FC Isle of Man and Chadderton engaged in a pulsating footballing spectacle at The Bowl on Easter Monday evening.
The match kicked off after an impeccable minute of applause Winsford United’s Ross Aikenhead who very sadly passed away a couple of days ago. FC Isle of Man showed some early intent, pressing high up the pitch, and looking to exploit any gaps in Chadderton’s defence. But within minutes, it was the visitors who took the lead when Llyton Chapman whipped in a cross from the right that found Adam Dale, he expertly glanced a header past the outstretched arms of Adam Killey, into the far corner, to give Chadderton the lead.
However, FC Isle of Man refused to be deterred, highlighted when Charlie Higgins unleashed a viscous effort from outside the area, that was acrobatically tipped around the post by keeper Morgan Bacon.
As the first half progressed, FC Isle of Man began to assert their dominance, dictating the tempo of the game with slick passing and fluid movement.
The Ravens efforts were finally rewarded in the 38th minute after Dan Hattersley was brought down in the Chad box, prompting referee James Milburn to point to the spot. As the whistle was blown, Hattersley sauntered up to the ball before sending Bacon the wrong way with a sizzling penalty into the bottom corner, levelling the scores and leaving honours even at halftime.
FC Isle of Man emerged for the second half with even more determination and purpose. They wasted no time in grasping hold of the lead when Ste Whitley capitalised on some exquisite build-up play from Charlie Higgins down the right, to slot home from just inside the box, in the 49th minute.
Buoyed by their lead, FC Isle of Man continued to pile on the pressure as Higgins then added his own name to the scoresheet in the 59th minute. After a scramble in the Chad box following a corner, he reacted quickest to turn and rifle a volley into the net, extending the Ravens lead to 3-1.
The game became quite cagey after this with a midfield battle breaking out between the sides, but it was clear Chadderton would refuse to go down without a fight and they launched a spirited comeback during injury time.
5 minutes into added time, The Ravens were caught off guard when Chadderton countered at pace, allowing Chapman to pounce on a second ball and fire past Killey to reduce the deficit, setting up a very tense finale.
Tensions then boiled over. Chadderton’s Ethan Sutcliffe saw red after an altercation with Killey when trying to retrieve the ball, reducing his side to ten men. Adam Dale was then sin-binned for dissent, and Chad were down to just nine before the final whistle.
After 100 minutes of football, FC Isle of Man held on to claim a hard-fought 3-2 victory, much to the delight of Ravens fans.
Charlie Higgins earned the well-deserved man of the match plaudits for his influential performance from sponsors Boal & Co.
With this crucial win under their belts, FC Isle of Man will now turn their attention to their next fixture against Irlam on Wednesday evening. That game kicks off at 19:45 and will be streamed in the Pinewood Social Club.
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