FC Isle of Man and Chadderton played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their opening match of the 2024/25 NWCFL Premier Division season.
The game began with Chadderton winning the toss and opting to switch sides. Within minutes, the visitors launched a long-range effort that drifted wide. Dean Pinnington responded for the Ravens by creating space down the right, though his cross was dealt with by goalkeeper Bruno da Silva, who required some brief treatment after claiming the ball but was soon back in action.
FC Isle of Man struck first in the 10th minute. After a corner broke to Sam Baines, his initial shot was blocked, but Ste Whitley was perfectly positioned to bend the ball low into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the box, giving the home side a 1-0 lead. Chadderton then immediately put the Ravens under pressure, but the home side held firm.
The Ravens resilience was tested again in the 18th minute when Adam Killey made a spectacular save to deny Lewis-Simon Byrne from point-blank range. Killey continued to shine, making another crucial save just two minutes later.
Under the cosh and against the run of play, FC Isle of Man doubled their lead in the 32nd minute. Kyle Watson’s powerful strike from a free kick was parried by Da Silva, but Charlie Higgins was alert and on hand to tap in the rebound from close range, putting FC Isle of Man 2-0 up.
The visitors responded just before half-time. In the first minute of injury time, Matthew Crothers whipped in a cross from the left, finding Muis Bibire Bello, who headed past Killey to make it 2-1. This late goal ensured a tense second half.
The second half began with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances. Lewis-Simon Byrne came close for Chadderton in the 63rd minute, his curling effort just grazing the top of Killey’s net. The Ravens continued to defend stoutly, with Watson and Baines making crucial interceptions as they dropped in deeper.
As the match approached its climax, Chadderton piled on the pressure. Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when a corner resulted in a penalty for handball against Alex Maitland. Crothers stepped up and confidently slotted the ball into the net, levelling the score at 2-2 despite Killey guessing the right direction.
In the 94th minute, Jacob Crook was tackled in the box. Vigorous appeals for a penalty were waved away by the referee, who instead awarded a corner, despite the ball never actually going out of play after the incident, leaving both sets of players confused.
The match ended in a hard-fought draw. FC Isle of Man’s performance demonstrated their potential and tenacity, earning them a well-deserved point against a strong Chadderton side that narrowly missed out on promotion last season.
The BHW Print Group Man of the Match award went to midfielder Kyle Watson, who was instrumental for FC Isle of Man.
We now look to build on this encouraging start when we travel to Irlam on Tuesday evening, with kick-off at 7:45 pm.
All Photos provided by Paul Mordue of Paul Mordue Photography
