Wythenshawe FC continued their hot streak against the in-form AFC Liverpool in a full-blooded affair. Six goals, three red cards and a twenty-two-man brawl left fans lost for words and the visitors at the summit of the league table.
Despite coming into the game unbeaten in the last six league matches, AFC Liverpool never looked confident. The combination of a physically imposing forward line and some treacherous weather conditions spelt trouble right from the off for the hosts.
After adapting to the strong winds, chances began to open up for the visitors. Aaron Dwyer was able to pounce on a loose ball following a miscue from Owen Fisher-Jones but AFC escaped unscathed.
However, Dwyer’s time would come just two minutes later. This time it was defender Nathan Giblin who was guilty of misreading the swirling ball, resulting in a smart finish to open the scoring for the visitors in just under a quarter of an hour.
Despite the disappointing manner of the goal, the hosts battled back. From a nothing ball up the pitch, striker Elliot Taylor was able to wrestle control before being brought down in the area. He made no mistake from the spot, converting with confidence.
Unfortunately for the hosts, this Taylor-led fightback was short-lived. A sweeping move just before the half hour left AFC short at the back. Keeper Ben Barnes produced a smart stop down to his right, but this couldn’t stop the Wythenshawe assault, with the second ball finding the head of Princewell Anuniru to restore the away side’s lead.
Dwyer doubled his goal tally for the day just six minutes later when a questionable corner decision favouring the visitors resulted in a scramble in the box. Dwyer was jogging on the spot to tap the ball home and compound AFC’s misery.
Unfortunately for all those associated with AFC Liverpool, the half wasn’t done. Bryan Ly, one of Wythenshawe’s brightest sparks, whipped a dangerous ball into the box with one of the last actions of the half. Through a crowd of bodies, it ricocheted off the head of a red player before finding Fraser Goodwin at the back post, who could not miss.
Wythenshawe coach Thomas Conroy decided to gamble by altering the winning side at the break. This decision was immediately validated sixty seconds after the restart, with the visitors scoring their fifth of the game. Substitute William Calligan slid home the final goal of the game following an impressive goal-line clearance by Fisher-Jones.
Following this goal, the game descended into chaos; the next 10 minutes were littered with fouls and an onslaught of verbal abuse towards the referee and his assistants. This abuse came to its crescendo in the 55th minute with AFC’s manager, Phil Stafford, seeing red for questioning the neutrality of the linesman.
Things went from bad to worse for the Merseyside team as a rash challenge in front of the Wythenshawe bench by right back, Deacon Smalley, resulted in a brawl between the two teams. The skirmish resulted in Smalley seeing red for the initial challenge and Dwyer for his reaction to the offence, bringing both sides down to 10 men.
The last 30 minutes were fairly tame in comparison to the first hour, with the travelling side seeing out the game in a professional manner. A last-minute penalty gave Wythenshawe one last chance to add to their goal difference; however, substitute keeper David Parkinson produced a miraculous save to keep the score as close to respectable as possible.
This result has catapulted Wythenshawe FC to the top of the North West Counties Premier Division, while the hosts must settle for 19th place and a managerless trip to the Isle of Man on Saturday.
