Poulton FC Falls Short in Tough Away Match Against Eagley Sports

Brave but Outnumbered: Poulton FC Falls Short Despite Ridings’ Heroics in Lancashire Shield Clash

In a challenging clash against Eagley Sports, Poulton FC fought hard but ultimately succumbed to a 3-0 defeat. It was an afternoon filled with defensive grit, several close chances, and a standout performance from goalkeeper Adam Ridings, who rightfully earned Man of the Match.

First Half – A Defensive Battle

The match began in tense fashion as Poulton immediately faced pressure from the kickoff. In the second minute, a turnover led to a flick-on by Eagley, allowing their striker a one-on-one opportunity. Fortunately, the forward sliced his shot wide, sparing Poulton an early deficit. Poulton responded with an attacking play by Camm, who found Hallan just outside the box. Hallan’s shot clipped the top of the bar, showing promise for the visitors.

Ridings was soon called into action multiple times, first in the 10th minute with a fine save to deny Eagley’s counterattack. His heroics continued in the 19th minute, when he made a remarkable double save, denying the home side’s striker from point-blank range. Moments later, another giveaway from a short goal kick forced Ridings into yet another save, keeping Poulton level as they absorbed wave after wave of Eagley pressure.

Things took a difficult turn in the 24th minute when Byrne received a red card after a reckless challenge, leaving Poulton down to ten men. Despite the disadvantage, Poulton continued to press forward, with Kenyon sending in a cross for Hallan, who narrowly missed with a header. Poulton’s resilience in defense, anchored by Ridings’ superb efforts, saw them reach halftime at 0-0.

Second Half – Eagley Takes Control

Poulton’s resistance was broken just after the break when Eagley finally found the net in the 49th minute to go up 1-0. The home side struck again in the 52nd minute, taking advantage of the numerical advantage and pushing the scoreline to 2-0.

In response, Poulton introduced fresh legs with Jack Hayton replacing Billy Joyce. Hayton quickly made an impact, nearly scoring after bringing down a loose ball in the box, but his shot flew over. Hallan set up Hayton again in the 60th minute, but the Eagley keeper was quick to deny his attempt. Poulton continued to press, with Hayton narrowly missing again in the 70th minute.

Despite Poulton’s efforts, Eagley extended their lead to 3-0 in the 77th minute. Poulton brought on additional substitutes—Adam Jennings, Dominik Gil, and Sen Muya—but were unable to pull back any goals. Late chances for Hayton and Eagley’s number 9 could have changed the scoreline, but neither side converted.

Full-Time Reflections

The final whistle blew with Eagley taking the 3-0 victory. Poulton showed heart and resilience, especially while playing a man down. Ridings’ impressive shot-stopping throughout the game kept Poulton competitive and saved them from a larger margin of defeat.

Poulton’s focus will now shift to their next fixture, building on the positives from today’s hard-fought match and looking to convert close chances into goals in future encounters.

Manager, John Wigglesworth said this: “Harsh lessons learned today. To play against any West Lancs side with 10 men is an almighty task but to miss as many golden chances as we did, with any number on the pitch, is also an unforgiving subsequence. I cannot fault the sheer determination nor effort and the scoreline only displays the numerical advantage, and not the tale of the game. We recover now and move on to Rossendale away“

Next match, the lads are away to Rossendale on 16th November.