the closing minutes. As the game looked set for a draw the board went up for seven minutes of stoppage time.
And in its seventh and final minute, the Rams were awarded a free-kick in their own half - with some doubt as to whether there was time for it to be taken. Baker stepped up to drive it into the box where it was eventually nudged on to Luke Barlow - up for a last throw of the dice - and he got his boot to it and was able to guide it over Allan and into the net for the most dramatic of finishes. Barlow’s delight and that of the ultras gathered behind the goal, was all too tangible, but you had to spare a thought for Prestwich who had done so much to make this a tough encounter.
Rams boss Steve Wilkes was a relieved man at the final whistle and said: “Not a game to live long in the memory for obvious reasons, but I thought we were poor in the first half against the wind. “The changing point for me was when we introduced Richie Baker, who got us playing football again. “Again credit to the players for keeping going right until the end.
”.
