by Garry Clarke Pictures John Hopkins
TRAILING 2-0 with just five minutes on the clock and heading for defeat, A-Jay Leitch-Smith and Sam Egerton struck to crown a stunning comeback as Warrington Rylands shared the points with FC United of Manchester.
Against the run of play, the home side had opened the scoring in the 74th minute through Regan Linney and had looked to have made the game safe when the same player netted ten minutes later.
Recent signing Leitch-Smith marked his Rylands debut with a well-taken goal two minutes later having been set up by Callum Dolan to set up a grandstand finish in which from an 88th-minute corner the ball broke to Egerton who stabbed the ball home from close range to equalize.
A point was the least Rylands deserved from a highly entertaining game which they had dominated for large parts especially in the first half when FC United was indebted to goalkeeper Dan Laverscombe.
The United custodian pulled of several fine saves in the opening half. In the 10th minute he flew full length to keep out a 30-yard Jak McCourt thunderbolt destined for the top corner and just before the break prevented at full stretch he tipped a Leitch-Smith shot onto the bar.
McCourt fired another shot just over the bar while Dolan had a shot blocked and was off target with the rebound in an opening half in which Luke Griffiths had the ball in Rylands net but was ruled offside.
Just after the hour mark Dolan rattled the FC United crossbar with a free kick before the home side took the lead in the 74th minute through a well-taken goal by the Division’s top scorer Linney who cut in from the right side rolled the ball into the far corner out of the reach of Joel Torrance. After Sean Cooke went close to equalizing with a header, Linney made it 2-0 drilling the ball in from a tight angle.
“Nothing more than we deserved,” said Rylands caretaker manager Jody Banim “It was a really strong performance, especially the in the first half when we were utterly dominant, on the overall balance of the game we deserved to win.”
RYLANDS – Torrence, Duxbury, Vassallo (Pratt), Hockenhull, Egerton, McCourt (Cooke), Neild, Furman, Dolan, Leitch-Smith, Hayde. Subs not used Mustoe, Hunt Cookson
FC UNITED -Lavercombe, Degruchy, Armstrong, Griffiths, Halls, Jones, Gribbin, Potts, Linney, Ennis, Gabidon SUBS Donohue, McCarthy, Palinkas, Rodwell-Grant, Wollerton
GOALS – FCUM Linney 74,84 Rylands Leitch-Smith 86, Egerton 88
Post Match Interview with Jody Banim after FC United game https://t.co/dGNmvB04QM via @YouTube
— Warrington Rylands FC (@RylandsFC) November 12, 2022
Post Match with AJ Leitch-Smith and Scott Duxbury after FC United https://t.co/GOqWJrQejY via @YouTube
— Warrington Rylands FC (@RylandsFC) November 12, 2022
